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The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is taken as a turning point in the history of Anatolia and the Byzantine Empire. or the Saljuqids, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to the Turco-Persian tradition in the medieval Middle East and Central Asia. The Seljuks established the Seljuk Empire (1037-1194), the Sultanate of Kermân (1041-1186) and the Sultanate of Rum (1074-1308), which at their heights stretched from Iran to Anatolia, and were the prime targets of the First Crusade.


Early history

The Seljuks originated from the Kinik branch of the Oghuz Turks, who in the 8th century lived on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asi ...
and Aral Sea in their Oghuz Yabgu State, in the Kazakh Steppe of
Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turk ...
. During the 10th century, Oghuz had come into close contact with Muslim cities. When Seljuk, the leader of the Seljuk clan, had a falling out with
Yabghu Yabghu ( otk, 𐰖𐰉𐰍𐰆, yabγu,Entrabγu">"𐰖𐰉𐰍𐰆_[yabγuйабғұ"in_"Ethno-Cultural_Dictionary"_''Türik_Bitig''_),_also_rendered_as_Jabgu,_Djabgu_or_Yabgu,_was_a_state_office_in_the_early_Turkic_peoples.html" ;"title="abγuй ...
, the supreme chieftain of the Oghuz, he split his clan off from the bulk of the Oghuz Turks and set up camp on the west bank of the lower Syr Darya. Around 985, Seljuk converted to Islam.Michael Adas, ''Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History'', (Temple University Press, 2001), 99. In the 11th century the Seljuks migrated from their ancestral homelands into mainland Persia, in the province of Khurasan, where they encountered the Ghaznavids. The Seljuks defeated the Ghaznavids at the Battle of Nasa Plains in 1035. Seljuk's grandsons,
Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il ( fa, ابوطالب محمد تغریل بن میکائیل), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril), was a Turkmen"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...
and Chaghri, received the insignias of governor, grants of land, and were given the title of ''
dehqan The ''dehqân'' ( fa, دهقان) or ''dehgân'' ( fa, دهگان), were a class of land-owning magnates during the Sasanian and early Islamic period, found throughout Iranian-speaking lands. The ''deqhans'' started to gradually fade away under t ...
''. At the
Battle of Dandanaqan The Battle of Dandanaqan ( fa, نبرد دندانقان) was fought in 1040 between the Seljuq Turkmens and the Ghaznavid Empire near the city of Merv (now in Turkmenistan). The battle ended with a decisive Seljuq victory, which subsequently bro ...
they defeated a Ghaznavid army, and after a successful siege of Isfahan by
Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il ( fa, ابوطالب محمد تغریل بن میکائیل), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril), was a Turkmen"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turk ...
in 1050/51, established the Great Seljuk Empire. The Seljuks mixed with the local population and adopted the Persian culture and Persian language in the following decades.


Later period

After arriving in Persia, the Seljuks adopted the Persian culture and used the Persian language as the official language of the government, and played an important role in the development of the
Turko-Persian tradition The composite Turko-Persian, Turco-Persian
''Turko-Persia in historical perspective'', Cambridge University Press, ...
which features "Persian culture patronized by Turkic rulers".Daniel Pipes: "The Event of Our Era: Former Soviet Muslim Republics Change the Middle East" in Michael Mandelbaum, "Central Asia and the World: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkemenistan and the World", Council on Foreign Relations, p. 79. Exact statement: "In Short, the Turko-Persian tradition featured Persian culture patronized by Turcophone rulers." Today, they are remembered as great patrons of Persian culture,
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
, literature, and language.O. Özgündenli, "Persian Manuscripts in Ottoman and Modern Turkish Libraries", '' Encyclopaedia Iranica'', Online Edition,
LINK
'' Encyclopædia Britannica'', "Seljuq", Online Edition,
LINK
: "... Because the Turkish Seljuqs had no Islamic tradition or strong literary heritage of their own, they adopted the cultural language of their Persian instructors in Islam. Literary Persian thus spread to the whole of Iran, and the Arabic language disappeared in that country except in works of religious scholarship ..."
M. Ravandi, "The Seljuq court at Konya and the Persianisation of Anatolian Cities", in ''Mesogeios (Mediterranean Studies)'', vol. 25–26 (2005), pp. 157–169


