The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid;
Old Anatolian Turkish
Old Anatolian Turkish or Old Turkish, also referred to as Old Anatolian Turkic, (, Perso-Arabic script: اسکی انادولو تورکچهسی), was the form of the Turkish language spoken in Anatolia from the 11th to 15th centuries. It dev ...
: , ,
pl. ; ; ) was established in 1102 as a
Turkish Anatolian Beylik
Anatolian or anatolica may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the region Anatolia
* Ancient Anatolians, Anatolians, ancient Indo-European peoples who spoke the Anatolian languages
* Anatolian High School, a type of Turkish educational in ...
(Principality) of the
Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
. It formed a
Turkoman dynasty rooted in the
Oghuz tribe, and followed the
Sunni Muslim
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...
faith. It ruled in eastern
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, Northern
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
and Northern
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Artuqid dynasty took its name from its founder,
Artuk Bey
Zaheer-ul-Daulah Artuk Beg, known as Artuk Bey, was a Turkish commander of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century, chief of the Oghuz tribe of Döğer, and eponymous founder of the Artuqid dynasty. His father's name was Eksük. He was the Se ...
, who was a member of Döger branch of the
Oghuz Turks
The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...
and ruled one of the Turkmen
beyliks of the
Seljuk Empire
The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...
. Artuk's sons and descendants ruled the three branches in the region:
Sökmen's descendants ruled the region around
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris, in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.
Despite local and international objections, the city and its archaeological sites ...
between 1102 and 1231;
Ilghazi's branch ruled from
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
and
Mayyafariqin between 1106 and 1186 (until 1409 as vassals) and
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
from 1117–1128; and the
Harput
Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harpu ...
line starting in 1112 under the Sökmen branch, and was independent between 1185 and 1233.
History

The dynasty was founded by
Artuk, son of Eksük, a general originally under
Malik-Shah I
Malik-Shah I (, ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence.
During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, ...
and then under the
Seljuk emir of Damascus,
Tutush I
Abu Sa'id Taj al-Dawla Tutush (; died 25 February 1095) or Tutush I, was the Seljuk emir of Damascus from 1078 to 1092, and sultan of Damascus from 1092 to 1094.
Years under Malik Shah
Tutush was a brother of the Seljuk sultan Malik-Shah I. In ...
. Tutush appointed Artuk governor of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
in 1086. Artuk died in 1091, and was succeeded by his sons
Sökmen and
Ilghazi
Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (; died November 8, 1122) was the Turkoman Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had ...
who were expelled from Jerusalem by the
Fatimid
The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...
vizier
al-Afdal Shahanshah
Al-Afdal Shahanshah (; ; 1066 – 11 December 1121), born Abu al-Qasim Shahanshah bin Badr al-Jamali, was a vizier of the Fatimid caliphs of Egypt. According to a later biographical encyclopedia, he was surnamed al-Malik al-Afdal ("the excellen ...
in 1098; the Fatimids lost the city to the
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...
the following year after the
siege of Jerusalem of 1099.
Sökmen and Ilghazi established themselves in
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
,
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
, and
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris, in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.
Despite local and international objections, the city and its archaeological sites ...
in
al-Jazira
Jazira, al-Jazira, Jazeera, al-Jazeera, etc. are all transcriptions of Arabic meaning "the island" or "the peninsula".
The term may refer to:
Business
* Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait
Locations
* Al-Jazira, a traditional ...
where they came into conflict with the
Seljuk sultanate. Sökmen,
bey
Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...
of Mardin, defeated the Crusaders at the
Battle of Harran in 1104. Ilghazi succeeded Sökmen in Mardin and imposed his control over
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
at the request of the ''qadi''
Ibn al-Khashshab Abu'l-Faḍl (Abu'l-Hasan) ibn al-Khashshab (; died 1125) was the ''qadi'' and '' rais'' of Aleppo during the rule of the Seljuk emir Ridwan.
