principality · Mesopotamia and Iran

Salghurid dynasty

1148 CE – 1282 CE (approx.) · capital Shiraz

Turkmen atabegs of Fars whose submission to the Mongols spared Shiraz, and whose patronage is remembered in the works of the poet Saadi.

Origins

The Salghurids were Turkmen of the Salghur tribe who entered Iran with the Seljuks. In 1148 Sunqur ibn Mawdud seized Fars from Seljuk officials and ruled from Shiraz as atabeg, formally a guardian for Seljuk princes but in practice independent.

Rule and society

The atabegs ruled a prosperous province of farmland, towns and trade routes to the Gulf. Sa'd I ibn Zangi (1198 to 1226) built walls and mosques in Shiraz. His son Abu Bakr ibn Sa'd submitted to the Mongol Great Khan Ögedei, paying tribute and keeping Fars from destruction. Saadi took his pen name from Abu Bakr's son Sa'd and dedicated the Bustan (1257) and Gulistan (1258) to the dynasty.

Decline and legacy

After Abu Bakr's death in 1260 a series of short reigns followed. The last ruler, Abish Khatun, was married to the Mongol prince Mengü-Temür, and in the 1280s Fars passed under direct control of the Ilkhanate.

Connections (3)

More states of Mesopotamia and Iran →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Salghurid dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salghurid-dynasty
MLA
“Salghurid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salghurid-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Salghurid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salghurid-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Salghurid dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/salghurid-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