The Kerman Seljuk Sultanate (Persian: سلجوقیان کرمان Saljūqiyān-i Kerman) was a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim state, established in the parts of Kerman and Makran which had been conquered from the Buyid dynasty by the Seljuk Empire which was established by the Seljuk dynasty, which was of Oghuz Turkic origin. The founder of this dynasty, Kara Arslan Ahmad Qavurt who succeeded as ruler of the region after the surrender of Buyid leader Abu Kalijar Marzuban.[1] For first time in this period, an independent state was formed in Kerman; eventually, after 150 years, with the invasion of the Oghuz leader Malik Dinar, the Kerman Seljuk Sultanate fell.
Kerman Seljuk Sultanate | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1041 (429 AH) – 1187 (583 AH) | |||||||||||
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| Status | Sultanate | ||||||||||
| Capital | 1041–1186: | ||||||||||
| Capital-in-exile | 1186–1187: Bam | ||||||||||
| Common languages |
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| Religion | Sunni Islam (official) | ||||||||||
| Government |
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| Sultan / Shah | |||||||||||
• 1073 | Qavurt (first) | ||||||||||
• 1084–1096 | Turan Shah I | ||||||||||
• 1096–1101 | Iran Shah | ||||||||||
• 1101–1142 | Arslan Shah I | ||||||||||
• 1142–1156 | Muhammad I | ||||||||||
• 1183–1187 | Muhammad II (last) | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||
• Established | 1041 (429 AH) | ||||||||||
| 1073 (465 AH) | |||||||||||
• Murder of Iranshah of Kerman | 1101 (495 AH) | ||||||||||
• Civil Wars | 1169–1176 (563–572 AH) | ||||||||||
• Invasion of Ghuzz Turks | 1180 (575 AH) | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1187 (583 AH) | ||||||||||
| Currency | Gold Dinar | ||||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||||
The sultanate was the first powerful local government in the Kerman and Makran region, which, in addition to attaining political and security stability, would create economic prosperity in the provinces. It was during this period that the Silk Road burgeoned with the flourishing of the ports of Tiz, Hormuz and Kish, and this state, as the highway of this important economic road, would reap the tremendous wealth with the conditions it had created. Regarding scientific and social conditions, at this time, with the efforts of the shahs such as Muhammad-Shah II, the scientific and cultural centers were established in Kerman, which was far away from the main scientific centers, and so it became the regional intellectual center of the southeastern Iranian region. Kerman and Makran under the ruling of Seljuks, improved works in agriculture and animal husbandry, and also in commerce and trade.
Early history
editThe Seljuqs originated from the Qynyk branch of the Oghuz Turks,[2][3][4][5][6] who in the 9th century lived on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the Caspian Sea and Aral Sea in their Yabghu Khaganate of the Oghuz confederacy,[7] in the Kazakh Steppe of Turkestan.[8] During the 10th century, due to various events, the Oghuz had come into close contact with Muslim cities.[9]
When Seljuq, the leader of the Seljuq clan, had a falling out with Yabghu, the supreme chieftain of the Oghuz, he split his clan off from the bulk of the Tokuz-Oghuz and set up camp on the west bank of the lower Syr Darya. Around 985, Seljuq converted to Islam.[9] In the 11th century the Seljuqs migrated from their ancestral homelands into mainland Persia, in the province of Khurasan, where they encountered the Ghaznavid empire. In 1025, 40,000 families of Oghuz Turks migrated to the area of Caucasian Albania.[10] The Seljuqs defeated the Ghaznavids at the Battle of Nasa plains in 1035. Tughril, Chaghri, and Yabghu received the insignias of governor, grants of land, and were given the title of dehqan.[11] At the Battle of Dandanaqan they defeated a Ghaznavid army, and after a successful siege of Isfahan by Tughril in 1050/51,[12] they established an empire later called the Great Seljuk Empire. The Seljuqs mixed with the local population and adopted the Persian culture and Persian language in the following decades.[13][14][15][16][17]
Reign of Qavurt
editEstablishment
editAfter the death of 'Adud al-Dawla on 26 March 983, the Buyid dynasty rapidly weakened due to succession conflicts and external threats. The Buyid dynasty, which had weakned by the reign of Abu Kalijar, was losing territories and was unable to maintain its suzerainty in occupied regions. Following the conquest of Khorasan and the establishment of the Great Seljuk state, Toghrul Bey, the Sultan of the Great Seljuk state, assigned the division of conquered territories among his brothers and nephews and delegated to them the task of conquering new regions. His primary goals were, first, to consolidate his authority over the territories he had already brought under his control, and second, to rapidly expand Seljuk power by subjugating additional regions. Thus, the empire was divided into provinces, and each trusted relative was not only assigned a province to govern but also tasked with the conquest of neighboring lands. Chaghri Beg, as the eldest brother, made Merv and Khorasan his base;[18] and Musa Yabugu was appointed over Bust, Herat, and Sistan.