His family, the Banu'l-Khashshab, were wealthy wood-merchants in the city. Upon the arrival of the First ...
in 1118. The next year,
Ilghazi
Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (; died November 8, 1122) was the Turkoman Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had ...
defeated the Crusader state
Principality of Antioch
The Principality of Antioch (; ) was one of the Crusader states created during the First Crusade which included parts of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and History of Syria#Medieval era, Syria. The principality was much smaller than the County of ...
at the
Battle of Ager Sanguinis
In the Battle of ''Ager Sanguinis'', also known as the Battle of the Field of Blood, the Battle of Sarmada, or the Battle of Balat, Roger of Salerno's Crusader army of the Principality of Antioch was annihilated by the army of Ilghazi of Mard ...
of 1119.
After pillaging the
County of Edessa
The County of Edessa (Latin: ''Comitatus Edessanus'') was a 12th-century Crusader state in Upper Mesopotamia. Its seat was the city of Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey).
In the late Byzantine period, Edessa became the centre of intellec ...
, Ilghazi made peace with the Crusaders. In 1121, he went north towards
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
with his son-in-law
Mazyad Dubais II ibn Sadaqah and Sultan Malik of
Ganja
''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...
. Ilghazi invaded Georgia and was defeated by
David IV of Georgia
David IV, also known as David IV the Builder ( ka, დავით IV აღმაშენებელი, tr; 1073 – 24 January 1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Georgia from 1089 until his d ...
at the
Battle of Didgori
The Battle of Didgori ( ka, დიდგორის ბრძოლა, tr) was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Empire at the narrow place of Didgori, 40 km west of Tbilisi, on August 12, 1121. The large ...
of 1121. Ilghazi died in 1122, and although his nephew
Belek Ghazi nominally controlled Aleppo, the city was really controlled by ibn al-Khashshab. Ibn al-Kashshab was murdered by
Assassins
An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder.
The origin of the term is the medieval Order of Assassins, a sect of Shia Islam 1090–1275 CE.
Assassin, or variants, may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Assassin, in the Japanese adult ...
in 1125, and Aleppo fell under the control of
Zengi,
atabeg of Mosul, in 1128. After the death of Belek Ghazi, the Artuqids were split between Harput, Hasankeyf and Mardin. Sokman's son
Rukn al-Dawla Dāʾūd, bey of Hasankeyf, died in 1144, and was succeeded by his son
Kara Aslan. Kara Aslan allied with
Joscelin II of Edessa
Joscelin II (died 1159) was the fourth and last ruling count of Edessa. He was son of his predecessor, Joscelin I, and Beatrice, daughter of Constantine I of Armenia.
Biography Youth
In 1122, Joscelin I was captured by Belek Ghazi. The next ...
against the
Zengids
The Zengid or Zangid dynasty, also referred to as the Atabegate of Mosul, Aleppo and Damascus (Arabic: أتابكة الموصل وحلب ودمشق), or the Zengid State (Old Anatolian Turkish: , Modern Turkish: ; ) was initially an ''Atabegate ...
, and while Joscelin was away in 1144, Zengi recaptured
Edessa
Edessa (; ) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Sel ...
, the first of the
Crusader state
The Crusader states, or Outremer, were four Catholic polities established in the Levant region and southeastern Anatolia from 1098 to 1291. Following the principles of feudalism, the foundation for these polities was laid by the First Crusade ...
s to fall (see
Siege of Edessa). The Artuqids became vassals of the Zengids during the reign of
Nur al-Din Zengi
Nūr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Zengī (; February 1118 – 15 May 1174), commonly known as Nur ad-Din (lit. 'Light of the Faith' in Arabic), was a Turkoman member of the Zengid dynasty, who ruled the Syrian province () of the Seljuk Empire. He reigne ...
(r. 1146–1174).
Kara Aslan's son
Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad allied with the
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...
sultan
Saladin
Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...
against
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II () or ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kilij Arslān ibn Masʿūd () ( Modern Turkish ''Kılıç Arslan'', meaning "Sword Lion") was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.
Reign
In 1159, Kilij Arslan attacked Byzantine emperor Ma ...
,
Seljuk sultan of Rûm, whose daughter had married Nur ad-Din Muhammad. In the peace settlement with Kilij Arslan II, Saladin gained control of the Artuqid territory, even though the Artuqids were still technically vassals of
Mosul
Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...
, which Saladin did not control.
