Seljuk Empire

The Great Seljuk Empire or the Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qiniq branch of Oghuz Turks. At the time of its greatest extent, the Seljuk Empire controlled a vast area, stretching from western Anatolia and the

Levant

in the west to the Hindu Kush in the east, and from

Central Asia

in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south.

The Seljuk empire was founded in 1037 by Tughril (990–1063) and his brother Chaghri (989–1060). From their homelands near the

Aral Sea

, the Seljuks advanced first into Khorasan and then into mainland

Persia

, before eventually conquering

Baghdad

and eastern Anatolia. The Seljuks won the battle of Manzikert in 1071, and then conquered most of the rest of Anatolia, wresting it from the

Byzantine Empire

. This was one of the impetuses for the First Crusade (1095–1099). The Seljuk empire began to decline in the 1140s, and by 1194 had been supplanted by the Khwarazmian Empire.

Seljuk gave his name to both the empire and the Seljuk dynasty. The Seljuk empire united the fractured political landscape of the eastern Islamic world and played a key role in both the First Crusade and Second Crusade. The Seljuks also played an important part in the creation and expansion of multiple art forms during the period in which they had influence.

Highly Persianized in culture and language, the Seljuks also played an important role in the development of the Turko-Persian tradition, even exporting Persian culture to Anatolia. The settlement of Turkic tribes in the northwestern peripheral parts of the empire, for the strategic military purpose of fending off invasions from neighboring states, led to the progressive Turkicization of those areas.

History

Founder of the dynasty

The founder of the Seljuq dynasty was an Oghuz Turkic warlord Seljuk. He was reputed to have served in the Khazar army, under whom, the Seljuks migrated to Khwarezm, near the city of Jend, where they converted to Islam in 985. Khwarezm, administered by the Ma'munids, was under the nominal control of the Samanid Empire. By 999 the Samanids fell to the

Kara-Khanids

in Transoxiana, but the Ghaznavids occupied the lands south of the Oxus. The Seljuks became involved, having supported the last Samanid emir against the Kara-Khanids, in this power struggle in the region before establishing their own independent base.

Expansion of the empire

Tughril and Chaghri

Oghuz Turks, led by the grandson of Seljuk, Tughril, were one of several groups of the Oghuz who made their way to

Iran

between about 1020 and 1040, first moving south to Transoxiana, and then to Khorasan, initially at the invitation of the local rulers, then under alliances and conflicts. However, prior to the arrival of the Seljuks to Khorasan, other Oghuz Turks were already present in the area: that is, the northern slopes of Kopet Dag mountains, which is principally the region stretching from the

Caspian Sea

to Marv; what is today - Turkmenistan. Contemporary sources mention places such as Dahistan (Atrek etrap), Farawa (corresponding to Kizyl-Arvat, today's Serdar) and Nasa (still known by this name), as well as Sarakhs and Marv.

After moving into Khorasan, Seljuks under Tughril wrested an empire from the Ghaznavids. Initially the Seljuks were repulsed by

Mahmud

and retired to Khwarezm, but Tughril and Chaghri led them to capture

Merv

and Nishapur (1037–1038). Later they repeatedly raided and traded territory with his successor, Mas'ud, across Khorasan and

Balkh

.

In 1040, at the Battle of Dandanaqan, they decisively defeated Mas'ud I of Ghazni, forcing him to abandon most of his western territories. By 1046, Abbasid caliph al-Qa'im had sent Tughril a diploma recognizing Seljuk rule over Khurasan. In 1048–1049, the Seljuk Turks, commanded by Ibrahim Yinal, uterine brother of Tughril, made their first incursion into the Byzantine frontier region of Iberia and clashed with a combined Byzantine-Georgian army of 50,000 at the Battle of Kapetrou on 10 September 1048. The devastation left behind by the Seljuk raid was so fearful that the Byzantine magnate Eustathios Boilas described, in 1051–1052, those lands as "foul and unmanageable... inhabited by snakes, scorpions, and wild beasts." The Arab chronicler Ibn al-Athir reports that Ibrahim brought back 100,000 captives and a vast booty loaded on the backs of ten thousand camels. In 1055, Tughril entered Baghdad and removed the influence of the Buyid dynasty, under a commission from the Abbasid caliph.