Qavurt, the son of Chaghri Beg, chose Nahavand and Kerman. Qavurt defeated the Buyid ruler’s army in Kerman and Makran, and brought Kerman under his control. There, he established his own sultanate in 1041 CE and became its de facto ruler as a subject of Tughril I.[18][19]
Alp Arslan's will
editAlp Arslan died in 1072. He willed his throne to Malik Shah I, his second son. He also expressed his concern about possible throne struggles. The main contestants for the throne were his eldest son Ayaz and his brother Qavurt. As a compromise, he willed generous grants to Ayaz and Qavurt. He also willed Qavurt to marry his widow.
Qavurt's rebellion
edit
._AV_Dinar_(27mm,_3.48_g,_6h)._Bamm_mint._Dated_AH_483_(AD_1090-1).jpg)
Malik Shah was only 17 or 18 years of age when he ascended to throne. Although Ayaz presented no problem, he faced with the serious problem of Qavurt's rebellion.[21] His vizier Nizam al-Mulk was even more worried for he had become the de facto ruler of the empire during young Malik Shah's reign. Although Qavurt had only a small army, Turkmen officiers in Malik Shah's army tended to support Qavurt. So Malik Shah and Nizam al-Mulk added non Turkic regiments to Seljuk army. Artukids also supported Malik Shah. The clash, the Battle of Kerj Abu Dulaf, was at a location known as Kerç kapı (or Kerec[22]) close to Hamedan on 16 May 1073. Malik Shah was able to defeat Qavurt's forces. Although Qavurt escaped, he was soon arrested. Initially Malik Shah was tolerant to his uncle. But Nizam al-Mulk convinced the young sultan to execute Qavurt. Nizam al-Mulk also executed Qavurt's four sons.[23][full citation needed] Later he eliminated most of the Turkic commanders of the army whom he suspected to be Qavurt's partisan.
Overthrow
editThe son of Bahram-Shah, Muhammad-Shah succeeded his uncle Turan-Shah II to the throne of Kerman in 1183. By the time of his ascension Kerman had been overrun by bands of Ghuzz Turks. Their devastation of the province had made the city of Bardasir virtually uninhabitable, so Muhammad-Shah made Bam his capital. By 1186, however, Muhammad-Shah been unable to handle the Ghuzz, and he decided to abandon Bam and departed from Kerman. The Ghuzz chief Malik Dinar quickly seized control of Kerman in his place.[24]
Muhammad-Shah at first hoped to receive foreign assistance to reacquire Kerman, and traveled to Fars and Iraq requesting help. He also sought for aid from the Khwarezmshah Tekish. Eventually, however, he realized that he could get no assistance in recovering Kerman. He made his way to the Ghurid Empire and spent the remainder of his life in the service of the Ghurid sultans.[24]
Seljuq rulers of Kerman
editKerman was a province in southern Persia. Between 1053 and 1154, the territory also included Umman.
