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Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi

نور الدين محمود بن زنكي

c. December 1117 CE · Shawwal 511 AH – c. 1174 CE · 569 AH

Lord of Aleppo then Syria; he relieved Damascus from the Frankish siege in 543 with his brother Ghazi and kept retaking what they held — never slackening in jihad. He took Damascus in Safar 549, and al-Muqtafi deeded him Egypt as 'al-Malik al-Adil 1.

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Abbasid Fragmentation
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10751100112511501175120012251250 c. c. c. c. c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era · The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks · The Mongol and Post-Mongol Era Contemporaries: Abd al-Mughith al-Harbi · Abd al-Wahhab al-Shirazi · Abu Muhammad al-Hijri · Abu Musa al-Madini · Afifa Khatun
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Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi, lord of Aleppo then Syria; he lifted the Franks' siege of Damascus and took the city in 549 AH, the caliph al-Muqtafi styling him al-Malik al-Adil; he died in 569 AH.

Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi, lord of Aleppo then Syria. With his brother Ghazi he lifted the Franks' siege of Damascus in 543 AH and kept fighting; he took Damascus in Safar 549 AH, and the caliph al-Muqtafi sent him a writ for Egypt styling him al-Malik al-Adil. He died in 569 AH, succeeded by his boy son al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il; the Franks moved on the coasts and were bought off. The Shadharat calls him the greatest, most just and most striving king of his age: he opened more than fifty of the Franks' forts, dropped the tolls, built schools, Damascus's wall, orphanages, ribats, the hospital and the house of justice. A man once claimed against him while he played polo and he went before the judge; when nothing stood, the king made him a gift. Ibn al-Athir is quoted: after the Rightly-Guided caliphs and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz he saw no king of better conduct.

Storytellers (10–12) read the Explorers text, then cross to the Scholars text.

Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi, lord of Aleppo then Syria. With his brother Ghazi, lord of Mosul, he lifted the Franks' siege of Damascus in 543 AH and kept fighting them; he took Damascus in Safar 549 AH and several castles and strongholds, and the caliph al-Muqtafi sent him a writ for the governorship of Egypt styling him al-Malik al-Adil. He died in 569 AH still lord of Damascus, succeeded by his son al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il, a boy — the Franks moved on the coasts and were bought off with money. The Shadharat al-Dhahab calls him the greatest, most just, most devout and most striving of the kings of his age, and records that he opened more than fifty of the Franks' forts, dropped the tolls, and built schools, Damascus's wall, orphanages, ribats, the hospital and the house of justice. It relates that a man claimed against him while he played polo and he went before the judge; when no claim stood for the man, the king made him a gift. And it quotes Ibn al-Athir: after the Rightly-Guided caliphs and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz he saw no king of better conduct than Nur al-Din.

Overview

Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi, lord of Aleppo and then of Syria. In 543 AH, together with his brother Ghazi, lord of Mosul, he lifted the Frankish siege of Damascus, and he kept up the fight against the Franks. He took Damascus in Safar 549 AH and took several fortresses and strongholds. The caliph al-Muqtafi sent him a commission to govern Egypt and gave him the title "al-Malik al-Adil" 2.

Death and legacy

He died in 569 AH while lord of Damascus, and his son al-Malik al-Salih Isma'il succeeded him as a boy. The Franks then moved against the coasts, and were pacified with money 3.

The author of "Shadharat al-Dhahab" describes him as the finest, most just, most pious and most active in jihad of the kings of his time. He says that he conquered more than fifty fortresses in Frankish lands, abolished unlawful taxes, and built schools, the wall of Damascus, houses for orphans, hospices and a hospital, and a house of justice 4.

He is also reported to have been approached by a man who made a claim against him while he was playing polo. He went to the judge's session, and when the man's claim could not be proven, he gave him the thing he had claimed. Ibn al-Athir is quoted as saying that after the rightly guided caliphs and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz he had not seen a ruler of better conduct 4.