Alp Arslan

Alp Arslan, the son of Chaghri Beg, expanded significantly upon Tughril's holdings by adding Armenia and Georgia in 1064 and invading the Byzantine Empire in 1068, from which he annexed almost all of Anatolia. Arslan's decisive victory at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 effectively neutralized the Byzantine resistance to the Turkish invasion of Anatolia, although the Georgians were able to recover from Alp Arslan's invasion by securing the theme of Iberia. The Byzantine withdrawal from Anatolia brought Georgia in more direct contact with the Seljuks. In 1073 the Seljuk Amirs of Ganja, Dvin and Dmanisi invaded Georgia and were defeated by George II of Georgia, who successfully took the fortress of

Kars

. A retaliatory strike by the Seljuk Amir Ahmad defeated the Georgians at Kvelistsikhe.

Alp Arslan authorized his Turkmen generals to carve their own principalities out of formerly Byzantine Anatolia, as atabegs loyal to him. Within two years the Turkmens had established control as far as the

Aegean Sea

under numerous ''beghlik''s (modern Turkish beyliks): the Saltukids in Northeastern Anatolia, the Shah-Armens and the Mengujekids in Eastern Anatolia, Artuqids in Southeastern Anatolia, Danishmendis in Central Anatolia,

Rum Seljuks

(Beghlik of Suleyman, which later moved to Central Anatolia) in Western Anatolia, and the Beylik of Tzachas of Smyrna in

İzmir

(Smyrna).

Malik Shah I

Under Alp Arslan's successor,

Malik Shah

, and his two Persian viziers, Nizām al-Mulk and Tāj al-Mulk, the Seljuk state expanded in various directions, to the former Iranian border of the days before the Arab invasion, so that it soon bordered

China

in the east and the

Byzantines

in the west. Malikshāh was the one who moved the capital from Ray to

Isfahan

. The Iqta military system and the Nizāmīyyah University at Baghdad were established by Nizām al-Mulk, and the reign of Malikshāh was reckoned the golden age of "Great Seljuk". The Abbasid Caliph titled him "The Sultan of the East and West" in 1087. The Assassins (''Hashshashin'') of Hassan-i Sabāh started to become a force during his era, however, and they assassinated many leading figures in his administration; according to many sources these victims included Nizām al-Mulk.

In 1076, Malik Shah I surged into Georgia and reduced many settlements to ruins. From 1079/80 onward, Georgia was pressured into submitting to Malik-Shah to ensure a precious degree of peace at the price of an annual

tribute

.

Ahmad Sanjar

Ahmad was the son of Malik Shah I and initially took part in wars of succession against his three brothers and a nephew: Mahmud I, Barkiyaruq, Malik Shah II and

Muhammad I Tapar

. In 1096, he was tasked to govern the province of Khorasan by his brother Muhammad I.Grousset, René (1970) ''The Empire of the Steppes'' Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
p. 159
Over the next several years, Ahmad Sanjar became the ruler of most of

Iran

(Persia), and eventually in 1118, the sole ruler of the Great Seljuk Empire."SANJAR, Aḥmad b. Malekšāh"
''Encyclopædia Iranica''

In 1141, Ahmad marched to eliminate the threat posed by Kara Khitans and faced them in the vicinity of

Samarkand

at the

Battle of Qatwan

. He suffered his first defeat in his long career, and as a result lost all Seljuk territory east of the

Syr Darya

.

Sanjar's as well as the Seljuks' rule collapsed as a consequence of yet another unexpected defeat, this time at the hands of the Seljuks’ own tribe, in 1153. Sanjar was captured during the battle and held in captivity until 1156. It brought chaos to the Empire - a situation later exploited by the victorious Turkmens, whose hordes would overrun Khorasan unopposed, wreaking colossal damage on the province and prestige of Sanjar. Sanjar eventually escaped from captivity in the fall of 1156, but soon died in

Merv

(present-day Turkmenistan), in 1157. After his death, Turkic rulers, Turkmen tribal forces, and other secondary powers competed for Khorasan, and after a long period of confrontations, the province was finally conquered by Khwarazmian dynasty, Khwarazmians in the early 1200s.

The Tomb of Ahmed Sanjar was destroyed by the Mongols led by Tolui, who sacked the city of Merv in 1221, killing 700,000 people according to contemporary sources Mongol conquest of the Khwarazmian Empire, during their catastrophic invasion of Khwarazm; however, modern scholarship holds such figures to be exaggerated.

