Lord of Jazirat ibn Umar for twenty years, a suspicious and violent prince in Ibn al-Athir's telling; in the Zengid league that relieved Mardin in 1199.
Who he is
- Name
- Mu'izz al-Din Sanjar Shah ibn Sayf al-Din Ghazi II
- Title
- lord (malik) of Jazirat ibn Umar
- Since
- 576 AH (1180)
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- Zengid
- Confidence
- high
TDV 'Zengiler', 'Cizre', 'Nureddin Zengi, Arslansah'; Ibn al-Athir 589.
Overlord
None formally.
What it holds
- Jazirat ibn Umar (Cizre) and the Tigris valley
How it was acquired
Left the town by his father Sayf al-Din Ghazi II of Mosul at his death in 1180.
Allies and rivals
Cousins at Mosul and Sinjar; Kurdish chiefs of the Bohtan as neighbours.
How things stand that morning
Holds his town and valley.
Wealth
River trade and the crossing tolls.
Military
Small host.
Threats
- al-Adil
- his own sons
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 605 AH (1208)Murdered by his son Ghazi; Mu'izz al-Din Mahmud succeeds. Later.Depends on: - Stopped by: -
Where the sources disagree
- Wikipedia's Zengid page wrongly lists him as lord of Sinjar.
Evidence: Prince and dates firm; his court not recorded in what was read.
On the map: Approximate.
Primary sources for Jazirat ibn Umar
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Complete History, Izz al-Din Ibn al-Athir (about 1200 to 1231, at Mosul). The widest Muslim narrative for the years 596 to 597 AH (1199 to 1201): al-Adil's entry into Cairo and his taking of the sultanate from his nephew al-Mansur Muhammad early in 1200, the quarrels of the Ayyubid princes at Damascus, Aleppo and Hama, the Nile failure and the great famine of Egypt, Mosul under Nur al-Din Arslan Shah and the Jazira under Gokbori and the Artuqids, Baghdad under the caliph al-Nasir, the Khwarazmshah Tekish's death in 1200 and Muhammad's accession, the Ghurid wars in Khurasan, the Eldiguzids and Georgia, the Almohads in the west, and the Seljuks of Rum in passing. Read online
Sources and studies
- TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi, 'Zengiler'
- TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi, 'Cizre'
- TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi, 'Nureddin Zengi, Arslansah' (dates from Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil XII, and al-Tarikh al-bahir; Abu Shama, Dhayl)
- Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fi'l-ta'rikh, tr. D.S. Richards, The Chronicle of Ibn al-Athir for the Crusading Period, Part 3 (589-629/1193-1231), Ashgate 2008 (read for 589-594; later years via the works below)
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.