In the 'Al-Mubdi'un' programme (part 1 of 2)

Tareq al-Suwaidan presents Nur al-Din Zengi as 'the builder of Islamic unity', declaring — in his judgement — greater than Salah al-Din: after the rightly-guided caliphs and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz only Yusuf ibn Tashfin rivals him 5 6 7. He sketches the context: an ummah in darkness torn by princes' ambitions and Crusader occupiers, conditions worse than today's — yet hope rose 8 9 10. Of his father: Imad al-Din Zengi stretched his rule from Mosul to Nisibis and Harran, spent seven years fighting Muslim princes before turning to the Crusaders, took al-Ruha in 538 AH and annihilated three quarters of the army that attacked him — the first clear Muslim victory — then the Assassins murdered him on 6 Rabi' II 541 AH 11 12 13 14 15 16. Nur al-Din was born 17 Shawwal 511 AH, Imad al-Din's second son; the brothers split the state without quarrel — Sayf al-Din Ghazi settling in Mosul, Nur al-Din alone in Aleppo — Sayf the man of politics, Nur al-Din the lover of jihad 17 18 19 20. He describes him: hard upon Islam's enemies yet innately tender and fine of feeling, so he became beloved of the masses across the ummah, not only in Aleppo; and his field of creativity was jihad 21 22 23 24. Of his campaigns: he attacked the principality of Antioch taking its dependent fortresses, and destroyed Joscelin II's attempt to retake al-Ruha — the Crusaders' second defeat harsher than the first — the first news of victory spreading through the ummah after years of defeats 25 26 27. Of his uniting of the ranks: he struck a treaty with Mu'in al-Din Unur of Damascus in 541 AH and married his daughter, and when the Crusaders betrayed their ally Unur and threatened Damascus, Nur al-Din marched out and stood before them, taking Busra and Sarkhad before they could fall, then immediately left Damascus to reassure its ruler 28 29 30 31. In 542 AH the Second Crusade under Louis VII and Conrad III failed before Damascus through the unity of the armies of Damascus, Aleppo and Mosul; and in 544 AH he defeated Raymond of Poitiers, prince of Antioch, in a battle that annihilated the Crusaders and killed Raymond — the first decisive reversal of the Crusader tide since the loss of Palestine — when he was about twenty-nine 32 33 34 35 36 37. Unur's successor Abaq continued the alliance until humiliation reached the point that Damascus' ruler agreed to pay the Crusaders a yearly tribute in return for protecting the city from Nur al-Din 38 39.

In the 'Al-Mubdi'un' programme (part 2)

Al-Suwaidan continues: Nur al-Din united Syria in 549 AH when Damascus' scholars and notables wrote asking him to annex it and expel Mujir al-Din Abaq, under whom the Crusaders levied tribute on Muslims — 'when the ummah senses a sincere ruler it surrenders to him' (the speaker's remark) — so the Islamic front equalled the Crusader one from al-Ruha to Hawran 40 41 42 43. Then the race for Egypt: the Crusaders took Ascalon signalling invasion of the tottering Fatimid state, so Nur al-Din launched continuous raids in Syria to occupy them, and sent Asad al-Din Shirkuh with Salah al-Din to ally Egypt against them — five years of campaigns from 559 AH 44 45 46 47 48. The battle of al-Buqay'a 558 AH: taken by surprise he was defeated and escaped at the last moment, and said his famous words 'by God I will not shade under a roof until I take my revenge and Islam's' — when they offered peace he refused, then met them at Harim where ten thousand were killed and ten thousand captured 49 50 51 52. In Egypt: Shirkuh became vizier to al-Adid, the last Fatimid caliph, and when al-Adid betrayed him secretly negotiating with the Crusaders, Salah al-Din killed him in his palace and Egypt was declared subject to Nur al-Din; Shirkuh died two months later and Nur al-Din made Salah al-Din his governor — completing the united front from the Euphrates to the Nile 53 54 55 56. Of his conduct: he fought the Crusaders not as Christians but as foreign occupiers — 'he harmed no Christian in his lands, demolished no church, injured no priest or monk' (from the episode) 57 58. Of his faith: his saying 'had I a thousand horsemen I would never shade under a wall', and at Harim he was seen on a hill prostrating, smearing his face with dust, crying 'O God, grant victory to Your religion, not to Mahmud — who is Mahmud that he should triumph?' 58 59 60. He led the armies fighting at their head, and mourned that martyrdom was not granted him despite seeking it repeatedly 61 62. Of his civilisational building: hundreds of madrasas and mosques across Syria with generous endowments devoted to Qur'an and hadith — until he himself became a muhaddith licensed to transmit — free hospitals for the poor in every town, traveller khans on the roads, the House of Justice in Damascus, and the Nuri hospital and Nuri hadith college built with a captured Frankish king's three-hundred-thousand-dinar ransom 62 63 64 65 66 67 68. Of his reforms: he abolished 'hayya ala khayr al-amal' the Fatimids had added to the adhan, banned wine throughout his lands, lifted uncanonical taxes, and cared for the zakat 69 70 66. He fell ill preparing the march on Egypt toward Palestine and died 11 Shawwal 569 AH at fifty-nine; the whole Muslim world shook — and the speaker draws the lesson 'whenever a leader leaves the field another rises', Salah al-Din following his path 68 71 72 73.

