Zankan Zorababeli () was the 12th-century,
Georgian Jewish merchant from
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...
.
The Queen
Tamar's marriage was a question of state-importance. Every group strove to select and secure the acceptance of its candidate in order to strengthen its position and influence at court. Two factions fought for the influence in
Tamar's court: clan of
Mkhargrdzelis and
Abulasan Abulasan () was a 12th-century Georgian politician, who served as mayor of Tbilisi and Eristavi of Kartli (1185–1188).
Biography
During a revolt of treasurer Qutlu Arslan, Abulasan joined a group of unranked class and wealthy citizens in a str ...
, ''
amirtamira'' of
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...
. Then the Abulasan, came forward and said: "I know one prince, the son of the great
Rus' prince
Yury
Yury, Yuri, Youri, Yurii, Yuriy, Yurij, Iurii or Iouri is the Slavic (russian: Юрий, Yuriy, or uk, Юрій, Yuriy, or bg, Юрий, Jurij, or be, Юры, Jury) form of the masculine given name George; it is derived directly from the Gre ...
; he was a child when his father died, and, persuaded by his uncle Salavat, moved away to other country; He lives now in the city of Sevinj, king of the
Kipchaks."
[Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia), Artanuji pub. Tbilisi 2014] candidature was approved by the council of feudal lords. They called an influential person in the kingdom, the great merchant Zankan Zorababeli. He was given the mission of bringing the bridegroom to Tbilisi. He fulfilled his mission with zeal, changing his horses on the way, he quickly reached his destination, and brought back the young man - valiant, perfect of body and pleasant to behold - sooner than the fixed time.
References
Jews from Georgia (country)
12th-century people from Georgia (country)
{{Georgia-hist-stub