Tamar Gurju Khatun ( ka, გურჯი-ხათუნი, tr; also Gürgü Hatun, ''fl.'' 1237-1286) was a Georgian royal princess from the

Bagrationi dynasty The Bagrationi dynasty (; ) is a royal family, royal dynasty which reigned in Georgia (country), Georgia from the Middle Ages until the early 19th century, being among the oldest extant Christianity, Christian ruling dynasties in the world. In ...

and principal consort of 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. ...

as the favorite wife of sultan

Kaykhusraw II Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw ibn Kayqubād or Kaykhusraw II () was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its ...

, whom she married after the death of

Muhammad II of Khwarazm 'Alā' al-Din Muhammad II (Persian language, Persian: علاءالدین محمد خوارزمشاه; full name: ''Ala ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Muhammad Sanjar ibn Tekish'') was the Shah of the Khwarazmian Empire from 3 August 1200 to 11 Janu ...

in 1237. After his death in 1246 she married the

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 ...

n strongman

Mu'in al-Din Parwana Muʿīn al-Dīn Sulaymān Parwāna (), simply known as Parwāna (; died 2 August 1277), was a Persian statesman, who was for a time (especially between 1261–1277) a key player in Anatolian politics involving the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm, the ...

. She was the mother of sultan

Kayqubad II Kayqubad II (, , , ''ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Kaykhusraw,'' – 1254/1256) was the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1249-1257. He was the only son of the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm Kaykhusraw II and the Georgian princess Gurju Khatun (known as T ...

and patron to

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

. Her title ''Gurju Khatun'' means "Georgian Lady" in

Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...

Life

She was born as Tamar ( ka, თამარი, ''Tamari''), had a biblical name popular in

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

and was named after her grandmother

Tamar the Great Tamar the Great ( ka, თამარ მეფე, tr , ; 1160 – 18 January 1213) reigned as the Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213, presiding over the apex of the Georgian Golden Age. A member of the Bagrationi dynasty, her position ...

. Gurju Khatun was the daughter of Queen

Rusudan of Georgia Rusudani ( ka, რუსუდანი) or Rusudan ( ka, რუსუდან) (c. 1194–1245), a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, ruled as queen regnant (''mepe'') of Georgia in 1223–1245. Life Daughter of Queen Tamar of Georgia by Dav ...

and the

Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

prince Ghias ad-Din, a grandson of

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 ...

. She was a sister of King

David VI of Georgia David VI Narin ( ka, დავით VI ნარინი, tr) (also called ''the Clever'') (1225–1293), from the Bagrationi dynasty, was joint king of king ('' mepe'') of Georgia with his cousin David VII from to 1246 to 1256. He made seces ...

. Like most Georgians, Tamar initially remained an

Eastern Orthodox Christian Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

but is known to have converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

at a later point, after unproven accusations (by her own mother) of a secret affair between her and her cousin David Ulu, which put an end to her previously harmonious relationship with her husband. She was reportedly beaten by him and ordered to leave her previous faith. He only let her choose which denomination of Islam she wanted to convert to. Gurju Khatun chose

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

. It is said that the sun on the Seljuk coins of that time symbolizes Tamar, while the lion stands for the sultan himself. This emblem, known as ''shir-u hurshid'' ( Lion and Sun), later became widespread in the Islamic world (though its origins date back to much earlier times). After the death of Kaykhusraw in 1246, the government of the sultanate was seized by the

who married Gurju Khatun. She is known to have patronized science and art, and to have been on friendly terms with the famous

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

poet

in particular. She also sponsored the construction of the poet’s tomb in

Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

Family

Gurju Khatun had married in 1237 his

cousin

Sultan 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. T ...

, she had a son from this marriage: *

(c. 1238-1239 – 1254/1256),

(1249–1254). She subsequently married the

(d.1277), she had another son from this marriage: *Mehmed Bey, who became the heir of Mu'in al-Din Parwana. Lastly, she may have married the Byzantine dignitary Basil Giakoupes.

References

External links

რატომ გააწკეპლინა გურჯი ხათუნის მეუღლემ მოლა ნასრედინი და რატომ განარისხა რუსუდან მეფე მისმა ქალიშვილმა
ეკა სალაღაია, 2010-06-03

* 13th-century women from Georgia (country) Bagrationi dynasty of the Kingdom of Georgia Converts to Sunni Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy Former Georgian Orthodox Christians Princesses from Georgia (country) People from the Sultanate of Rum 13th-century people from Georgia (country) Muslims from Georgia (country) Rumi {{Georgia-royal-stub Remarried royal consorts Daughters of queens regnant Seljuk dynasty