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Nur ad-Din

Type Figure Region Syria Time 1118–1174 Also known as Nur ad-Din

Nur ad-Din (1118–1174) was a Zengid emir who ruled Aleppo and Damascus and was the central figure in the Muslim unification movement in the Levant du…

Timeline

  1. 1171–1173Damascus · SyriaWith Egypt nominally under his authority, he dealt with the Artuqids in northern Syria and mediated the succession disputes among his nephews after his brother Qutb al-Din's death, working to consolidate the unified order of the Muslim states of the Levant.
  2. 1171Cairo (remote command) · EgyptNur ad-Din insisted on abolishing the Shia Fatimid caliphate to restore Sunni orthodoxy; though concerned about public opinion and legitimacy, Saladin ultimately complied. This act both unified the religious banner and heightened the power tensions between the two men.
  3. 1173–1174Damascus · SyriaAfter Saladin's father's death, Nur ad-Din increasingly doubted that anyone at the Egyptian court could restrain Saladin's independence, rejected his proposals for joint attacks on the crusader states, and began preparing a personal campaign against Egypt to depose his former subordinate.
  4. 1174Damascus citadel · SyriaNur ad-Din died of a high fever caused by a peritonsillar abscess in the citadel of Damascus at the age of 56; he was first buried in the citadel and later moved to Nur ad-Din's madrasa. His 11-year-old son al-Salih Ismail was raised to succeed him.

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