Division of empire

When Malikshāh I died in 1092, the empire split as his brother and four sons quarrelled over the apportioning of the empire among themselves. Malikshāh I was succeeded in Anatolia by Kilij Arslan I, who founded the Sultanate of Rum, and in Syria by his brother Tutush I. In

Persia

he was succeeded by his son Nasir ad-Din Mahmud I, Mahmud I, whose reign was contested by his other three brothers Barkiyaruq in Iraq, Muhammad I in

Baghdad

, and Ahmed Sanjar, Ahmad Sanjar in Khorasan. When Tutush I died, his sons Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan, Radwan and Duqaq (Seljuk ruler of Damascus), Duqaq inherited Aleppo and Damascus respectively and contested with each other as well, further dividing Syria amongst emirs antagonistic towards each other.

In 1118, the third son Ahmed Sanjar, Ahmad Sanjar took over the empire. His nephew, the son of Muhammad I, did not recognize his claim to the throne, and Mahmud II of Seljuk, Mahmud II proclaimed himself Sultan and established a capital in Baghdad, until 1131 when he was finally officially deposed by Ahmad Sanjar.

Elsewhere in nominal Seljuk territory were the Artuqids in northeastern Syria and northern Mesopotamia; they controlled Jerusalem until 1098. The Danishmend, Dānišmand dynasty founded a state in eastern Anatolia and northern Syria and contested land with the Sultanate of Rum, and Kerbogha exercised independence as the atabeg of Mosul.

First Crusade (1095–1099)

During the First Crusade, the fractured states of the Seljuks were generally more concerned with consolidating their own territories and gaining control of their neighbours than with cooperating against the crusaders. The Seljuks easily defeated the People's Crusade arriving in 1096, but they could not stop the progress of the army of the subsequent Princes' Crusade, which took important cities such as Nicaea (İznik), Iconium (Konya), Caesarea Mazaca (Kayseri), and Antioch (Antakya) on its march to Jerusalem (Al-Quds). In 1099 the crusaders finally captured the Holy Land and set up the first Crusader states. The Seljuks had already lost Palestine (region), Palestine to the Fatimids, who had recaptured it just before its capture by the crusaders.

After pillaging the County of Edessa, Seljukid commander Ilghazi made peace with the Crusaders. In 1121 he went north towards Georgia and with supposedly up to 250 000 – 350 000 troops, including men led by his son-in-law Sadaqah and Sultan Malik of Ganja, Azerbaijan, Ganja, he invaded the Kingdom of Georgia. David IV of Georgia gathered 40,000 Georgian warriors, including 5,000 monaspa guards, 15,000 Kipchaks, 300 Alans and 100 French Crusaders to fight against Ilghazi's vast army. At the Battle of Didgori on August 12, 1121, the Seljuks were routed, being run down by pursuing Georgian cavalry for several days afterward. The battle helped the Crusader states, which had been under pressure from Ilghazi's armies. The weakening of the main enemy of the Latin principalities also benefitted the Kingdom of Jerusalem under King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, Baldwin II.

Second Crusade (1147–1149)

During this time conflict with the Crusader states was also intermittent, and after the First Crusade increasingly independent atabegs would frequently ally with the Crusader states against other atabegs as they vied with each other for territory. At Mosul, Imad ad-Din Zengi, Zengi succeeded Kerbogha as atabeg and successfully began the process of consolidating the atabegs of Syria. In 1144 Zengi captured Siege of Edessa (1144), Edessa, as the County of Edessa had allied itself with the Artuqids against him. This event triggered the launch of the Second Crusade. Nur ad-Din Zangi, Nur ad-Din, one of Zengi's sons who succeeded him as atabeg of Aleppo, created an alliance in the region to oppose the Second Crusade, which landed in 1147.

Decline

Ahmad Sanjar fought to contain the revolts by the Kara-Khanids in Transoxiana, Ghurids in Afghanistan and Qarluks in modern Kyrghyzstan, as well as the nomadic invasion of the Kara-Khitais in the east. The advancing Kara-Khitais first defeated the Eastern Kara-Khanids, then followed up by crushing the Western Kara-Khanids, who were vassals of the Seljuks at Khujand. The Kara-Khanids turned to their Seljuk overlords for assistance, to which Sanjar responded by personally leading an army against the Kara-Khitai. However, Sanjar's army was decisively defeated by the host of Yelu Dashi at the

Battle of Qatwan

on September 9, 1141. While Sanjar managed to escape with his life, many of his close kin including his wife were taken captive in the battle's aftermath. As a result of Sanjar's failure to deal with the encroaching threat from the east, the Seljuk Empire lost all its eastern provinces up to the river

Syr Darya

, and vassalage of the Western Kara-Khanids was usurped by the Kara-Khitai, otherwise known as the Western Liao in Chinese historiography.

