The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an

Oghuz Turkic The Oghuz languages are a sub-branch of the Turkic language family, spoken by approximately 108 million people. The three languages with the largest number of speakers are Turkish, Azerbaijani and Turkmen, which, combined, account for more ...

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 ...

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

that gradually became

Persianate A Persianate society is a society that is based on or strongly influenced by the Persian language, culture, literature, art and/or identity. The term "Persianate" is a neologism credited to Marshall Hodgson. In his 1974 book, ''The Venture of I ...

and contributed to

Turco-Persian The composite Turko-Persian, Turco-Persian,
''Turko-Persia in historical perspective'', Cambridge University Press, ...

culture. The founder of the Seljuk dynasty, Seljuk Beg, was a descendant of a royal Khazar chief

Tuqaq Tuqaq is described as the father of Seljuq, the founder of the eponymous dynasty, in the Maliknamah tradition. Sources Maliknamah The Maliknamah, which was drafted during the reign of Tuqaq's great-great-grandson Alp Arslan (r. 1063-1072) ...

who served as advisor to the King of the Khazars. in

West Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. The Seljuks established 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. ...

(1037–1194), the Sultanate of Kermân (1041–1186) and 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. ...

(1074–1308), which stretched from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

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 were the prime targets of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

Early history

The Seljuks originated from the Kinik 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 ...

, 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, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

and

Aral Sea The Aral Sea () was an endorheic lake lying between Kazakhstan to its north and Uzbekistan to its south, which began shrinking in the 1960s and had largely dried up into desert by the 2010s. It was in the Aktobe and Kyzylorda regions of Kazakhst ...

in their

Oghuz Yabgu State The Oghuz Yabgu State or Oghuz il (Old Turkic: Oghuz Land) was a Turkic state, founded by Oghuz Turks in 750, located geographically in an area between the coasts of the Caspian and Aral Seas. Oghuz tribes occupied a vast territory in Kazakh ...

in the

Kazakh Steppe The Kazakh Steppe ( ), also known as the Great Steppe or Great Betpak-Dala, Dala ( ), is a vast region of open grassland in Central Asia, covering areas in northern Kazakhstan and adjacent areas of Russia. It lies east of the Pontic–Caspian step ...

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

. During the 10th century, Oghuz had come into close contact with Muslim cities. When

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 ...

, the leader of the Seljuk clan, had a falling out with Yabghu, the supreme chieftain of the Oghuz, he split his clan from the bulk of the

and set up camp on the west bank of the lower

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

. 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 Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, in the province of Khurasan, where they encountered the

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

s. The Seljuks defeated the Ghaznavids at the Battle of Nasa in 1035. Seljuk's grandsons,

Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il (), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril / Tughrul), was a Turkoman"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is ...

and Chaghri, received the insignias of governor, grants of land, and were given the title of ''

dehqan The ''dehqân'' (; , ''dihqân'' in Classical Persian) or ''dehgân'' (; ) were a class of land-owning magnates during the Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that w ...

''. At the

Battle of Dandanaqan The Battle of Dandanaqan () 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 brought down the Ghaznavid domina ...

, they defeated a Ghaznavid army, and after a successful siege of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

in 1050/51, established the

Great Seljuk Empire 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 ...

. The Seljuks mixed with the local population and adopted the

Persian culture The culture of Iran () or culture of PersiaYarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) is one of the oldest and among the most influential in the world. Iran (Persia) is widely regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.

and

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

in the following decades.

Later period

After arriving in

, the Seljuks adopted the

and used the

as the official language of the government, and played an important role in the development of the Turko-Persian tradition 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

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

.O. Özgündenli, "Persian Manuscripts in Ottoman and Modern Turkish Libraries", ''

Encyclopaedia Iranica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

'', Online Edition, ()''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'', "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 Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

succeeded him in western Persia, but

Ahmad Sanjar Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

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 Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. Several Turkic emirs gained a strong level of influence in the region, such as the

Eldiguzids The Ildegizids, EldiguzidsC.E. Bosworth, "Ildenizids or Eldiguzids", Encyclopaedia of Islam, Edited by P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs et al., Encyclopædia of Islam, 2nd Edition., 12 vols. with ind ...

. *

1118–1131 * 1131–1133 disputed between: ** Dawud 1131–1132 ** Mas'ud (in

Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), 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'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...

and

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...

) 1132 ** Toghrul II, 1132–1133 * Mas'ud 1133–1152 * Malik Shah III 1152–1153 * Muhammad II 1153–1159 * Suleiman-Shah 1159–1161 * Arslan-Shah 1161–1177 *

Toghrul III Toghrul III () (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 atabeg of his nephe ...

1177–1194 In 1194, Toghrul III was killed in battle with the Khwarezm Shah, who annexed Hamadan.

Seljuk rulers of Kerman

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

was a province in southern Persia. Between 1053 and 1154, the territory also included Umman. *

Qavurt Kara Arslan Ahmad Qavurt (died 1073), better simply known as Qavurt (also spelled Kavurt) was a Seljuq prince. Upon his brother's death, he led an unsuccessful rebellion against his nephew in an attempt to gain the Seljuk throne. Background T ...

