The Turks had begun moving into northern Syria in greater numbers, forcing Mahmud, the Mirdasid amir of Aleppo, to convert to Sunni Islam and become a vassal of the Seljuq sultan.

Mahmud's death in 1075, followed by that of his son and successor Jalal al-Daula Nasr in 1076, had resulted in the late Nasr's brother Sabiq ibn Mahmud becoming amir.

Conflicts between him and members of his family, along with several different Turkish groups, leave the Mirdasid domains devastated, and in 1080, prompted by Sabiq, the Uqailid Sharaf al-Daula Muslim takes over Aleppo when its inhabitants offer to hand the city over to him in the hopes that he can protect its citizens from Seljuq raids.

The Mirdasids will maintain a level of influence in the region after the loss of Aleppo, and will tempt to stem the advance of the First Crusade.