Conquest by Khwarezm and the Ayyubids

In 1153, the Ghuzz (Oghuz Turks) rebelled and captured Sanjar. He managed to escape after three years but died a year later. The atabegs, such as the Zengids and Artuqids, were only nominally under the Seljuk Sultan, and generally controlled Syria independently. When Ahmad Sanjar died in 1157, this fractured the empire even further and rendered the atabegs effectively independent.

# Khorasani Seljuks in Khorasan and Transoxiana. Capital:

Merv

# Kermani Seljuks
# Sultanate of Rum (or Seljuks of Turkey). Capital: Iznik (Nicaea), later Konya (Iconium)
# Atabeghlik of the Salghurids in Fars Province, Fars
# Atabeghlik of Eldiguzids (Atabeg of AzerbaijanHodgson, Marshall G.S. ''The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization'', University of Chicago Press, 1974, , p. 260) in Iraq and Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan. Capital: Nakhchivan (city), NakhchivanEncyclopaedia Iranica. K. A. Luther
Atabakan-e Adarbayjan
: Sources such as Ḥosaynī’s Aḵbār (p. 181 and passim) make it clear that members of the family always considered Naḵǰavān their home base. (1136–1175), Hamadan (1176–1186), Tabriz (1187–1225)
# Atabeghlik of Burid, Bori in Syria. Capital: Damascus
# Atabeghlik of Zangi in Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia, Al Jazira (Northern Mesopotamia). Capital: Mosul
# Turcoman Beghliks: Danishmendis, Artuqids, Saltuqids and Mengujekids in Asia Minor

After the Second Crusade, Nur ad-Din's general Shirkuh, who had established himself in Egypt on Fatimid land, was succeeded by Saladin. In time, Saladin rebelled against Nur ad-Din Zangi, Nur ad-Din, and, upon his death, Saladin married his widow and captured most of Syria and created the Ayyubid dynasty.

On other fronts, the Georgia (country)#Antiquity, Kingdom of Georgia began to become a regional power and extended its borders at the expense of Great Seljuk. The same was true during the revival of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia under Leo II of Armenia in Anatolia. The Abbasid caliph An-Nasir also began to reassert the authority of the caliph and allied himself with the Khwarezmshah Takash.

For a brief period, Toghrul III, Togrul III was the Sultan of all Seljuk except for Anatolia. In 1194, however, Togrul was defeated by Takash, the Shah of Khwarezmid Empire, and the Seljuk Empire finally collapsed. Of the former Seljuk Empire, only the Sultanate of Rûm in Anatolia remained.

As the dynasty declined in the middle of the thirteenth century, the Mongol Empire, Mongols invaded Mongol invasions of Anatolia, Anatolia in the 1260s and divided it into small emirates called the Anatolian beyliks. Eventually one of these, the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman, would rise to power and conquer the rest.

Governance

Seljuk power was indeed at its zenith under Malikshāh I, and both the Qarakhanids and Ghaznavids had to acknowledge the overlordship of the Seljuks.Wink, Andre, ''Al Hind the Making of the Indo Islamic World'', Brill Academic Publishers, Jan 1, 1996, pg 9–10 The Seljuk dominion was established over the ancient Sasanian domains, in

Iran

and Iraq, and included Anatolia, Syria, as well as parts of

Central Asia

and modern Afghanistan. Seljuk rule was modelled after the tribal organization common among Turkic and Mongol nomads and resembled a 'family federation' or 'appanage state'. Under this organization, the leading member of the paramount family assigned family members portions of his domains as autonomous appanages.

Various emblems and banners have been recorded as having been used by the Seljuks in different periods. Early Seljuks used their traditional emblems, but gradually adopted local Muslim signs and banners. The official flag of the empire was most probably a black flag, similar to that of the Abbasid Caliphate. The flag was decorated with signs, which were either superimposed over it, or placed above the flag.

Capital cities

Seljuks exercised full control over Islamic

Central Asia

and the Middle East between 1040 and 1157. For most of its history, the empire was split into western and eastern half and did not have a single capital or political center. In the east, the chief seat of Seljuk rule was Marv in present-day Turkmenistan. In the west, various cities, where the Seljuk rulers lived periodically, served as capitals: Rayy,

Isfahan

,

Baghdad

, and later Hamadan. These western lands were known as the Sultanate of Iraq. Since 1118, the Seljuk rulers of Iraq recognized the suzerainty of the great Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar, Sanjar, who mostly ruled from Marv, and was known by the title of al-sultān al-a'zam, "the Greatest Sultan". The Seljuk rulers of Iraq were often mentioned as the "Lesser Seljuks".

