emirate · Anatolia and the Levant
Zengid dynasty
Origins
Imad al-Din Zengi, son of a Seljuk governor, was appointed atabeg of Mosul in 1127 and took Aleppo in 1128. In 1144 he captured Edessa, destroying the County of Edessa's capital, before being murdered in 1146.
Rule and society
His son Nur al-Din ruled from Aleppo, took Damascus in 1154 and united Syria. He promoted Sunni revival with madrasas, the Nuri hospital in Damascus, and a court for complaints, and presented his wars as jihad. He sent Shirkuh and Saladin to Egypt, where Saladin became vizier in 1169. Other Zengids ruled Mosul, Sinjar and Jazirat ibn Umar as Turkish atabegs of a largely Arab and Kurdish population.
Decline and legacy
After Nur al-Din died in 1174, Saladin took over Syria and reduced the Zengid branches to vassals. The Mosul line lasted until Badr al-Din Lu'lu' displaced it in the 1230s, and minor branches survived until about 1250.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Zengid dynasty was a vassal of Seljuk Empire1127 CE – 1146 CE
- County of Edessa was conquered by Zengid dynasty1144 CE
- Burid Emirate of Damascus was conquered by Zengid dynasty1154 CE
- Munqidhite Emirate of Shaizar was conquered by Zengid dynasty1157 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zengid dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty
- MLA
- “Zengid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Zengid dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zengid dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