Unur of Damascus
| Mu'in ad-Din Unur | |
|---|---|
| Died | August 28, 1149 |
| Cause of death | Dysentery |
Mu'in ad-Din Unur al-Atabeki (Turkish: Muiniddin Üner; died August 28, 1149) was the Turkish ruler of Damascus in the mid-12th century.
Mu'in ad-Din was originally a Mameluk in the army of Toghtekin, the founder of the Burid Dynasty of Damascus. When Zengi, the atabeg of Aleppo, besieged Damascus in 1135, Mu'in ad-Din was at the head of army defending the city. That year the Burid Shihab ad-Din Mahmud took control of Damascus after the assassination of his brother; when Zengi gave up the siege and instead besieged Homs, Shihab ad-Din sent Yusuf ibn Firuz and Mu'in ad-Din to govern it, with Yusuf acting as Mu'in ad-Din's lieutenant. In 1137 Mu'in ad-Din was still governor of Homs when the city was briefly besieged again by Zengi. In 1138, Shihab ad-Din appointed Mu'in ad-Din atabeg of Damascus and gave him the title Isfahsaller. Later in 1138, Zengi negotiated a marriage between himself and Shihab ad-Din's mother Khatun Safwat al-Mulk, and as part of the settlement Zengi received Homs. Mu'in ad-Din was given the castle of Barin in place of Homs. On June 22, 1139, Shihab ad-Din was assassinated in Damascus; Jamal ad-Din, emir of Baalbek, was chosen as his successor, and Mu'in ad-Din was chosen to govern Baalbek in his absence. He was in charge of the defenses of Baalbek when Zengi arrived to avenge the murder of his stepson. Zengi besieged it with 14 catapults and the city surrendered to him.
In 1140 Jamal ad-Din died, and Mu'in ad-Din continued to rule as regent for Jamal ad-Din's son Mujir ad-Din. That year, Mu'in ad-Din besieged Banias with help from King Fulk of Jerusalem and Prince Raymond of Antioch; Mu'in ad-Din offered 20 000 pieces of gold per month to pay for their expenses. When it was captured, Mu'in ad-Din handed it over to Fulk and returned to Damascus. A more thorough alliance, to protect Damascus against Zengi, was negotiated during a visit by Mu'in ad-Din to Jerusalem, accompanied by the future chronicler Usamah ibn Munqidh.
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