Culture and language

Seljuks managed to preserve elements of steppe culture even at the peak of their empire. Oghuz languages, Oghuz Turkic language was used as the every-day language of the court, and was widely used alongside Persian language, Persian by the population of the empire. Tughril relied on his vizier to translate from Arabic Language, Arabic and Persian into Turkic for him, and Oghuz songs were sung at the wedding of Tughril to the caliph’s daughter. Later sultans, like Mahmud II (Seljuk sultan), Mahmud, could speak Arabic alongside Persian, however, they still used Turkic among themselves. The most signifact evidence of the importance of Turkic language is the big Turkic–Arabic dictionary, or the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, assembled in

Baghdad

for Al-Muqtadi, Caliph al-Muqtadi by Mahmud al-Kashgari. However, besides the Diwan, no works written in Turkic language survive from the Seljuk Empire. While the ''Maliknama'' was compiled from Turkic oral accounts, it was written in Persian and Arabic languages.

Steppe traditions influenced Seljuk marriages, with Tughril marrying his brother Chaghri's widow, a practice despised in Islam.

Military

General overview

The army of the earliest Seljuks was not similar to the renowned Turkic military of the classical 'Abbasids, 'Abbasid era. Their first invasions were more of a great nomadic migration accompanied by their families and livestock rather than planned military conquests. They were not a professional army, however warfare was a way of life for nearly all of adult male Turkmens.

According to a Seljuk vizier, Nizam al-Mulk, by the reign of Malik-Shah I, the sovereign had a large army at his disposal. There were Turkmen people, Turkmens, mamluks, a standing army, infantry and the sultan's personal guard. Nizam al-Mulk also estimated Malik-Shah’s forces at 400,000 men, and often opposed cost-cutting plans (instituted by Taj al-Mulk) to bring these to 70,000.

Turkmens

Vizier Nizam al-Mulk, the greatest advocate of Iranian orientation for the Seljuk empire, admitted the debt dynasty owed to the Turkmens. After the establishment of the Seljuk state, Turkmens continued to be the driving force behind the Seljuk expansion in Anatolia. After the rule of Malik-Shah I, however, there are very few mentions of Turkmens in the Jibali region of the state, especially in their traditional axis of Rayy, Hamadhan and Hulwan.

Turkmens were difficult to manage, and they were susceptible to undisciplined pillaging. The greatest issue, however, was their dependence on pasturelands for their livestock. A great number of regions that constituted the Seljuk state were ecologically ill-suited for supporting a nomadic army. Turkmens' limitations are adeptly described by Arab scholar Sibt ibn al-Jawzi:

Long campaigns had to be discontinued due to Turkmens' insistence on returning home, and conquests had to be scheduled to satisfy the demands of Turkmens. The short-term needs of Turkmens made a longer term military plans unachievable.

Mamluks

The alternative to nomadic Turkmen troops was mamluks. While also of Turkic and often nomadic origin, dependence on pasturelands was non-existent for mamluks as they did not live a nomadic life. Previously, mamluks had constituted the later 'Abbasids, 'Abbasid, the Samanids, Samanid and the Ghaznavids, Ghaznavid armies. In fact, the Ghaznavid dynasty was itself of mamluk origin.

The process of mamluk recruitment are well known from other periods in Islamic history, but there is almost no information directly relating to the Seljuks. The chief source of mamluks was most probably forays to the steppe. The alternative to raids was buying them from slave traders and various dealers as evidenced from a slave dispute between a merchant and

Muhammad I Tapar

.

Legacy

The Seljuks were educated in the service of Muslim courts as slaves or mercenaries. The dynasty brought revival, energy, and reunion to the Islamic civilization hitherto dominated by Arabs and Persians.

The Seljuks founded universities and were also patrons of art and literature. Their reign is characterized by Persian people, Persian astronomers such as Omar Khayyám, and the Persian people, Persian philosopher al-Ghazali. Under the Seljuks, New Persian became the language for historical recording, while the center of Arabic language culture shifted from Baghdad to Cairo.

