emirate · Mesopotamia and Iran

Zengid dynasty of Mosul

1127 CE – 1233 CE · capital Mosul

The senior line of the Zengids, who ruled Mosul after Zengi's capture of Edessa and left the city its great Nuri mosque.

Origins

In 1127 the Seljuk sultan appointed Imad al-Din Zengi atabeg of Mosul. Zengi added Aleppo in 1128 and captured Edessa in 1144, destroying the County of Edessa and provoking the Second Crusade. After his murder in 1146 his lands were divided: Nur al-Din took Aleppo and Syria, forming the Zengid dynasty, while Mosul passed to his son Sayf al-Din Ghazi I.

Rule and society

The Mosul Zengids were Turkish rulers of an Arab, Kurdish and Christian population, governing through atabeg households and patronising Sunni learning, architecture and metalwork, for which Mosul was famed. Qutb al-Din Mawdud ruled from 1149 to 1170. The Great Mosque of al-Nuri, built by Nur al-Din in 1172 with its leaning al-Hadba minaret, stood until its destruction in 2017.

Decline and legacy

Saladin forced Izz al-Din Mas'ud to accept Ayyubid overlordship in 1186. The last Zengid rulers became figureheads for their minister Badr al-Din Lu'lu', who took power around 1233, founding the Lu'lu'id dynasty.

Lineage

Zengid dynasty of MosulLu'lu'id dynasty 1233 CE – 1262 CE

Connections (3)

Zengid dynasty of Mosul was a vassal of Seljuk Sultanate of Iraq1127 CE – 1146 CE
Begteginid dynasty was a vassal of Zengid dynasty of Mosul1144 CE – 1190 CE
Zengid dynasty of Mosul was a vassal of Ayyubid Empire1186 CE – 1233 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zengid dynasty of Mosul. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty-of-mosul
MLA: “Zengid dynasty of Mosul.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty-of-mosul. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Zengid dynasty of Mosul.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty-of-mosul.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zengid dynasty of Mosul’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zengid-dynasty-of-mosul (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