- Qawurd 1041–1073
- Kerman Shah 1073–1074
- Sultan Shah 1074–1075
- Hussain Omar 1075–1084
- Turan Shah I 1084–1096
- Iranshah ibn Turanshah 1096–1101
- Arslan Shah I 1101–1142
- Muhammad I (Muhammad) 1142–1156
- Tuğrul Shah 1156–1169
- Bahram-Shah 1169–1174
- Arslan Shah II 1174–1176
- Turan Shah II 1176–1183
- Muhammad Shah 1183–1187
Muhammad abandoned Kerman, which fell into the hands of the Oghuz chief Malik Dinar. Kerman was eventually annexed by the Khwarezmid Empire in 1196.
| Seljuk ibn Tuqaq | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mikail ibn Seljuq | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chaghri Beg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Qawurd First shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kermān-Shah Second shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hussein Omar-Shah Third shah | Sultan-Shah Fourth shah | Turan-Shah Fifth shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iran-Shah Sixth shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arslan Shah I Seventh shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muhammad-Shah I Eighth shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuğrul-Shah Ninth shah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bahrām-Shah Tenth shah | Arslan-Shah II Eleventh shah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muhammad-Shah II Twelfth & last shah | Turan-Shah II Thirteenth shah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ↑ Family tree of Seljuks[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Concise Britannica Online Seljuq Dynasty Archived 2007-01-14 at the Wayback Machine article
- ↑ Merriam-Webster Online – Definition of Seljuk Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ The History of the Seljuq Turks: From the Jami Al-Tawarikh (LINK)
- ↑ Shaw, Stanford. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey (LINK)
- ↑ Golden, Peter B. (1992). An Introduction to the History of the Turkic People. Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden. p. 209
- ↑ Wink, Andre, Al Hind: the Making of the Indo-Islamic World Brill Academic Publishers, Jan 1, 1996, ISBN 90-04-09249-8 pg.9
- ↑ Islam: An Illustrated History, p. 51
- 1 2 Michael Adas, Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History, (Temple University Press, 2001), 99.
- ↑ ""The Caucasus & Globalization." Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies. Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus. Volume 5, Issue 1-2. 2011, p.116. CA&CC Press. Sweden" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
- ↑ Bosworth, C.E. The Ghaznavids: 994-1040, Edinburgh University Press, 1963, 242.
- ↑ Tony Jaques, Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: F-O, (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007), 476.
- ↑ O.Özgündenli, "Persian Manuscripts in Ottoman and Modern Turkish Libraries", Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK)
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, "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. 25–6 (2005), pp. 157–69
- ↑ M.A. Amir-Moezzi, "Shahrbanu", Encyclopaedia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK): "... here one might bear in mind that Turco-Persian dynasties such as the Ghaznavids, Seljuqs and Ilkhanids were rapidly to adopt the Persian language and have their origins traced back to the ancient kings of Persia rather than to Turkish heroes or Muslim saints ..."
- ↑ F. Daftary, "Sectarian and National Movements in Iran, Khorasan, and Trasoxania during Umayyad and Early Abbasid Times", in History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol 4, pt. 1; edited by M.S. Asimov and C.E. Bosworth; UNESCO Publishing, Institute of Ismaili Studies: "... Not only did the inhabitants of Khurasan not succumb to the language of the nomadic invaders, but they imposed their own tongue on them. The region could even assimilate the Turkic Ghaznavids and Seljuks (eleventh and twelfth centuries), the Timurids (fourteenth–fifteenth centuries), and the Qajars (nineteenth–twentieth centuries) ..."
- 1 2 Bāstānī Rād 1390.
- ↑ Peacock 2011, p. 67.
- ↑ Boyle, J. A., ed. (1958). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 5: The Saljuq and Mongol Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 188, Map 4. ISBN 9781139054973.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, Expo 70 ed. Vol 14, p. 699
- ↑ Akşin, Sina; Hassan, Ümit (2009). Türkiye Tarihi. Vol. 1. Vatan Kitap. p. 180. ISBN 975-406-563-2.
- ↑ Salim Koca. [The Forces in the Determination of the Political Power in the Seljuk State] (in Turkish)
- 1 2 Bosworth, p. 174
Sources
edit- Bosworth, C. E. (2004). The New Islamic Dynasties: a Chronological and Genealogical Manual. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-2137-7.
- Grousset, Rene (1988). The Empire of the Steppes: a History of Central Asia. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. p. 147. ISBN 0813506271.
- Peacock, A.C.S., Early Seljuq History: A New Interpretation; New York, NY; Routledge; 2010
- Previté-Orton, C. W. (1971). The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.