Sultans of the Seljuk Empire

Art of the Great Seljuk Empire

Architecture and ceramics

Various art forms were popularized during the Seljuk period, as evidenced by the vast amount of surviving artifacts.Bloom, Johnathan M. and Sheila Blair. "Saljuq" In ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195309911.001.0001/acref-9780195309911-e-807 Most Seljuk arts are known to have been produced in what is modern-day Iran.Hillenbrand, Robert. "Saljuq Family." ''Grove Art Online''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000075354 However, the Seljuk sultans also encouraged artists to settle in Anatolia as part of a recolonization and reconstruction process of several cities. Many works of Seljuk art continued to be produced following the decline of the empire in the late 12th century. In this regard, the timeline associated with the production of Seljuk art does not entirely match the political events pertaining to the empire and its eventual fall.

Among other ceramics, the manufacture of polychrome ceramic tiles, often used as decor in architecture, were popularized during the Seljuk dynasty.Oktay, Aslanapa. "Turkish Ceramic Art." ''Archeology'' 24, no. 3 (June 1971): 209-219.Ceken, Muharrem. "Materials, Techniques, and Kilns Used in the Production of Seljuk and Beylik Period Glazed Tiles." In ''Tiles: Treasures of Anatolian Soil''. Istanbul: Kale Group Cultural Publications, 2008. The Seljuks pioneered the use of the ''Mina'i ware, Minai'' technique, a painted and enameled polychrome overglaze for ceramics. The glazes on the Seljuk ceramics produced often ranged from a brilliant turquoise to a very dark blue. The art of Seljuk mosaic tile decorating would continue to dominate the interior of many Anatolian mosques following the period of Seljuk rule. The Seljuks also created ceramic house models, while other ceramic forms in the Seljuk period included pottery figurines, some of them children's toys.

In the realm of architecture, mosques and madrasas were created and embellished during the period of Seljuk control. Congregational mosques were either repaired, re-built, or constructed in their entirety. The Seljuk sultan also commissioned numerous madrasas to promote the teaching of orthodox Islamic sciences. These developments in architectural practice are coherent with the Seljuk dynasty's focus on Islam and the promotion of Muslim orthodoxy, the combining of Sufism and Sunni Islam, Sunnism.

One architectural form that flourished during the Seljuk dynasty was the muqarnas.Tabbaa, Yasser. "The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origin and Meaning." ''Grove Art Online.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. https://www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart/view/10.1093/gao/9781884446054.001.0001/oao-9781884446054-e-7000060413 Some interpretations maintain that the earliest known examples of muqarnas were constructed during the period of Seljuk hegemony, though it also remains possible that they were being developed at the same time in North Africa. The layering of multiple embellished cells with divergent profiles in muqarnas creates a dome that has a seemingly-insubstantial interior. The play of light on the surface enhances this visual effect. Art historian Oleg Grabar argues that the effect of muqarnas domes embodies Qur'anic water symbolism. Examples of muqarnas also appear in the niches of mosques built during the Seljuk empire. Overall, the architecture attributed to the Seljuk period is characterized by elaborate decoration, much like the other arts produced under Seljuk rule.Starr, Frederick. "Tremors Under the Dome of Seljuk Rule." In ''Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fgz07.20

Book arts

Both secular and non-secular manuscripts were produced during the Seljuk period. These pieces are now limited in availability, considering their ultimate susceptibility to damage overtime.Hillenbrand, Robert. "The Relationship Between Book Painting and Luxury Ceramics in 13th-Century Iran." In ''The Art of the Seljuqs in Iran and Anatolia,'' edited by Robert Hillenbrand, 134-139. Costa mesa: Mazda Publishers, 1994. But those manuscripts that have survived over the centuries provide insight into the Seljuk's involvement in the arts of the book. Calligraphy, Calligraphers and illuminators were responsible for the creation of these manuscripts, though sometimes calligraphers mastered the art of both writing and illustration.Farhad, Massumeh and Simon Rettig. ''The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.'' District of Columbia: Smithsonian Books, 2016. By the end of the 10th century, both illuminators and calligraphers were beginning to employ various colors, styles, and writing techniques in the realm of the book arts.

