Governor of Aleppo Aq Sunqur was one of the
Turcoman beys that were assigned in 1084 by Sultan
Malik-Shah I to aid
Fakhr ad-Dawla ibn Jahir in the capture of the
Uqaylid realm. Malik-Shah then made Aq-Sunqur the governor of
Aleppo in 1086. Aq Sunqur subsequently ruled for eight years. Because of the many conflicts between the rulers and princes of the regions, conditions within the city were difficult. A combination of high taxes and goods prices led to an increase in crime. Aq-Sunqur began reforming by fixing the security situation in Aleppo and its environs. He activated the
Hudud in Islam, repelling thieves and bandits and stamping out corruption. He increased the use of the
police to secure civilian rights. He used the police authority to protect people rather than to control them. Aq-Sunqur created the "principle of collective responsibility" for every village or sector, which meant that if a village was raided by thieves, the whole village shared the responsibility of defending it. Because of his policy to make order in the city, it became a suitable place for trading and farming, the economy recovered and inflation went down. He asked the people to not remove their goods from the road should they travel, stating that he would guarantee that their goods would not be stolen.
Conflict with Tutush and death In 1089, Aq Sunqur was sent together with Bozan and
Yağısıyan by Malik Shah to aid his brother Tutush to capture cities that the Fatimids had reconquered under
Badr al-Jamali. However, the coalition fell apart when Aq Sunqur refused to continue the siege of Tripoli after he had been bribed and claimed the city had proclaimed allegiance. After the death of Malik Shah, Tutush tried to become Sultan himself and Aq Sunqur first supported his bid until he and Bozan defected again, forcing Tutush to withdraw. In return, Tutush marched on Aq Sunqur in March/April together with Yağısıyan. Aq Sunqur was defeated and captured in battle on 27 May 1094 after a part of his Türkmen defected. Aq Sunqur was then decapitated together with fourteen others by Tutush. He died when his son Zengi was 10 years old. == Legacy ==