1041–1073 (great-grandson 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 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 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 (, 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 come to India in order to teach Islam in the I ...

. Kerman was eventually annexed by the Khwarezmid Empire in 1196.

Seljuk rulers in Syria

* Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla

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 ...

1085–1086 * Jalal ad-Dawlah

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, ...

of Great Seljuk 1086–1087 * Qasim ad-Dawla Abu Said Aq Sunqur al-Hajib 1087–1094 * Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla

(''second time'') 1094–1095 * Fakhr al-Mulk Ridwan 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; Old Anatolian Turkish: , , plural, pl. ; ; ) was established in 1102 as a Turkish people, Turkish Anatolian beyliks, Anatolian Beylik (Principality) of the Seljuk Empire. It formed a ...

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

s of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

: * Aziz ibn Abaaq al-Khwarazmi 1076–1079 * Abu Sa'id Taj ad-Dawla

1079–1095 * Abu Nasr Shams al-Muluk Duqaq 1095–1104 * Tutush II 1104 * Muhi ad-Din Baktāsh ''(Ertaş)'' 1104 ''Damascus seized by the Burid

Toghtekin Zahir al-Din Toghtekin or Tughtekin (Modern ; Arabicised epithet: ''Zahir ad-Din Tughtikin''; died February 12, 1128), also spelled Tughtegin, was a Turkoman military leader, who was ''emir'' of Damascus from 1104 to 1128. He was the founder ...

Seljuk sultans of Rum (Anatolia)

Seljuk Sultanate of Rum 1190 Locator Map

The Seljuk line, already having been deprived of any significant power, effectively ended in the early 14th century. * Kutalmish 1060–1077 * Suleyman I (Suleiman) 1077–1086 * Dawud

Kilij Arslan I Kilij Arslan ibn Suleiman (; ; or ''Kılıcarslan'', "Sword Lion") (‎1079–1107) was the Seljuk sultan of Rûm. He reigned from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the ...

1092–1107 * Malik Shah 1107–1116 * Rukn ad-Din Mesud I 1116–1156 * Izz ad-Din

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 ...

1156–1192 * Ghiyath ad-Din

Kaykhusraw I Kaykhusraw I ( or Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kaykhusraw ibn Kilij Arslān; ), the eleventh and youngest son of Kilij Arslan II, was Seljuk Sultan of Rûm. He succeeded his father in 1192, but had to fight his brothers for control of the Sultanate, losing t ...

1192–1196 * Suleyman II (Suleiman) 1196–1204 * Kilij Arslan III 1204–1205 * Ghiyath ad-Din

''(second time)'' 1205–1211 * Izz ad-Din Kaykaus I 1211–1220 * Ala ad-Din

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 ...

1220–1237 * Ghiyath ad-Din Kaykhusraw II 1237–1246 * Izz ad-Din Kaykaus II 1246–1260 * Rukn ad-Din Kilij Arslan IV 1248–1265 * Ala ad-Din

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 ...

1249–1257 * Ghiyath ad-Din

Kaykhusraw III Kaykhusraw III (, ) or Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Kaykhusraw bin Qilij Arslān (; – 1284) was between two and six years old when in 1265 he was named Seljuq Sultan of Rûm. He was the son of Kilij Arslan IV, the weak representative of the Seljuq line w ...

1265–1282 * Ghiyath ad-Din

Mesud II Ghiyath al-Dīn Me’sud ibn Kaykaus or Mesud II (, ''Ghiyāth ad-Dīn Mas'ūd bin Kaykāwūs''; , ) bore the title of Sultan of Rûm at various times between 1284 and 1308. He was a vassal of the Mongols under Mahmud Ghazan and exercised no re ...

1282–1284 * Ala ad-Din

Kayqubad III Kayqubad III ( or ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kayqubād bin Farāmurz; ) was briefly sultan of the Sultanate of Rum between the years of 1298 and 1302. He was a nephew of the deposed Mesud II and had strong support among the Seljuk Turks. As sultan he was ...

1284 * Ghiyath ad-Din

''(second time)'' 1284–1293 * Ala ad-Din

''(second time)'' 1293–1294 * Ghiyath ad-Din

''(third time)'' 1294–1301 * Ala ad-Din

''(third time)'' 1301–1303 * Ghiyath ad-Din

''(fourth time)'' 1303–1307

Gallery

File:Chess Set MET DP170393.jpg,

Shatranj Shatranj (, ; from Middle Persian ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins lie in the South Asian game of chaturanga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as it was introduced to Europe by contacts in ...

chess set, glazed fritware, 12th-century

. New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. File:Eskişehir Archaeological Museum 1270.jpg, Seljuk

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

at the Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum

Early history

Later period

Seljuk rulers

Rulers of the Seljuk Dynasty

Seljuk sultans of Hamadan

Seljuk rulers of Kerman

Seljuk rulers in Syria

Seljuk sultans of Rum (Anatolia)

Gallery

Family tree

See also

References

Further reading