The Quran, Qur'an's produced during the period of Seljuk rule evidence developments in calligraphy and other changes in how the holy text was divided. Uniquely, calligraphers during this period frequently combined several scripts on one page of the Qur'an, such as Kufic and New Style. In addition to these changes in the text, the dawn of the Seljuk empire coincided with a newfound increase in the popularity of paper as a replacement for parchment in the Islamic world. The use of durable paper increased the production of compact, single-volume Qur'an's, whereas parchment codexes often contained multiple volumes of Qur'anic text.Allan, James. "Manuscript Illumination: A Source for Metalwork Motifs in Saljuq Times." In ''The Art of the Saljuqs in Iran and Anatolia: Proceedings of a Symposium Held in Edinburgh in 1982,'' edited by Robert Hillenbrand, 119-126. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh press, 1994. Despite this development, parchment would remain popular for the production of some Qur'an's, and multi-volume pieces continued to be produced. Illuminated borders continued to distinguish the Qur'ans produced during the Seljuk period and relative consistency was maintained with regard to their structure.

One example of a manuscript created during Seljuk rule is a thirty-volume Qur'an (Juz', juz) created c.1050, produced by only one calligrapher and illuminator (Freer Gallery of Art, District of Columbia, F2001.16a-b). As paper had just been introduced to the Islamic world, this piece is an early Islamic paper manuscript. This Qur'an is bound in brown leather, dyed in pink, decorated with gold, and offers an intricate Book frontispiece, frontispiece. These elements imply the care that went into the production of this text and indications of frequent usage confirm that it was appreciated. It is primarily written in the vertical "New-Style" Arabic script, a sharp, vertical script. The dominant use of New Style in this folio, also referred to as "new Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid Script," attests to the shift from the geometric Kufic script to a more legible calligraphic style, which occurred in the 10th century. Scattered remnants of Kufic, used primarily to indicate volume and page number, also appear in the text. The verticality of the paper in this manuscript speaks to the historic shift away from the horizontal use of paper in many Qur'ans, also a 10th century development.

Another example of a religious manuscript produced closer to the end of the period of Seljuk Rule is the ''Qarmathian Qur'an'' (dispersed folio, Arthur M. Stackler Gallery of Art, District of Columbia, S1986.65a-b). This manuscript's folios are illuminated with a gold border and thin, spiraled illustration, featuring vegetal motifs. Despite the generous illumination, the four lines of Qur'anic text on the folio are exceptionally legible. Created between the years 1170-1200, this particular folio demonstrates the evolution of New Style, as both vocalized cursive and diacritical dots appear in this later version of the script. Only during the 13th century would New Style be replaced by the curvier proportional scripts for regular use.

A final example of a Seljuk Qur'an that has entered into scholarship is a manuscript studied in-depth by the late art historian Richard Ettinghausen.Ettinghausen, Richard. ''"''A Signed and Dated Seljuk Qur'an." ''Bulletin for the American Institute for Persian Art and Archeology'' 4, no. 2 (December 1935): 92-102. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44240425. This piece was written in 1164 by Mahmud Ibn Al-Husayn and contains the entirety of the Qur'an (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, NEP27). Unlike the two Seljuk Qur'ans discussed prior, this manuscript primarily contains Naskh (script), Naskh script, another early Arabic script that replaced Kufic. However, some Kufic calligraphy is embedded in the chapter headings. This aspect speaks to how the inclusion of Kufic in Qur'ans became more of a decorative element overtime, often included in headings as opposed to the main body of text. The manuscript is large, with seventeen lines of text per two-hundred and fifteen sheets of paper. Though not all of the Qur'an is illuminated, both the beginning and the end boast elaborate illustration, with blue, gold, and white hues. Ettinghausen describes the subsequent visual effect as "brilliant." The inscriptions feature detailed rosettes, vines, medallions, and arabesques, some exclusively as decoration and others to indicate the end of particular lines of Qur'anic text.

Manuscript production during the Seljuk period was not limited to religious texts. Beyond these religious manuscripts, scientific, literary, and historical pieces were created. One example of a secular manuscript is the ''Nusrat al-fatrah'', a historiographical and literary account of the Seljuk period written in 1200 by Imād al-Dīn (Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London).Peacock, Andrew. "Nusrat al-fatrah wa-usrat al-fitrah (The History of the Seljuks)." Journal of Islamic Studies 32, no.1 (2021): 125-127. Meanwhile, the scientific manuscripts produced during the Seljuk period oftentimes pertained to geography, physics, mechanics, mathematics, and astronomy. The former Seljuk city of

Isfahan

not only boasted twelve libraries that contained a total of twelve thousand volumes, but also had an observatory where scholars could record their astrological findings. Secular manuscripts from the Seljuk empire bear illuminations that often relate to the alignment of planets and the zodiac, a couple examples of common themes.

