The Saltukids or Saltuqids (

Modern Turkish Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languages of Cyprus. Si ...

: ''Saltuklu Beyliği'') were a dynasty ruling one of the

Anatolian beyliks Anatolian beyliks (, Ottoman Turkish: ''Tavâif-i mülûk'', ''Beylik''; ) were Turkish principalities (or petty kingdoms) in Anatolia governed by ''beys'', the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A second and more exte ...

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. ...

, founded after the

Battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...

(1071) and centered on

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a List of cities in Turkey, city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. It is the site of an ...

. The Saltukids ruled between 1071 and 1202. The beylik was founded by Emir Saltuk, one of the

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

commanders of the

Great Seljuk The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of from Anatolia and the Levant in t ...

Alp Arslan Alp Arslan, born Muhammad Alp Arslan bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second List of sultans of the Seljuk Empire, sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk (warlord), Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty and the empire. He g ...

. The beylik fought frequently against the

Georgian Kingdom The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar the Great ...

for hegemony of the

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

region. The center of the beylik, Erzurum, was briefly re-occupied by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

between 1077 and 1079, and was besieged by the Georgian King Giorgi III in 1184. It comprised the entirety of present-day

and

Bayburt Bayburt () is a city in northeast Turkey lying on the Çoruh River. It is the seat of Bayburt Province and Bayburt District.Erzincan Erzincan (; ), historically Yerznka (), is the capital of Erzincan Province in eastern Turkey. Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elazığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. The city is majority Turkish Sunni w ...

, most of

Kars Kars ( or ; ; ) is a city in northeast Turkey. It is the seat of Kars Province and Kars District.� ...

, and lands north of

Ağrı Ağrı (; ) is a city in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran. It is the seat of Ağrı Province and Ağrı District.

and

Muş Muş (; ; ) is a city in eastern Turkey. It is the seat of Muş Province and Muş District.İl Beled ...

provinces during its height.

Origin

The first known Saltukid is Ali, who was ruler of Erzurum in 1103. His son and successor was Saltuk, who succeeded him sometime after 1123. Saltuk had a female relative, a daughter or sister, who married Shah-i- Armind of

Akhlat Ahlat (; ) is a town in Turkey's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region. It is the seat of Ahlat District.Sukman II. In 1132, Ali's son Izz al-Din Saltuk became ''malik''. Izz al-Din was defeated captured in 1154 by Georgians, led by Dimitri I. He would be ransomed by

Sökmen Sökmen is a Turkish surname. Notable persons with that name include: Given name * Sökmen (Artuqid) (died 1104), Turkish bey * Sökmen el-Kutbî (died 1111), Turkish bey * Sökmen II (died 1185), Turkish ruler Surname * Ayhan Sökmen (1929–201 ...

of the Artuqids, who later married a daughter of Izz al-Din. In 1161, Izz al-Din along with other Turkish allies besieged the Georgians at Ani, but was defeated. He sent a daughter to marry Kilij Arslan II, but she was captured by the

Danishmendid The Danishmendids or Danishmends () were a Turkish dynasty. These terms also refer to the Turkish state in Anatolia. It existed from 1071/1075 to 1178 and is also known as the Danishmendid Beylik (). The dynasty was centered originally around Siv ...

Yağıbasan Nizamettin Yağıbasan, or simply Yağıbasan (meaning "enemy raider" or "smashing the enemy") was the sixth ruler of Danishmendids and the uncle of Melik Zünnun. Background After Alp Arslan of Seljuk Empire, Seljukids defeated the Byzantine Empi ...

and married off to his nephew. The Saltukid dynasty is also notable for having a woman,

Melike Mama Hatun Melike Mama Hatun, or simply Mama Hatun or Mamakhatun (fl. 1200), was a female ruler of the Saltukids, with its capital in Erzurum, for an estimated nine years between 1191 and 1200. Life Melike Mama Hatun was the daughter of Saltuk II and the s ...

, sister of Nasiruddin Muhammed, directly administering its realm for an estimated nine years, between 1191 and 1200. She was later dethroned by the

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 ...

s and replaced by her son Malik-Shah once she had started searching for a husband among the

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

nobility. Mama Hatun built an impressive

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 the town of

Tercan Tercan (formerly Mama Hatun, and Derzene; , in the Byzantine era; ; ) is a town and seat of Tercan District of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It had a population of 4,846 in 2021. Located on the north bank of the ...

