At a glance
Era 5- Dates
- 1118-1174 CE; ruled 1146-1174 CE
- Who
- Ruler of Aleppo and Damascus who united Syria and prepared the way for Salahuddin
- Era
- The Crusades & Salahuddin
ProfileNur ad-Din Zengi
Nur ad-Din was the son of Zengi, who retook Edessa from the crusaders in 1144. After his father's death in 1146 he took Aleppo and set out to unite Muslim Syria. In 1154 Damascus came under his rule, and for the first time since the crusaders arrived, Syria answered to one ruler.
He beat the Franks at Inab in 1149 and Harim in 1164. He also built: madrasas across his lands, a great hospital in Damascus, and walls and roads. He lived simply, studied hadith and was known for his justice. He sent his general Shirkuh, with Shirkuh's nephew Salahuddin, to Egypt, which brought Egypt into his orbit.
He ordered a carved pulpit for al-Aqsa Mosque, to be set up when Jerusalem was freed. He died in 1174 before he could see it. Salahuddin placed it there in 1187.
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