At a glance
- Roles
- Ruler
- Era
- Abbasid Fragmentation
- Region
- Persia & Central Asia
- Identifiers
- Wikidata
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Sultan Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah, a Seljuk sultan and ruler of Khurasan. The author of Shadharat al-Dhahab describes him as among the most noble of the kings of the world by lineage, the earliest in rule, and the greatest in army 2.
His rule
He acted as regent for his brother Barkiyaruq in the year 490 AH, then became sultan in his own right in the year 512 AH. Before that he had been titled al-Malik al-Muzaffar. The book describes him as dignified and awe-inspiring, with modesty, generosity and compassion for his subjects. He was named in the sermon in Iraq, Syria, al-Jazira, Khurasan, Transoxiana, Ghazna and elsewhere 2.
He died in Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 552 AH and was buried in a dome he had built and called the House of the Hereafter. The book reports that his rule weakened in his last days, and that the Ghuzz overcame him 2.
The Caliph al-Mustarshid
He sent to his nephew Mas'ud, ordering him to restore the Caliph al-Mustarshid when he had been captured, and Mas'ud obeyed him and kissed the ground before the caliph 3.
Connections
People and things also explored
السلطان مسعود بن محمد بن ملكشاه· Ghuzz· al-Mustarshid bi'llah al-Fadl ibn al-Mustazhir· al-Dinawar· Maragha· Samarqand· The battle of Dinawar between Sanjar and his nephews in 526· Capture and killing of al-Mustarshid at Maragha
Sources
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p. 664-665
- Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p.641-642
- Tarikh al-Khulafa — al-Suyuti (Dar al-Minhaj edition) , p.664-665
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “السلطان سنجر بن ملكشاه”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/sanjar/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-19.