Fall of Saruj

Fall of Saruj
Date Early January 1145 Location Saruj Result Zengid victory
Belligerents
Zengids	County of Edessa
Commanders and leaders
Imad al-Din Zengi	Unknown
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
None	None

The Fall of Saruj in 1145 saw the main surviving Frankish fortress of Edessa fall to the Zengids.

Following the capture of Edessa in 1144, the Zengid ruler, Imad al-din Zengi, wanted to exploit his victory by clearing the remaining Crusader fortresses on the east of the Euphrates, which was his main goal. In early January 1145, Zengi marched towards Saruj. The Crusader garrison and the inhabitants evacuated the town to Birecik before the arrival of the Zengids. Zengi captured the city without a fight. Zengi went to besiege Birecik after that, but after three months of siege, he retreated. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

References

1. Taef El-Azhari (2016), Zengi and the Muslim Response to the Crusades, The Politics of Jihad, p. 101
2. Jean Richard (1999), The Crusades, C.1071-c.1291, p. 153
3. Steven Runciman (1987), A History of the Crusades, Vol. II, p. 237