The Seljuk Empire completely disintegrated soon after that in 1194.
The Artuqid dynasty remained in nominal command of al-Jazira, but their power declined under
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...
rule. The
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris, in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.
Despite local and international objections, the city and its archaeological sites ...
branch conquered
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
in 1198 and its center was moved here, but was demolished by the Ayyubids in 1231 when it attempted to form an alliance with the
Seljuks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persian culture.
The founder of th ...
. The Harput branch was destroyed by the
Sultanate of Rum
The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...
due to following a slippery policy between the
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ori ...
and
Seljuks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persian culture.
The founder of th ...
. The Mardin branch survived for longer, but as a vassal of the
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ori ...
,
Sultanate of Rûm
The Sultanate of Rum was a culturally Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established over conquered Byzantine territories and peoples (Rum) of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks following their entry into Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. ...
,
Il-Khanate
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
,
Timurids
The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of contem ...
and the
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...
.
Qara Arslan (r.1260–1292), ruler of Mardin, submitted to the Mongol
Hulegu.
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...
ruler
Qara Mahammad invaded
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
in 1384 and received the submission of its Artuqid ruler Majd al-Din Isa Al-Zahir (1376-1407). From this point onwards, the Artuqids operated as a vassal state of the Qara Qoyunlu. The
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...
captured Mardin and finally put an end to Artuqid rule in 1409.
Art

Despite their constant preoccupation with war, members of the Artuqid dynasty left many architectural monuments. Artuqid rulers commissioned many public buildings, such as mosques, bazaars, bridges, hospitals and baths for the benefit of their subjects. They left an important cultural heritage by contributing to literature and the art of metalworking.
The door and door handles of the great Mosque of Cizre are unique examples of Artuqid metal working craftsmanship, which can be seen in the
Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum () is a museum in Sultanahmet Square in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey which first opened in 1914 and in 1983 moved into the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second grand vizier of Suleiman the Magni ...
in Istanbul, Turkey.
They made the most significant additions to
Diyarbakır City Walls. Urfa Gate was rebuilt by Muhammad, son of Kara Arslan. In the same area of the western wall, south of Urfa Gate, two imposing towers,
Ulu Beden and
Yedi Kardeş were commissioned in 1208 by the Artuqid ruler Nāṣir al-Dīn Maḥmūd who designed the Yedi Kardeş tower himself and apposed the Artuqid double-headed eagle on its walls.
A large
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
in Mardin as well as the
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...
feat of
Malabadi Bridge are still in regular use in our day. The partially standing
Old Bridge, Hasankeyf, was built in 1116 by Kara Arslan.
The Great Mosques of
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
and
Silvan were possibly but in any case considerably developed over the 12th century by several Artuqid rulers on the basis of existing Seljuk edifices. The congregational mosque of Dunaysir (now
Kızıltepe
Kızıltepe (; ; ) is a municipality and district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,236 km2, and its population is 267,151 (2022). It is mainly populated by Kurds of the Kîkan Kurdish tribe.
Government
In the local elections of M ...
) was commissioned by Yülük Arslan (1184–1203) and completed after his death in 1204 by his brother Artuk Arslan (1203–1239).
File:Magic Mirror of Abu-l-Fadl Artuq Shah, Eastern Anatolia, ca. 1220-30, David Collection.jpg, Magic Mirror of Abu-l-Fadl Artuq Shah of Harput, Eastern Anatolia, ca. 1220–1230, David Collection. It is "representative of medieval Islamic examples of the “Chinese” type".
File:Basin of Sultan Qara Arslan b. Il-Ghazi, Jazira, Syria, or Egypt, late 13th cen. (1289-92) MIA, Doha.jpg, Basin of Sultan Qara Arslan b. Il-Ghazi, Jazira, Syria, or Egypt, late 13th cen. (1289–1292) MIA, Doha.
File:Figurative Architectural Piece.jpg, ''Figurative Architectural Piece'' Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum
The Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum () is a museum in Sultanahmet Square in Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey which first opened in 1914 and in 1983 moved into the palace of Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha, the second grand vizier of Suleiman the Magni ...
, Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
Literature
The Artuqids are known for their sponsoring of literary works in Arabic. A copy of
al-Sufi's book on astronomy ''
The Book of Fixed Stars'', a synthesis of
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
's ''
Almagest
The ''Almagest'' ( ) is a 2nd-century Greek mathematics, mathematical and Greek astronomy, astronomical treatise on the apparent motions of the stars and planetary paths, written by Ptolemy, Claudius Ptolemy ( ) in Koine Greek. One of the most i ...
'' and Arabic astronomical traditions, was made in 1131 in Artuqid
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
.
Kara Arslan (1148–1174 CE) commissioned a new Arabic translation of ''
De Materia Medica
(Latin name for the Greek work , , both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The five-volume work was written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, ...
'' by an
Arab Christian
Arab Christians () are the Arabs who adhere to Christianity. The number of Arab Christians who live in the Middle East was estimated in 2012 to be between 10 and 15 million. Arab Christian communities can be found throughout the Arab world, bu ...
author named Abu Salim al-Malti, probably from
Malatya
Malatya (; ; Syriac language, Syriac ܡܠܝܛܝܢܐ Malīṭīná; ; Ancient Greek: Μελιτηνή) is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey and the capital of Malatya Province. The city has been a human settlement for thousands of y ...
.
The Artuqid ruler
Nasr al-Din Mahmud (r. 1201–1222) is known to have commissioned an edition of the ''Al-Jāmi‘ fī ṣinā‘at al-ḥiyal'' of
Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari
Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, , ) was a Muslim polymath: a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan and artist from the Artuqid Dynasty of Jazira in Mesopotamia. He is best known for ...
, devoted to the depiction of mechanical devices, in April 1206 at the Artuqid court (
Ahmet III 3472,
Topkapı Sarayı Library).
The miniatures are thought to reflect various aspects of the Artuqid court at the time.
Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari
Badīʿ az-Zaman Abu l-ʿIzz ibn Ismāʿīl ibn ar-Razāz al-Jazarī (1136–1206, , ) was a Muslim polymath: a scholar, inventor, mechanical engineer, artisan and artist from the Artuqid Dynasty of Jazira in Mesopotamia. He is best known for ...
was employed at the Artuqid court during the last quarter of the 12th century, and this is the earliest known manuscript of his opus.
Many of the figures in the manuscript wear the characteristic Turkic dress, with long coat and boots, and the ''
sharbush
The ''Sharbush'' or ''Harbush,'' Sarposh, Serpush (, , ) probably derived from Persian language, Persian word Serpush, which means "headdress". was a special Turkic peoples, Turkic military furred hat, worn in Central Asia and the Middle East in t ...
'' headgear (of a special type seen only in Artuqid manuscripts, with a very tall cap behind the headplate and the limited usage of fur around the rim).
An early edition of the ''
Maqamat al-Hariri'' (
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...
,
Arabe 3929) is also considered as probably belonging to the same Artuqid school of painting.
File:“Sign of Sagittarius” by al-Sufi in his book Ṣuwar al-kawākib al-thābita, calligrapher Wathiq b. ʿAli b. ʿUmar b. al-Husayn al-maʿrūf bi-Shawqi, Artuqid Mardin, 1131, TSMK, A. 3493, fol. 91b. (Topkapı Palace Museum Library).jpg, "Sign of Sagittarius" by al-Sufi in his book '' Ṣuwar al-kawākib al-thābita'', Artuqid Mardin, 1131 CE (TSMK, A. 3493).
File:Mechanical boat (court scene), probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472, cleaned-up).jpg, Court scene. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
File:Mechanical male servant, probably Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472, fol. 121v).jpg, Turkic figure. Amid, modern-day Diyarbakır, Turkey, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).
File:Arabe 3929, 151, Jariya.jpg, A '' Jariya'' prostitute, in the '' Maqamat al-Hariri'' ( Arabe 3929), also thought to belong to the same Artuqid school of painting.
List of rulers
The major branches of the Artuqid dynasty were those based in Hasankeyf, Harput, Mardin and Aleppo.
Hasankeyf branch
This branch was initially based at
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris, in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981.
Despite local and international objections, the city and its archaeological sites ...
(Ḥiṣn Kaifā). The capital moved to
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province.
Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...
(Amid) in 1183.
*
Sökmen, son of Artuk, 1102–1104
*
Ibrahim of Ḥiṣn Kaifā, son of Sökmen, 1104–1109
*
Rukn al-Dawla Dāʾūd (Dāʾūd), son of Sökmen, 1109–1144
*
Kara Arslan, son of Dāʾūd, 1144–1174)
*
Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad, son of Kara Arslan, 1174–1185
*
Sökmen II Nāṣir al-Dīn Sökmen II (died 1185) was the '' Shāh-i Arman'', the ruler of the Turkoman principality centred on Ahlat, from 1128 until his death. He married Shāhbānū, daughter of ′Izz al-Dīn Saltuq II, ruler of the Saltukids of Erzurum ...
, son of Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad, 1185–1201
*
Nāṣir al-Dīn Maḥmūd, son of Nūr al-Dīn Muḥammad, 1201–1222
*
Rukn al-Dīn Mawdūd, son of Nāṣir al-Dīn Maḥmūd, 1222–1232/33.
Following the rule of Rukn al-Dīn Mawdūd, the territories of the Hasankeyf branch of the Artuqids were taken over by the
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ori ...
.
Harput branch
The
Harput
Harpoot () or Kharberd () is an ancient town located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. It now forms a small district of the city of Elazığ. p. 1. In the late Ottoman period, it fell under the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (also known as the Harpu ...
branch was initially part of the Hasankeyf branch until 1185, gaining independence from Kara Arslan.
* Imad ud-din Abu Bakr, son of
Kara Arslan, 1185–1204
* Ibrahim ibn Abu Bakr, son of Abu Bakr, 1203–1223
* Ahmad Khidr, son of Ibrahim, 1223–1234
* Artuq Shah, son of Ahmad Khidr, 1234.
Harput was conquered by
Kayqubad I
'Alā' ad-Dīn Kay-qubād ibn-e Kay-xusraw (; , 1190–1237), also known as Kayqubad I, was the Seljuq Turkish Sultan of Rûm who reigned from 1220 to 1237. He expanded the borders of the sultanate at the expense of his neighbors, particula ...
, Seljuk sultan of Rûm, in 1234, as part of his conquering of Anatolia.
Mardin branch
The Mardin branch of the Artuqids ruled in
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
and
Mayyafariqin from 1101–1409 and were primarily descendants of Ilghazi and his brother Alp-Yaruq.
*Yāqūti, son of Alp-Yaruq (son of
Artuk), 1101–1104
*'Ali ibn Yāqūti, son of Yāqūti, 1104
*
Sökmen, son of Artuk, 1101–1104
*
Ilghazi
Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (; died November 8, 1122) was the Turkoman Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had ...
, son of Artuk, 1107–1122
*
Timurtash, son of Ilghazi, 1122–1154
*
Alpï I, son of Timurtash, 1154–1176
*
Ilghazi II, son of Alpï I, 1176–1184
*
Yülük Arslan, son of Ilghazi II, 1184–1203
*
Artuk Arslan, son of Yülük Arslan, 1203–1239
* Al-Sa'id Najm al-Din Ghazi I, son of Yülük Arslan, 1239–1260
*
Al-Muzaffar Fakhr al-Din Kara Arslan, son of Ghazi I, 1260–1292. Submitted to
Hulegu.
* Al-Sa'id Shams al-Din Dāwūd I, son of al-Muzaffar Fakhr al-Din Kara Arslan, 1292–1294
* Al-Mansur Najm al-Din Ghazi II, son of al-Muzaffar Fakhr al-Din Kara Arslan, 1294–1312
* 'Ali Alpï II, son of Ghazi II, 1312
* As-Salih Shams al-Din Mahmūd (Mahmūd), son of Ghazi II, 1312–1364
* Al-Mansur Husam al-Din Ahmad, son of Mahmūd, 1364–1367
* As-Salih Shams al-Din Mahmūd (second rule), 1367
* Al-Muzaffar Fakhr al-Din Dāwūd II, son of Mahmūd, 1367–1376
* Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā, son of Dāwūd II, 1376–1407
* Al-Salih Şhihab al-Din Ahmad, son of Al-Zahir Majd al-Din 'Isā, 1407–1409.
