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Taj al-Muluk Buri ( ar, تاج الملوك بوري; died 6 June 1132) was an atabeg of Damascus from 1128 to 1132. He was initially an officer in the army of Duqaq, the Seljuk ruler of Damascus, together with his father
Toghtekin Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern tr, Tuğtekin; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkic military leader, who was ''atabeg'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder o ...
. When the latter took power after Duqaq's death, Buri acted as regent and later became atabeg himself. Damascus's Burid dynasty was named for him.


Biography

Buri is mentioned for the first time in 1099, when Duqaq sent him to take possession of
Jableh ) , settlement_type = City , motto = , image_skyline = Jableh Collage.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = General view of city and port • Roman Amphitheater• Al ...
, a town between
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
and
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...
which had rebelled against Fakhr al-Mulk ibn 'Ammar, ''qādī'' of Tripoli. Buri however acted as a despotic governor and the population appealed to Fakhr al-Mulk ibn 'Ammar, who captured him. Buri was however treated well and send back to Damascus. In 1102, Raymond of Saint-Gilles besieged
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...
. Fakhr al-Mulk sued for help to Damascus, but in vain. In 1104 Duqaq died and the power went to his vizier Toghtekin. In 1108 Fakhr al-Mulk went to Baghdad to obtain help from caliph al-Mustazhir, accompanied by Buri. When the two returned in Damascus, they were informed that Tripoli had fallen into Crusaders' hands. In 1110, the eunuch al-Taj Gümüshtegin was deposed for intriguing against Buri's father; his domain around
Baalbek Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roma ...
was given to Buri. In 1119, Buri led an army against king
Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the ...
, who had raided Adra'āt and halted him on a hill, where the Crusaders entrenched and stood against Buri's assault until he was crushed. On 25 January 1126, Buri fought with his father against the Crusaders at the battle of Marj al-Saffar, but they were defeated by Baldwin II. The Franks suffered heavy losses, and could not march against Damascus, which was then largely undefended. Buri succeeded Toghtekin, uncontested, in February 1128. The following year, his vizier discovered an alleged plot set by the Assassins to deliver Damascus to the Crusaders. Baldwin II, who ignored that the plot had been brought to light, arrived with his army near Damascus and besieged it. The siege lasted until 5 December 1129, when the western troops were forced to retreat after heavy rains had turned the surroundings of the city into a marsh. In 1129, Buri assassinated the pro-Nizari vizier Abu Ali Tahir ibn Sa'id al-Mazadaqani. A general attack on the Assassins of Damascus occurred during the subsequent chaotic disorders and 6,000 or 10,000 of them were slain by the militia and the mob. In 7 May 1131, two Assassins of Buri's personal guard, probably sent from
Alamut Alamut ( fa, الموت) is a region in Iran including western and eastern parts in the western edge of the Alborz (Elburz) range, between the dry and barren plain of Qazvin in the south and the densely forested slopes of the Mazandaran provin ...
for that purpose, tried to kill him, and he was severely wounded. Despite the care of Damascus' best physicians, he accelerated his convalescence. After riding a horse, his wound opened back, causing his death in 9 June 1132. He was married to Zumurrud Khatun. He succeeded by his three sons Shams al-Mulk Isma'il, Shihab ed-Din Mahmud, and Jamal ad-Din Muhammad who fought one another over the inheritance.


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* . * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taj Al-Muluk Buri 11th-century births 1132 deaths Muslims of the Crusades Turkic rulers 11th-century Turkic people Atabegs Rulers of Damascus Burid rulers People of the Nizari–Seljuk wars Victims of the Order of Assassins