Seljuk rulers


Rulers of the Seljuk Dynasty

The "Great Seljuks" were heads of the family; in theory their authority extended over all the other Seljuk lines, although in practice this often was not the case. Turkic custom called for the senior member of the family to be the Great Seljuk, although usually the position was associated with the ruler of western Persia. *''Muhammad's son Mahmud II succeeded him in western Persia, but
Ahmad Sanjar Senjer ( fa, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (''b''. 1085 – ''d''. 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until in 1118,Khurasan at the time being the senior member of the family, became the Great Seljuk Sultan.''


Seljuk sultans of Hamadan

The rulers of western Persia, who maintained a very loose grip on the
Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
of
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
. Several Turkic
emirs Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
gained a strong level of influence in the region, such as the Eldiduzids. * Mahmud II 1118–1131 *1131–1133 disputed between: ** Dawud 1131-1132 ** Mas'ud (in
Jibal Jibāl ( ar, جبال), also al-Jabal ( ar, الجبل), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' (" ...
and Iranian Azerbaijan) 1132 **
Toghrul II Tughril II ( 1109 – October–November 1134) was the Sejluk sultan of Persian Iraq briefly in 1132. He maintained power through the support of his uncle, the principal Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar (); when the latter left for Transoxiana to su ...
1132–1133 * Mas'ud 1133–1152 *
Malik Shah III Malik-Shah III (died 1160) ruled as Sultan of Great Seljuq from 1152–53. He was the son of Mahmud II of Great Seljuq. In 1153, he was deposed and was succeeded by his brother, Muhammad. Following his death in 1160, his son Mahmud was held ...
1152–1153 * Muhammad II 1153-1159 * Suleiman-Shah 1159–1161 *
Arslan Shah Arslan is a Turkic masculine given name and surname, used mainly in the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Mongolia, and Western China. It is translated as "lion". The names , Arsalan, Aslan are other variants of the name. People Given ...
(Arslan II) 1161–1177 *
Toghrul III Toghrul III ( fa, طغرل سوم) (died 1194) was the last sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire and the last Seljuk Sultan of Iraq. His great uncle Sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud (1134–1152) had appointed Shams ad-Din Eldiguz (1135/36–1175) as a ...
1177–1194 In 1194, Toghrul III was killed in battle with the Khwarezm Shah, who annexed Hamadan.


Seljuk rulers of Kerman

Kerman was a province in southern Persia. Between 1053 and 1154, the territory also included
Umman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
. * Qawurd 1041–1073 (great-grantson of Seljuq, brother of Alp Arslan) * Kerman Shah 1073–1074 * Sultan Shah 1074–1075 or 1074-1085 * Hussain Omar 1075–1084 or 1074 (before Sultan Shah) *
Turan Shah I Turan ( ae, Tūiriiānəm, pal, Tūrān; fa, توران, Turân, , "The Land of Tur") is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical re ...
1084–1096 or 1085-1097 * Iranshah ibn Turanshah 1096–1101 or 1097-1101 * Arslan Shah I 1101–1142 * Muhammad I 1142–1156 * Tuğrul Shah 1156–1169 or 1156-1170 * Bahram-Shah 1169–1174 or 1170-1175 *
Arslan Shah II Arslan is a Turkic masculine given name and surname, used mainly in the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, Mongolia, and Western China. It is translated as " lion". The names , Arsalan, Aslan are other variants of the name. People Given ...
1174–1176 or 1175-1176 * Turan Shah II 1176–1183 * Muhammad II Shah 1183–1187 or 1183-1186 Muhammad abandoned Kerman, which fell into the hands of the Oghuz chief
Malik Dinar Malik Dinar ( ar-at, مالك دينار, Mālik b. Dīnār, Malayalam: മാലിക് ദീനാര്‍) (died 748 CE)Al-Hujwiri, "Kashf al-Mahjoob", 89 was a Muslim scholar and traveller. He was one of the first known Muslims to have co ...
. Kerman was eventually annexed by the Khwarezmid Empire in 1196.


