Zahir al-Din Tughtakin the Atabeg

Tughtakin the atabeg, whose title was Zahir al-Din, one of the mamluks of Taj al-Dawla Tutush. Ibn Khaldun reports that when Duqaq died in Damascus in the year 497 AH, he took power on his own, and proclaimed the sermon for Tutush's young son, but Tutush fled to Ba'albak and Tughtakin alone ruled ¹.

Ibn Khaldun reports that he fought the Franks and defeated the count who raided Damascus, and took the fortress of Ramsa of Tripoli. Then the kings of the Franks and their counts met him at Marj al-Safar at the end of the year 520 AH. He fell from his horse, then fought with the Turkmen foot-soldiers until they killed the Frankish foot-soldiers and plundered their camp ¹.

He died in Safar of the year 522 AH. Ibn Khaldun describes him as good in conduct, favouring justice and loving jihad. His son Taj al-Dawla Buri succeeded him ¹. See the Burid dynasty.