Mardin
Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...
was conquered by the
Qara Qoyunlu
The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...
, a
Turkoman tribe, in 1409.
Aleppo subbranch
The Artuqid branch that ruled Aleppo was an offshoot of the Mardin branch and included descendants of Ilghazi and his brothers Abd al-Jabar and Bahram ibn Artuk. See also
Rulers of Aleppo.
*
Ilghazi
Najm al-Din Ilghazi ibn Artuq (; died November 8, 1122) was the Turkoman Artukid ruler of Mardin from 1107 to 1122. He was born into the Oghuz tribe of Döğer.
Biography
His father Artuk Bey was the founder of the Artukid dynasty, and had ...
, son of
Artuk, 1117–1121
* Badr ad-Dawlah Süleiman, son of Abd al-Jabar (son of Artuk), 1121–1123
*
Belek Ghazi, son of Bahram ibn Artuk (son of Artuk), 1123–1124
*
Timurtash, son of Ilghazi, 1124–1125
[Öztuna, Yılmaz, "Devletler ve Hanedanlar" Cilt:2, Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları, Ankara (1996), s.43–44]
* Seljuks under
al-Bursuqi and various others, 1125–1127
* Badr ad-Dawlah Süleiman (second rule), 1127–1128.
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
was taken by
Zengi in 1128 and ruled by the
Zengid dynasty
The Zengid or Zangid dynasty, also referred to as the Atabegate of Mosul, Aleppo and Damascus (Arabic: أتابكة الموصل وحلب ودمشق), or the Zengid State (Old Anatolian Turkish: , Modern Turkish: ; ) was initially an '' Atabegat ...
until 1183.
Genealogy of House of Artuq
Coinage
Artuqids coinage was very figural, "with its apparent classical and Byzantine motifs and representations".
File:Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan. AH 543-570 (AD 1148-1174) Hisn Kayfa or Amid mint. Dated AH 559 (AD 1163-4). Crowned, bearded Byzantine-style bust with AH date around. Clean-shaven half-length figure with name and title of Qara Arslan.jpg, Crowned, bearded Byzantine-style bust, with clean-shaven Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan, Hisn Kayfa or Amid mint. Dated AH 559 (1163–1164 CE).
File:Artuqids (Kayfa & Amid). Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan Dated AH 562 (AD 1166-7). Draped half-length facing bust; AH date to right and left Name and pedigree of Fakhr al-Din Qara Arslan in four lines.jpg, Coinage of Kara Arslan, dated AH 562 (1166–1167 CE). Artuqid coinage was very figural, "with its apparent classical and Byzantine motifs and representations".
File:Dirham of Nasir al-Din Mahmud, AH 610.jpg, Nasir al-Din Mahmud, dirham, 619 AH (1213–1214 CE)
File:Alpi, Mardin, 558 H (1162-1163 CE).jpg, Najm al-Din Alpi, Mardin, 558 H (1162–1163 CE)
File:Muhammad, al-Hisn, 578 H, with youthful Seleucid head on the obverse.jpg, Nur al-Din Muhammad, al-Hisn, 578 H (1182–1183 CE), with youthful Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...
head.
See also
*
List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
The following is a list of Sunni dynasties.
Asia
Arabian Peninsula
* Ziyadid dynasty (819–1018)
* Banu Wajih (926–965)
* Sulaymanids (1063–1174)
* Mahdids (1159–1174)
* Kathiri (Hadhramaut) (1395–1967)
* Al-Jabriyun (1417–1521)
* ...
*
Artuklu Palace
The Artuklu Palace or Artukid Palace or Artuqid Palace () was the seat of the Diyarbakır branch of the Artuqid dynasty, a Turkish Beylik that ruled eastern Anatolia and Al-Jazira in the 12th and 13th centuries. It was located in the İçkale ...
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Artuqid Dynasty
Anatolian beyliks
History of Diyarbakır Province
History of Mardin Province
Muslims of the Crusades
States and territories established in 1102
Medieval Upper Mesopotamia
States and territories disestablished in the 1400s
12th-century establishments in the Seljuk Empire