AT?BAK, Turkish atabeg , lit. “father-chief,” a Turkish title of rank which first appears, at least under this name, with the early Saljuqs. An at?bak was a notable to whom a ruler assigned the tutoring of one of his young sons; the tutor tended to eventually marry the boy’s mother. Save for the exceptional case of the ????a Ne??m-al-molk who was at the same time vizier and at?bak of the youth Malekš?h, all the at?bak s were Turkish military leaders. The Saljuq epigones preserved this title and its formal function but considerably altered its practical features. Under the Ayyubids of Aleppo, the Saljuqs of R?m, the Mamluks, and even in the Christian kingdom of Georgia, the title, used as an honorific, indicated no more than a military chief. Great danger to the royal dynasty was inherent in the power of an at?bak . An adult warlord, entrusted with the care of an infant, and with full authority over him, might easily succumb to ambition and act in his own interests to the detriment of his nominal ward. In this way several new dynasties came into being which preserved the title at?bak , even when there was no longer any royal minor. The Zangid dynasty was the most illustrious of these on account of its historical role and its having furnished the subject of a great monograph by the historian Ebn al-A??r. This dynasty was founded by ?Em?d-al-d?n Zang? (d. 541/1146), who was first the Saljuq governor of Mosul (521/1127), and shortly thereafter had established himself in Aleppo as well (522/1128), ruling northern Syria and the contiguous territories of Mesopotamia. After Zang? the dynasty divided into two branches, one in Mosul under his son Sayf-al-d?n ??z?, which survived until the Mongol period, and another in Aleppo founded by another son, N?r-al-d?n Abu’l-Q?sem Ma?m?d, renowned for his victories over the Franks in Syria. Cf. also the at?bak s of Damascus, founded by ?ah?r-al-d?n To?tak?n and his son T??-al-mol?k B?r? in the beginning of the 6th/12th century. More important for the history of Iran was the dynasty of the Ildegozids (see At?bak?n-e ??arb?y??n ). The title at?bak was revived at the end of the 6th/12th century by the Salghurid chief of F?rs, although he had no princely ward. Several other local rulers of western Iran adopted the title as well, see Fa?l?ya, Hazaraspid dynasty. See also At?bak?n-e F?rs ; At?bak?n-e Lorest?n ; At?bak?n-e Mar??a ; At?bak?n-e Yazd ; and Saljuqs.

 

Bibliography :

See M. F. Köprülü, “Ata,” in ?A I, pp. 711-18 for a detailed study.

See also C. Cahen in EI ² I, pp. 731-32.

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ataabak

 

(C. Cahen)

Originally Published: December 15, 1987

Last Updated: August 17, 2011

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Vol. II, Fasc. 8, p. 878