, where her mausoleum also stands. Tercan itself used to be called "Mamahatun", and is sometimes still called as such locally. At one point, the son of Muhammad b. Saltuq II offered to convert to Christianity in order to marry the Georgian Queen Tamar. Quote: "The Saltuqids' main role in the political and military affairs of the time was in warfare with the Georgians, expanding southwards from the time of their king

David the Restorer 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 dea ...

(1089–1125), often as allies of the

Shah-i Armanids The Shah-ArmensClifford Edmund Bosworth "The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual". Article «The Shâh-i Armanids», p. 197. (lit. 'Kings of Armenia', ), also known as Ahlatshahs (lit. 'Rulers of Ahlat', ) or Begtimurids ...

(see above, no. 97); but in a curious episode,

Muhammad b. Saltuq II Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

's son offered to convert to Christianity in order to marry the celebrated

Queen T'amar of Georgia 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 ...

. The last years of the family are unclear, but in 598/1202 the Rum Seljuq

Sulayman II Suleiman II ( ''Süleymān-i sānī''; ; 15 April 1642 – 22 June 1691) 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 Mustafa Pasha were succe ...

, while en route for a campaign against the Georgians, put an end to the Saltuqids; and for some thirty years after this, Erzurum was to be ruled by two Seljuq princes as an appanage before Kay Qubadh I in 627/1230 incorporated it into his sultanate." The name of the ruling dynasty of the beylik should not be confused with that of

Sarı Saltuk Sarı () is the Turkish word for "yellow" or "blond". It may refer to: Surname * Adem Sarı (born 1985), Turkish footballer * Ali Sarı (born 1986), Turkish taekwondo practitioner * Hasan Ahmet Sarı (born 1992), Turkish footballer * Hızır Sa ...

, a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

mystic and

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

; who is of later date, more associated with western

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 ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

(especially

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

), and to whom the epic '' Saltuknâme'' is dedicated. The last ruler of the Saltukids, Alaeddin Muhammed, was dethroned and imprisoned by the

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 ...

Süleymanshah II Suleiman II, also known as Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah (Arabic: رکن الدین سلیمان شاه), was the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm, Seljuk Sultan of Rûm between 1196 and 1204. Son of Kilij Arslan II, Suleiman overthrew his brother, Sultan Ka ...

during Süleymanshah's Georgian rout in 1202, and the Saltukid beylik was subsequently annexed by the Sultanate of Rum. During 30 years after this conquest, the region of Erzurum was then ruled by the two Seljuq princes

Tughril ibn Kılıç Arslan II Tughril Shah, also Abdu'l Harij Muhammad Mughis ad-din Tughril Shah ibn Kılıç Arslan II (r.1202–1225) was a Turkoman king of the "Seljuqs of Erzurum", following the fall of the Saltukids in the region, one of the Anatolian beyliks. He was anot ...

and his son

Jahan Shah bin Tughril Rukn al-Din Jahanshah bin Tughril (r. 1225–1230) was a Turkoman king of the "Seljuqs of Erzurum". He was a son of Tughril ibn Kılıç Arslan II, also ruler of Erzurum (r. 1202–1225). Jahanshah was a grandson of Kilij Arslan II, who had parti ...

as an appanage, before being incorporated into the Sultanate of Rum under Kay Qubadh I in 627/1230.

Architecture

The beys of Saltuk left important works of architecture such as the Tepsi Minare in Erzurum and the

in Mama Hatun.

Rulers

* Saltuk I (1071–1102) * Ali (1102–1124) * Muzaffer Gazi (1124–1132) * Izzeddin Saltuk II (1132–1168) * Nasiruddin Muhammed (1168–1191) *

(1191–1200) *

Alaeddin Muhammed Aladdin (, commonly ) (various spellings and transliterations) is a male given name which means "nobility of faith" or "nobility of creed/religion". It is one of a large class of names ending with ad-Din. The name may refer to: Given name * Ala a ...

(1200–1202)

Genealogy of House of Saltuq

Notes

References

* *
(Book cover)
* *

External links

* * * * {{Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and Turkish beyliks Anatolian beyliks History of Erzurum Province States and territories established in 1072 Sunni dynasties Saltukids