{{citation style, date=May 2019 Bazawash (d. 1138), also known as Bazwāj and Beza-Uch. Mameluk military commander at Damascus through 1138. Bazawash led a regiment at

Baalbek Baalbek (; ; ) 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 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...

who murdered Yusuf ibn Firuz in 1136, and was then made chief minister by Shihab ed-Din Mahmud, atabeg of Damascus. Spurred on by Zengi’s successes, Bazawash invaded

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

in 1137, routing the local Frankish forces.

Pons of Tripoli Pons ( 1098 – 25 March 1137) was count of Tripoli from 1112 to 1137. He was a minor when his father, Bertrand, died in 1112. He swore fealty to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in the presence of a Byzantine embassy. His advisors sent ...

, taking refuge in the Castle of Saint-Gilles, was captured and put to death. Zengi was not happy with Bazawash’s passiveness, causing him to attack

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

, then under Unur. Approached by a Frankish army from Tripoli, Zengi withdrew from Homs and attacked the Franks under

Fulk Fulk is an old European personal name, probably deriving from the Germanic ''folk'' ("people" or "chieftain"). It is cognate with the French Foulques, the German Volk, the Italian Fulco and the Swedish Folke, along with other variants such as Fu ...

. Fulk fled into Montferrand, to be rescued by a force led by Patriarch William of Malines. Following their withdrawal, Bazawash ravaged as far south as Nablus, killing most of its inhabitants. He was close to Zumurrad, widow of Buri, being the messenger to Zengi of her refusal of marriage. Bazawash was assassinated in 1138, and Zengi and Zumurrad were married the next month.

References

Baldwin, Marshall W., and Setton, Kenneth M, ''A History of the Crusades: Volume One, The First Hundred Years'', The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1969, pgs. 437-438 Runciman, Steven, ''A History of the Crusades, Volume Two: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East, 1100-1187'', Cambridge University Press, London, 1952, pgs. 202-204 Taef El-Azhari, ''Zengi and the Muslim Response to the Crusades'', Routledge, Abington, UK, 2006, pgs. 77, 82 Baalbek District Damascus Tripoli, Lebanon