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Connections

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Child of
عماد الدين زنكي
Spouse of
Ismat al-Din Khatun
Participated in
Ending the Ubaydid Khutba and Restoring the Abbasid Khutba in Egypt· Death of Nur al-Din Mahmud· The Frankish siege of Damietta (564 AH)· Nur al-Din Lifts the Frankish Siege of Damascus· Nūr al-Dīn besieges al-Karak· Nūr al-Dīn takes Mosul and confirms Sayf al-Dīn Ghāzī upon it· The Battle of Safed and the Taking of Gaza, Banias and Shayzar in 552· Nur al-Din Takes the Fortress of Safita from the Franks in 561· the hidden estrangement between Nūr al-Dīn and Saladin· Nūr al-Dīn acquires Qalʿat Jaʿbar from its 'Aqilid lords· Shirkuh enters Egypt, Shawar is killed, and Shirkuh takes the vizierate· Asad al-Din Shirkuh's first expedition to Egypt

People and things also explored

Saladin (Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)· al-Adid li-Din Allah, last Ubaydid caliph· أسد الدين شيركوه· Damascus· Misr (Egypt)· al-Mustadi bi-Amr Allah al-Hasan ibn al-Mustanjid· سيف الدين غازي بن زنكي· سيف الدين غازي الثاني صاحب الموصل

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Sources

  1. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 673-675
  2. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.673-675
  3. Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.684
  4. Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p.708-709
  5. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:01:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:02:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:12:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  8. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  9. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  10. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  11. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  12. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  13. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  14. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  15. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  16. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:09:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  17. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  18. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:10:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  19. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:11:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  20. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:11:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  21. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:13:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  22. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:13:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  23. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:14:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  24. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:14:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  25. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:15:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  26. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:15:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  27. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:16:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  28. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:17:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  29. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  30. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  31. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:19:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  32. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:20:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  33. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:20:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  34. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:21:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  35. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:21:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  36. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:22:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  37. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:22:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  38. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:24:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  39. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 18, at 00:24:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  40. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  41. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  42. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  43. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:04:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  44. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  45. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:06:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  46. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  47. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  48. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  49. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  50. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:09:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  51. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:09:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  52. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  53. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:10:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  54. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:11:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  55. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:11:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  56. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:12:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  57. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:15:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  58. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:15:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  59. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:17:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  60. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:17:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  61. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:18:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  62. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:18:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  63. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:19:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  64. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:19:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  65. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:20:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  66. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:21:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  67. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:22:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  68. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:22:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  69. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:20:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  70. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:21:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  71. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:23:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  72. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:23:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  73. Assabile archive of Tareq al-Suwaidan's lectures (video) , Al Mubdioune, episode 19, at 00:24:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Nur al-Din Mahmud ibn Zangi”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/nur-al-din-mahmud-ibn-zangi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-29.

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Saladin (Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)

Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, born at Tikrit in 1137 or 1138 and died at Damascus on 4 March 1193. He became vizier of Egypt in 1169, ended the Fatimid caliphate in 1171, united Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine and Egypt between 1174 and 1186, and recovered Jerusalem on 2 October 1187.