The Zengi state, known with its Sunni identity, had its heyday during the Nureddin Zengi period. Nureddin Zengi became the head of the state after the death of his father and became the leader of the Muslims by protecting the Islamic world, which was shaken by sectarian and political struggles at that time, against the attacks of the Crusaders. Nureddin Zengi was a man of organization as well as a successful statesman. He built madrasahs, ribats, khankahs, mosques, imarets, caravanserais and hospitals. It united and strengthened the society around Sunni identity, built a strong bond between the society and the state, and prepared the environment that enabled the conquest of Jerusalem. Nureddin Zengi, was a great mujahid and a statesman with superior qualities, and at the same time he earned the admiration of everyone with his sincere piety, humility and justice. The name of Nureddin Zengi, who made his country the center of the Sufis, was mentioned among the people of Sufism. He included the sheikhs of the Sufis in his council, established close relations with them, treated them with humility, gave expensive gifts, visited the Sufis who did not want to come to the palace in their lodges and received their prayers before going out to wars. Nureddin Zengi was criticized by his advisors from time to time for his sincere and excessive respect towards the Sufis, but he was very angry with their approach. In his time, Sufism was an active field accepted by both the public and the state. During this period, the Sufis were seen as an authority and supported by the state. They were knowledgeable in the science of Sufism as well as in the literary sciences. These people, loved by the society, were also consulted in state affairs. In addition to political and military activities, the Sufis also had great services in ensuring the unity of the ummah during this period. The material unity provided by the political and military authority was supported by the spiritual and intellectual unity provided by madrasahs and rulers. It was these institutions that encouraged the ummah, who was afraid of the Crusaders, and provided unity. The political and military aspects of Nureddin Zengi's success against the Crusaders were studied, but his approach to Sufism and Sufis was neglected. Therefore, since we consider the Sufi aspect of Nureddin Zengi important, we found it appropriate to investigate the subject we have mentioned in de-tail. As a result of our research, we witnessed that his Sufi personality is of great importance in the background of his political and military genius. The main purpose of this study is to analyze Nureddin Zengi's approach to Sufism and the role of Sufis in that period. In order to investigate the relations of Nureddin Zengi with the Sufis and the Sufi life of the period, the fundamental sources of the period and the works written in the following centuries were examined. Findings show that Nureddin Zengi protected the Muslims against the attacks of the Crusaders, and despite being a statesman, he lived a Sufi life and was meticulous about performing worship. Because of these features, Nureddin Zengi was considered directly or indirectly in the status of sainthood. Nureddin Zengi, built ribats and khankahs for Sufis all over his country and built the Mesihatu's-suyuh institution to control these structures. Nureddin Zengi, who attaches importance to the thoughts of the Sufis, occasionally consulted their opinions on political and military issues. Nureddin Zengi, could not be detected as affiliated with any sect, but kept the Sufis of Kuseyri and Gazali line close to him. In this period, the Sufis, who were accepted by both the people and the state, performed important services in ensuring the unity of the ummah. Sufis dealt with self-discipline during the period of peace, and they fought against the Crusaders during the war period.