Whether secular or non-secular, Seljuk illuminated manuscripts had enough influence as to inspire other relevant art forms, such as brass or bronze metal objects. For example, the large ''Qarmathian Qur'an'' influenced some of the inscriptions on Seljuk ceramic wares. Even mirrors, candlesticks, coins, and jugs manufactured in Anatolia during the Seljuk period would often bear occult astrological images inspired by manuscripts.Peacock, A.C.S. "A Seljuq Occult Manuscript and its World." In ''The Seljuqs and their Successors: Art, Culture, and History,'' edited by Sheila R. Canby, D. Beyazit, and Martina Rugiadi, 163-176. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2020. Occult knowledge persisted in manuscripts produced after the decline in the Seljuk's political power in the late 12th century, as the Seljuk sultanate's influence on the book arts continued in Anatolia.

Historian Andrew Peacock demonstrates an interest in the Seljuks of Anatolia's focus on occult themes and its manifestation in the book arts. Peacock describes this finding as something that challenges the reigning view that the Seljuks were exclusively the "pious defenders of Islam" when it came to larger systems of belief. Some of the occult sciences that the Seljuks took special interest in included geomancy, astrology, alchemy. A relevant occult manuscript from a period of Seljuk influence is the ''Dustur al-Munajjimin'', otherwise known as the "Rules of Astrologers," while another is the ''Daqa'iq al-Haqa'iq,'' or the "Fine Points of Eternal Truths." The latter text captures an interest in magic and spells, with a particular focus on calling upon spiritual beings, such as angels, through ritualistic acts (Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, Persan 174). The text was written by a man who wrote under a pen name, "Nasiri." Interestingly, Nasiri's ''Daqa'iq al-Haqa'iq'' challenges prevailing Islamic understandings of God while encouraging piety and invoking both Sufism, Sufi terms and themes. For example, while incorporating a Sufi poem, the occult text speaks of supernatural bodies and disputes what Islam considers to be the accepted number of names for God.

Textiles

Similar to architecture, Seljuk fabrics depict inscriptions and decorative forms. These fabrics represent what could be called a "Sasanian Empire, Sasanian renaissance" marking a new dominance of Persian culture. Textiles, along with literary works, are evidence of this. Contrast is the main feature of different techniques and fabric qualities. Stories of the period are told through a variety of inscriptions. At the same time, higher contrasts generate a more abstract approach to the ornaments and figures within the fabric patterns. Seljuk fabrics that were excavated in 1931 are distinguished by the representation of nature, by minimal ornamental details, and by the combination of colorful linens giving an interchangeable color effect to the fabric. Many realistic natural elements characterize the composition of the fabrics, such as animals and plants, forming patterns consisting of arabesque elements.

Examples of Seljuk art

File:Bowl with an Enthronement Scene. Seljuq.jpg, Bowl with an Enthronement Scene,12th-13th century, Brooklyn Museum
File:Tete princière 09441.JPG, Seljuk pottery head
File:Seljuq Ewer.jpg, Seljuk-era art: Ewer from Herat, Afghanistan, dated 1180–1210CE. Brass worked in repousse and inlaid with silver and bitumen. British Museum.
File:Top Section of a Water Jug, late 12th-early 13th century.jpg, Section of a Water Jug, Habb, 12th-13th century, Brooklyn Museum
File:تاریخ_ری.jpg, Tughrul Tower, Toghrol Tower, a 12th-century monument south of Tehran in

Iran

commemorating Tughril Baig, Beg.
File:Kharaghan_Twin_Towers.jpg, The Kharraqan towers, Kharāghān twin towers, built in 1053 in

Iran

, is the burial of Seljuk princes.

See also

* Nizari–Seljuk conflicts
* Anatolian Seljuks family tree
* Danishmend
* Ghaznavids, Ghaznavid Empire
* Rahat al-sudur
* Seljuk architecture
* Seljuk dynasty
* History of the Turks (disambiguation), History of the Turks
* List of Turkic dynasties and countries
* List of battles involving the Seljuk Empire
* Timeline of the Sultanate of Rûm
* Timeline of the Turkic peoples (500–1300)
* Turkic migrations

Notes

Footnotes

References

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

* http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/533602/Seljuq
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{{Authority control

Historical Turkic states
States and territories established in 1037
1194 disestablishments in Asia
Former monarchies of Central Asia
Former sultanates
Seljuk Empire,
1037 establishments in Asia
Medieval Azerbaijan
11th century in Armenia
12th century in Armenia
Medieval Syria
Medieval Iraq
States in medieval Anatolia