Seljuk rulers in Syria

* Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I 1085–1086 * Jalal ad-Dawlah
Malik Shah I Jalāl al-Dawla Mu'izz al-Dunyā Wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fatḥ ibn Alp Arslān (8 August 1055 – 19 November 1092, full name: fa, ), better known by his regnal name of Malik-Shah I ( fa, ), was the third sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire from 1072 to ...
of Great Seljuk 1086–1087 * Qasim ad-Dawla Abu Said
Aq Sunqur al-Hajib Abu Said Aq Sunqur al-Hajib (full name: ''Qasim ad-Dawla Aksungur al-Hajib'') was the Seljuk governor of Aleppo under Sultan Malik Shah I. He was considered the ''de facto'' ruler of most of Syria from 1087. He was beheaded in 1094 following accu ...
1087–1094 * Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I ''(second time)'' 1094–1095 *
Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan Ridwan), though he is commonly referred to as ''Ridwan'' ( ar, رضوان), which is also romanised as ''Radwan'' or ''Rudwan''. ( – 10 December 1113) was a Seljuk emir of Aleppo from 1095 until his death. Ridwan was born to the Seljuk p ...
1095–1113 * Tadj ad-Dawla Alp Arslan al-Akhras 1113–1114 * Sultan Shah 1114–1123 ''To the
Artuqids The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid; , pl. ; ; ) was a Turkoman dynasty originated from tribe that ruled in eastern Anatolia, Northern Syria and Northern Iraq in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Artuq ...
'' Sultans/ Emirs of Damascus: * Aziz ibn
Abaaq al-Khwarazmi Atsiz ibn Uwaq al-Khwarizmi, also known as al-Aqsis, Atsiz ibn Uvaq, Atsiz ibn Oq and Atsiz ibn Abaq (died October 1079), was a Khwarezmian Turkish mercenary commander who established a principality in Palestine and southern Syria after seizing the ...
1076–1079 * Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla Tutush I 1079–1095 * Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk
Duqaq Dukak or Duqaq may refer to: * Tuqaq (died c. 924 AD), the father of Seljuq, eponymous founder of the Seljuk dynasty * Duqaq (Seljuk ruler of Damascus) Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq (died June 8, 1104) was the Seljuq ruler of Damascus from 1095 ...
1095–1104 * Tutush II 1104 * Muhi ad-Din Baktāsh ''(Ertaş)'' 1104 ''Damascus seized by the Burid Toghtekin''


Seljuk sultans of Rum (Anatolia)

