Nûre Sûfi Bey () was the founder of Karamanid dynasty, a Turkic dynasty which ruled part of

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 ...

in the 14th and 15th centuries as a rival of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He was the son of Hodja Sad al-Din () who had come from Arran, staying for some years near

Sivas Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...

. This, when generalized, is a reference to the actual migrations brought about by Khwārizmian and

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

pressure, and moreover it suggests some perceptible connection, if not precisely with Baba Ishak, at least with circles influenced by religious influence of that kind - there is a reference to a Khorasanian Șūfī, Baba Ilyās, with whom both Nûre Sûfi and Baba Ishāq are said to have been in touch - and also to the fact that the first chiefs who brought in these Turkmens were equally leaders in the field of religion. Nure Sofi was a member of Afşar tribe of Turkmens. Originally living in West

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

the tribe moved west to Anatolia in 1228 probably to escape from the invading

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

. They were welcomed by Alaattin Keykubat I of the Sultanate of Rum and they were settled around

Ermenek Ermenek is a town in Karaman Province in the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean region of Turkey. It is the seat of Ermenek District.

(now a district in

Karaman Province Karaman Province () is a province of south-central Turkey. Its area is 8,678 km2, and its population is 260,838 (2022). According to the 2000 census, the population was 243,210. The population density is 30 people/km. The traffic code is 7 ...

) Nure Sofi's original position in the tribe is not known. According to some he was dealing with coal trade between Ermenek and the Seljuk cities to the north Page of Mersin Evren village by İbrahim Bekler
/ref> But he soon proved himself as a leader during Babai Revolt in which he was the partisan of Baba İshak. He also captured many small settlements around Ermenek to form the core of the future Karamanoğlu Beylik.Karaman tourism page
/ref> According to historian Shikari, Nûre Sûfi Bey was more interested in

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 ...

religious matters (he was a disciple of Baba Ilyās) than in politics and military and named his son

Kerîmeddin Karaman Bey Karim al-Dīn Ḳarāmān Beg was a Turkoman chieftain who ruled the Karamanids in the 13th century. Ḳarāmān Beg's emergence coincides with the defeat of the Sultanate of Rum by the Mongol Empire in 1256 and the tension between Kaykaus I a ...

in commandment in order for him to follow a life of solitude. He died probably around 1257. His tomb is in ''Değirmenlik'', a location in Mut district of

Mersin Province Mersin Province (), formerly İçel Province (), is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast between Antalya Province, A ...

He was succeeded by his son

Karaman Bey Karim al-Dīn Ḳarāmān Beg was a Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman chieftain who ruled the Karamanids in the 13th century. Ḳarāmān Beg's emergence coincides with the defeat of the Sultanate of Rum by the Mongol Empire in 1256 and the tension b ...

who assumed full power upon his death. Nûre Sûfi fathered two other sons: Zayn al-Hadjdj (died in battle in 1262, fighting for Izz al-Din Kaykaus against Rukn al-Din Kaykubad), Bünsuz, and a daughter (who died in 1282).

Sources

*Claude Cahen, ''Pre-Ottoman Turkey: a general survey of the material and spiritual culture and history c. 1071-1330'', translated by J. Jones-Williams (New York: Taplinger, 1968), 281-2.

References

{{Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and Turkish beyliks 13th-century Karamanid rulers 1257 deaths Year of birth unknown Ethnic Afshar people Founding monarchs in Asia

See also

Sources

References