The Burid dynasty (Arabic: الدولة البورية Romanized: Al-Dawla al-Buria) or the Emirate of Damascus (Arabic: إمارة دمشق Romanized: Imarat Dimashq) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Oghuz Turkic origin which ruled over the Emirate of Damascus in the early 12th century, as subjects of the Seljuk Empire.

Burid dynasty
الدولة البورية
1104–1154
CapitalDamascus
Religion
Sunni Islam
GovernmentEmirate
Emir 
• 1104–1128
Toghtekin (first)
• 1140–1154
Mujir ad-Din Abaq (last)
History 
• Established
1104
• Disestablished
1154
CurrencyDinar
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Seljuk Empire
Zengid dynasty

History

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The first Burid ruler, Toghtekin,[1] began as a servant to the Seljuk ruler of Damascus, Duqaq. Following Duqaq's death in 1104, he seized the city for himself.[citation needed]

The dynasty was named after Toghtekin's son, Taj al-Muluk Buri. The Burids gained recognition from the Abbasid caliphate in return for considerable gifts. In return, the caliphate did not interfere in the emirate.[2]

The Burids ruled the city until 1154, when it was taken by the ruler of Aleppo, Nur ed-Din, founder of the Zengid dynasty.[3]

The Burids lost to the Crusaders in the battle of Marj al-Saffar (1126) but were able to prevent the Second Crusade from capturing Damascus.[citation needed]

 
Coinage of the Burid ruler Shihab al-Din Mahmud (1135-1140). Dimashq mint, dated AH 533 (1138-9 CE). This coin gives Shihab al-Din’s full name and patronymic, as well as citing his Seljuq overlords, Sanjar and Mas‘ud, and the Abbasid caliph, al-Muqtafi (called here al-Imam, "the Priest").[4]

Burid emirs of Damascus

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Titular Name(s) (Laqab) Personal Name Reign
Amir
أمیر
Saif-ul-Islam
سیف الاسلام
Zahir al-Din Toghtekin
ظاھر الدین طغتکین
1104–1128
Amir
أمیر
Taj al-Muluk Buri
تاج الملک بوری
1128–1132
Amir
أمیر
Shams al-Mulk Isma'il
شمس الملک اسماعیل
1132–1135
Amir
أمیر
Shihab al-Din Mahmud
شھاب الدین محمود
1135–1139
Amir
أمیر
Jamal al-Din Muhammad
جمال الدین محمد
1139–1140
Amir
أمیر
Mu'in al-Din Unur
معین الدین أنر
1140–1149
Regent
Amir
أمیر
Mujir-ud-din
مجیر الدین
Abu Saʿid Ābaq
ابو سعید ابق
1140–1154
Zengid dynasty replaces the Burid dynasty.

Family Tree

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Burid Dynasty
Zahir al-Din
Tughtekin

(1)
r. 1104-1128
Taj al-Muluk
Buri

(2)
r. 1128-1132
Shams al-Mulk
Isma'il

(3)
r. 1132-1135
Shihab al-Din
Mahmud

(4)
r. 1135-1139
Jamal al-Din
Muhammad

(5)
r. 1139-1140
Mujir al-Din
Abaq

(6)
r. 1140-1154

See also

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References

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  1. ^ D.S. Richards, The Chronicle of Ibn Al-Athir for the Crusading Period from Al-Kamil Fi'l-ta-Ta'rikh, (Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2010), 16.
  2. ^ Burids, R. LeTourneau, The Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. I, ed. H.A.R. Gibb, J.H. Kramers, É. Lévi-Provençal and J. Schacht, (Brill, 1986), 1332.
  3. ^ Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, Ed. Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach, (Taylor & Francis, 2006), 568.
  4. ^ Obverse: al-amir Shihab al-Din Mahmud bin Buri in inner marginal legend; al-Imam / al-Muqtafi in field.Reverse: Sanjar / wa Mas‘ud in two lines across field. Album 782 (RRR); ICV 883.