Malazgirt
Encyclopedia
Malazgirt is a town in Muş Province
in eastern Turkey
, with a population of 23,697 (year 2000).
(810 – 785 B.C.). The suffix -girt, found in many toponyms in Eastern Anatolia, comes from the Armenian -kert which means, "built by". A popular Armenian folk tradition holds that Manzikert was founded by Manaz, one of the sons of Hayk, the legendary and eponymous patriarch and progenitor of the Armenians
The name of the town was originally Manavazkert but over time its name was shortened to simply Manzikert.
family which claimed descent from Manaz, until 333 A.D., when King Khosrov III Arshakuni
of Armenia ordered that all members of the family be put to the sword. He later awarded the lands to another family, the Aghbianosyans. Manzikert was a fortified town, and served as an important trading center located in the canton of Apahunik' in the Turuberan
province of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. It also served as the capital of the Kaysite emirate
from around 860 until 964. The Byzantine general Bardas Phokas captured Manzikert in 968. In 1054, the Seljuk Turks made an attempt to capture
the city but were repulsed by the city's garrison under the command of Basil Apocapes.
The Battle of Manzikert
was fought near the town in August of 1071. In one of the most decisive defeats in Byzantine history, the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan
defeated and captured Emperor Romanus Diogenes. The Turkish victory led to the ethnic and religious transformation of Armenia and Anatolia
, the establishment of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, and later the Ottoman Empire
and the Republic of Turkey. The Seljuks pillaged Manzikert itself, killed much of its population, and burned the city to the ground.
, Manzikert had a population of 5,000, the great majority of them Armenians. The city's economy revolved around the cultivation of grain, trade and the production of handicrafts. There existed two Armenian churches, Surb Astvatsatsin and Surb Gevork, and one Armenian school. Like many other towns and villages during the genocide, its Armenian population was subjected to massacres and deported.
In Russia's spring advance of 1915, they reached the city, but were repelled by a Turkish counter-attack shortly after.
Mus Province
Muş Province is a province in eastern Turkey. It is 8,196 km² in area, and has a population of 406,886 . The population was 453,654 in 2000. The provincial capital is the city of Muş...
in eastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, with a population of 23,697 (year 2000).
Founding
Modern research places Malazgirt's founding to sometime during the reign of the Urartian king MenuaMenuas of Urartu
Menua was the fifth known king of Urartu, an ancient country in the Eastern Anatolia, from circa 810 BC to approximately 786 BC.A younger son of the preceding Urartuan King, Ishpuini, Menua was adopted as co-ruler by his father in the last years of his reign...
(810 – 785 B.C.). The suffix -girt, found in many toponyms in Eastern Anatolia, comes from the Armenian -kert which means, "built by". A popular Armenian folk tradition holds that Manzikert was founded by Manaz, one of the sons of Hayk, the legendary and eponymous patriarch and progenitor of the Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
The name of the town was originally Manavazkert but over time its name was shortened to simply Manzikert.
Medieval
The lands around Manzikert belonged to the Manavazyans, an Armenian nakhararNakharar
Nakharar was a hereditary title of the highest order given to houses of the ancient and medieval Armenian nobility.-Nakharar system:Medieval Armenia was divided into large estates, which were the property of an enlarged noble family and were ruled by a member of it, to whom the title of Nahapet...
family which claimed descent from Manaz, until 333 A.D., when King Khosrov III Arshakuni
Khosrov III the Small
Khosrov III the Small was the Arshakuni king Armenia. He was the son and successor of King Tiridates III and a member of the Arshakuni Dynasty. He was a man of short stature, thus his name...
of Armenia ordered that all members of the family be put to the sword. He later awarded the lands to another family, the Aghbianosyans. Manzikert was a fortified town, and served as an important trading center located in the canton of Apahunik' in the Turuberan
Turuberan
-History:Turuberan was an Armenian region, that was part of the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC to 387 AD. Then it was part of Sassanid Empire, Byzantine Empire, Arab Caliphate, Kingdom of Armenia , Zakarid Armenia, Ottoman Empire. A very large Armenian population remained until 1915's Armenian...
province of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. It also served as the capital of the Kaysite emirate
Emirate
An emirate is a political territory that is ruled by a dynastic Muslim monarch styled emir.-Etymology:Etymologically emirate or amirate is the quality, dignity, office or territorial competence of any emir ....
from around 860 until 964. The Byzantine general Bardas Phokas captured Manzikert in 968. In 1054, the Seljuk Turks made an attempt to capture
Battle of Manzikert (1054)
The Battle of Manzikert in 1054 was a successful defense of the city of Manzikert by Byzantine forces under Basil Apocapes against the Seljuk Turks led by Toğrül. Seventeen years later, the Turks would experience greater success against Romanus Diogenes under Alp Arslan at the same place....
the city but were repulsed by the city's garrison under the command of Basil Apocapes.
The Battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
was fought near the town in August of 1071. In one of the most decisive defeats in Byzantine history, the Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan
Alp Arslan was the third sultan of the Seljuq dynasty and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty...
defeated and captured Emperor Romanus Diogenes. The Turkish victory led to the ethnic and religious transformation of Armenia and Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, the establishment of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, and later the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and the Republic of Turkey. The Seljuks pillaged Manzikert itself, killed much of its population, and burned the city to the ground.
Modern
In 1915, on the eve of the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, Manzikert had a population of 5,000, the great majority of them Armenians. The city's economy revolved around the cultivation of grain, trade and the production of handicrafts. There existed two Armenian churches, Surb Astvatsatsin and Surb Gevork, and one Armenian school. Like many other towns and villages during the genocide, its Armenian population was subjected to massacres and deported.
In Russia's spring advance of 1915, they reached the city, but were repelled by a Turkish counter-attack shortly after.