emirate · Anatolia and the Levant

Seljuk Emirate of Aleppo

1095 CE – 1117 CE · capital Aleppo

The Aleppo share of Tutush's realm under his son Ridwan, a weak state that paid tribute to Antioch and allied with the Assassins.

Origins

After Tutush I fell in battle in 1095, his son Ridwan secured Aleppo and northern Syria, while his brother Duqaq took Damascus. Their quarrels divided Muslim Syria at the moment the First Crusade arrived.

Rule and society

Ridwan lost territory to the Principality of Antioch and paid tribute to Tancred. Unpopular with the Sunni population, he relied on the Nizari Ismailis, allowing them a mission house in Aleppo and using their assassins against rivals. He also rejected a Seljuk-led counter-crusade in 1111 by closing the city's gates. After his death in 1113 his sons Alp Arslan al-Akhras and Sultan Shah were puppets of the eunuch Lu'lu' and other officers.

Decline and legacy

Threatened by the Franks, Aleppo's notables turned to outside protectors, and in 1117-1118 the city passed to the Artuqid Ilghazi, later part of the Artuqids of Mardin's sphere and then the Zengid dynasty.

Lineage

Seljuk Sultanate of Syria 1079 CE – 1095 CESeljuk Emirate of Aleppo

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