Seljuk
Encyclopedia
Seljuk (died ca. 1038) was the eponymous hero of the Seljuq Turks
. He was the son of a certain Duqaq surnamed Timuryaligh (meaning "of the iron bow") and either the chief or an eminent member from the Kınık tribe of the Oghuz Turks
. In about 985 the Seljuq clan split off from the bulk of the Tokuz-Oghuz
, a confederacy of nine clans long settled between the Aral
and Caspian
Seas, and set up camp on the right bank of the lower Syr Darya
(Jaxartes), in the direction of Jend
, near Kzyl Orda in present day south-central Kazakhstan
where they converted to Islam
.
The biblical names of his four sons - Mikâîl, Isrâîl (Arslan), Mûsâ, and Yûnus (Jonah) - suggest previous acquaintance with either Khazar Judaism
or Nestorian Christianity. According to some sources, Seljuk began his career as an officer in the Khazar army.
Under Mikail's sons Tuğrul and Çağrı
the Seljuqs migrated into Khurasan
. Ghaznavid attempts to stop Seljuqs raiding the local Muslim
populace led to the Battle of Dandanaqan
on 23 May 1040. Victorious Seljuqs became masters of Khurasan, expanding their power into Transoxiana
and across Iran
. By 1055 Tuğrul had expanded his control all the way to Baghdad
, setting himself up as the champion of the Abbasid
caliph
, who honored him with the title sultan
. Earlier rulers may have used this title but the Seljuqs seem to have been the first to inscribe it on their coins.
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
. He was the son of a certain Duqaq surnamed Timuryaligh (meaning "of the iron bow") and either the chief or an eminent member from the Kınık tribe of the Oghuz Turks
Oghuz Turks
The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
. In about 985 the Seljuq clan split off from the bulk of the Tokuz-Oghuz
Tokuz-Oguzes
Toquz Oghuz is a political alliance of nine Turkic tribes. Toquz Oghuz consolidated within the Turkic Kaganate , and after its fragmentation preserved their union...
, a confederacy of nine clans long settled between the Aral
Aral Sea
The Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south...
and Caspian
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
Seas, and set up camp on the right bank of the lower Syr Darya
Syr Darya
The Syr Darya , also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo, is a river in Central Asia, sometimes known as the Jaxartes or Yaxartes from its Ancient Greek name . The Greek name is derived from Old Persian, Yakhsha Arta , a reference to the color of the river's water...
(Jaxartes), in the direction of Jend
Jend
Jend , is described by the geographers of the eleventh and twelfth centuries as one of the great Muslim cities of Turkestan, and the Aral Sea is often called in this age the Sea of Jend. It was ruined by the Mongols, and is now a decayed village.Jend was the original center of Seljuk power....
, near Kzyl Orda in present day south-central Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
where they converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
The biblical names of his four sons - Mikâîl, Isrâîl (Arslan), Mûsâ, and Yûnus (Jonah) - suggest previous acquaintance with either Khazar Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
or Nestorian Christianity. According to some sources, Seljuk began his career as an officer in the Khazar army.
Under Mikail's sons Tuğrul and Çağrı
Çağrı Bey
Chaghri Beg/Bey was the co-ruler of the early Seljuq empire. His name means "merlin" or "falcon".-Background:...
the Seljuqs migrated into Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
. Ghaznavid attempts to stop Seljuqs raiding the local Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
populace led to the Battle of Dandanaqan
Battle of Dandanaqan
The Battle of Dandanaqan was fought in 1040 between the army of the Seljuqs and the Ghaznavid Empire. The battle ended with a Seljuq victory and brought down the Ghaznavid domination in the Khorasan.-Preparations:...
on 23 May 1040. Victorious Seljuqs became masters of Khurasan, expanding their power into Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
and across Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. By 1055 Tuğrul had expanded his control all the way to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, setting himself up as the champion of the Abbasid
Abbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, who honored him with the title sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
. Earlier rulers may have used this title but the Seljuqs seem to have been the first to inscribe it on their coins.