emirate · Anatolia and the Levant

Burid Emirate of Damascus

1104 CE – 1154 CE · capital Damascus

The dynasty of Tughtekin that ruled Damascus for half a century, resisting both the Crusaders and the Zengids.

Origins

Tughtekin, the Turkish atabeg of the Seljuk prince Duqaq, took power in Damascus after Duqaq's death in 1104. The dynasty takes its name from his son Taj al-Muluk Buri, who succeeded him in 1128.

Rule and society

The Burids governed with the support of the Damascene notables and the urban militia. Tughtekin fought and negotiated with the Kingdom of Jerusalem, while Buri, after the Nizari Ismailis gained influence in the city, allowed a massacre of them in 1129. To resist Zengi of Aleppo, the regent Mu'in al-Din Unur allied with Jerusalem, but the Second Crusade nonetheless besieged Damascus in July 1148 and withdrew after five days.

Decline and legacy

Weakened by internal rivalries, Mujir al-Din Abaq lost the support of the city, which opened its gates to Nur al-Din in April 1154, uniting Muslim Syria under the Zengid dynasty.

Lineage

Seljuk Emirate of Damascus 1095 CE – 1104 CEBurid Emirate of Damascus

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Burid Emirate of Damascus. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/burid-emirate-of-damascus
MLA
“Burid Emirate of Damascus.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/burid-emirate-of-damascus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Burid Emirate of Damascus.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/burid-emirate-of-damascus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Burid Emirate of Damascus’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/burid-emirate-of-damascus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