Nur al-Din Muhammad

Coin of Nur al-Din Muhammad enthroned, dated 576 H (1180–1181 CE). Nur ad-Din Muhammad (r. 1175–1185 CE) was a member of the Artuqid dynasty, and the son of Fahkr al-Din Qara Arslan (Kara Arslan).

Life Nur ad-Din Muhammad was the Artuqid ruler of the Diyar Bakr, the northernmost region of Mesopotamia. He had married a daughter of Kilij Arslan II, the Sultan of Rum, but neglected her in favour of a singing girl. Angered, Kilij Arslan threatened Nur ad-Din, who sought the protection of Saladin in 1179. In 1183 Saladin granted him the recently conquered Amida in return for his assistance against Mosul.