The Seljuk line, already having been deprived of any significant power, effectively ended in the early 14th century. *
Kutalmish Qutalmish ibn Arslan ( 1ca, قُتَلمِش, fa, قتلمش) (alternative spellings: Qutalmis, Kutalmish, ) was a Turkic prince who was a member of Seljukid house in the 11th century. His son Kutalmışoğlu Suleiman, founded the Sultanate of R ...
1060–1077 * Suleyman I (Suleiman) 1077–1086 * Dawud
Kilij Arslan I Kilij Arslan ibn Suleiman ( 1ca, قِلِج اَرسلان; fa, , Qilij Arslān; tr, I. Kılıç Arslan or ''Kılıcarslan'', "Sword Lion") (‎1079–1107) was the Seljuq Sultan of Rum from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sulta ...
1092–1107 * Malik Shah 1107–1116 * Rukn ad-Din
Mesud I Rukn al-Dīn Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan or Mesud I (Modern tr, I. Rükneddin Mesud or ''Masud'' () was the sultan of the Sultanate of Rûm from 1116 until his death in 1156. Reign Following the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan fighting a ...
1116–1156 * Izz ad-Din
Kilij Arslan II Kilij Arslan II ( 1ca, قِلِج اَرسلان دوم) or ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd ( fa, عز الدین قلج ارسلان بن مسعود) ( Modern Turkish ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was a Seljuk Sultan of Rû ...
1156–1192 * Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I 1192–1196 *
Suleyman II Suleiman II (15 April 1642 – 22 June 1691) ( ota, سليمان ثانى ''Süleymān-i sānī'') was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1687 to 1691. After being brought to the throne by an armed mutiny, Suleiman and his grand vizier Fazıl ...
(Suleiman) 1196–1204 *
Kilij Arslan III Kilij Arslan III ( 1ca, قِلِج اَرسلان, fa, قلج ارسلان ''Qilij Arslān''; Modern Turkish: ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm for a short period between 1204 and 1205 succeeding his father ...
1204–1205 * Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw I ''(second time)'' 1205–1211 * Izz ad-Din
Kaykaus I Kaykaus I or Izz ad-Din Kaykaus ibn Kayhkusraw ( 1ca, كَیکاوس, fa, عز الدين كيكاوس پور كيخسرو ''ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kaykāwūs pour Kaykhusraw'') was the Sultan of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest ...
1211–1220 * Ala ad-Din Kayqubad I 1220–1237 * Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw II 1237–1246 * Izz ad-Din Kaykaus II 1246–1260 * Rukn ad-Din
Kilij Arslan IV Kilij Arslan IV ( 1ca, قِلِج اَرسلان) or Rukn ad-Dīn Qilij Arslān ibn Kaykhusraw ( fa, رکن الدین قلج ارسلان بن کیخسرو) was Seljuq Sultan of Rûm after the death of his father Kaykhusraw II in 1246. However, ...
1248–1265 * Ala ad-Din Kayqubad II 1249–1257 * Ghiyath ad-Din
Kaykhusraw III Kaykhusraw III ( 1ca, كَیخُسرو سوم) or Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kaykhusraw bin Qilij Arslān ( fa, غياث الدين كيخسرو بن قلج ارسلان; – 1284) was between two and six years old when in 1265 he was named Seljuq Su ...
1265–1282 * Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II 1282–1284 * Ala ad-Din
Kayqubad III Kayqubad III ( 1ca, كَیقُباد سوم or ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Farāmurz ( fa, علاء الدین کیقباد بن فرامرز) was briefly sultan of the Sultanate of Rum between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the ...
1284 * Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II ''(second time)'' 1284–1293 * Ala ad-Din
Kayqubad III Kayqubad III ( 1ca, كَیقُباد سوم or ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Farāmurz ( fa, علاء الدین کیقباد بن فرامرز) was briefly sultan of the Sultanate of Rum between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the ...
''(second time)'' 1293–1294 * Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II ''(third time)'' 1294–1301 * Ala ad-Din
Kayqubad III Kayqubad III ( 1ca, كَیقُباد سوم or ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Farāmurz ( fa, علاء الدین کیقباد بن فرامرز) was briefly sultan of the Sultanate of Rum between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the ...
''(third time)'' 1301–1303 * Ghiyath ad-Din Mesud II ''(fourth time)'' 1303–1307


Gallery

File:Shatranj.jpg, Shatranj chess set, glazed
fritware Fritware, also known as stone-paste, is a type of pottery in which frit (ground glass) is added to clay to reduce its fusion temperature. The mixture may include quartz or other siliceous material. An organic compound such as gum or glue ma ...
, 12th-century Iran.
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
. File: Eskişehir_Archaeological_Museum_1270.jpg, Seljuk sarcophagus at the
Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum, a.k.a. Eskişehir Archaeology Museum ( tr, Eskişehir Eti Arkeoloji Müzesi), is a national archaeology museum in Eskişehir, Turkey. It was established in 1974. Location The museum is located in the center of Es ...
.


Family tree


See also

* List of Sunni Muslim dynasties * Seljuk Empire *
Seljuk Sultanate of Rum fa, سلجوقیان روم () , status = , government_type = Hereditary monarchy Triarchy (1249–1254)Diarchy (1257–1262) , year_start = 1077 , year_end = 1308 , p1 = B ...
*
Seljuk (warlord) Seljuk Beg ( tr, Selçuk bey) fa, سلجوق ﺑﯿﮓ ''Saljūq''; also romanized ''Seldjuk'', ''Seldjuq'', ''Seljuq''; tk, Seljuk beg Dukag; "Çagry beg bilen Togrul beg Mykaýylyň ogullary, nesilbaşy Seljuk beg Dukagyň agtyklarydyr." az, ...


References


Further reading

* * *Peacock, A.C.S., ''Early Seljuq History: A New Interpretation''; New York, NY; Routledge; 2010 * * {{Authority control First Crusade History of Nishapur Maturidis