Person

Tughtekin

d. 1128 · 12th century · Also known as Zahir al-Din Tughtekin

Tughtekin was a Turkish commander who became atabeg, or guardian, of the Seljuk prince Duqaq of Damascus and, after Duqaq's death in 1104, the effective ruler of the city. He founded the Burid dynasty, named after his son Taj al-Muluk Buri. Fighting and at times making truces with the Crusader states, he kept Damascus independent of both the Franks and rival Muslim princes until his death in 1128.

Tughtekin
Image: Alexandre-François Caminade · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Seljuk Emirate of DamascusBurid Emirate of Damascus

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tughtekin. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tughtekin
MLA
“Tughtekin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tughtekin. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tughtekin.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tughtekin.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tughtekin’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/tughtekin (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