emirate · Anatolia and the Levant
Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo
Origins
The Hamdanids were a family of the Banu Taghlib who rose to power in Mosul. In 944-945 Ali ibn Abi'l-Hayja, known by his title Sayf al-Dawla, took Aleppo and, after a settlement with the Ikhshidids of Egypt, made northern Syria his own emirate.
Rule and society
Sayf al-Dawla spent his reign fighting Byzantium on the frontier, winning fame as a champion of holy war despite heavy defeats. His court gathered the poet al-Mutanabbi, his cousin the poet Abu Firas, and the philosopher al-Farabi. The dynasty was Twelver Shi'i ruling a largely Sunni population and taxed heavily to fund war. In 962 Nikephoros Phokas sacked Aleppo, and in 969-970 the emirate became a Byzantine tributary.
Decline and legacy
Under Sa'd al-Dawla and Sa'id al-Dawla the emirate was squeezed between Byzantium and the Fatimids. Real power passed to the chamberlain Lu'lu', who deposed the last Hamdanids in 1004, beginning Lu'lu'id Aleppo.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Emirate of Tarsus was a vassal of Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo945 CE – 965 CE
- Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo was a vassal of Abbasid Caliphate945 CE – 969 CE
- Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo paid tribute to Byzantine Empire969 CE – 1004 CE
- Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo was a vassal of Fatimid Caliphate1002 CE – 1004 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hamdanid-emirate-of-aleppo
- MLA
- “Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hamdanid-emirate-of-aleppo. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hamdanid-emirate-of-aleppo.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hamdanid-emirate-of-aleppo (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