SELJUK

While they were far from allies, descendants of Seljuk Bey negotiated with Byzantine Emperors [i] of Istanbul— who underestimated the military power of an army of pilgrims of Islamic faith and enslaved people. The Seljuks' formidable governing structure led to the conquest of Anatolia and the Armenian-Byzantine Empire. This marked the beginning of Turkic power over the Middle East. However, the Sultan’s death created a power struggle, as his four sons quarreled over the empire. By the mid-13th century, the crusaders gained an advantage over the main state of Khorezmian [ii]. The sultanate continued into the early 14th century, until being conquered by the Ottomans.

A major long-standing ally to the Seljuks [iii] was the Bagratid Dynasty, a Georgian ruling house that expanded during the 12th century. As conveyed in the civilization’s history [iv], a further alliance was created amongst those of the Sunni Islamic faith that dominated the regions of Mesopotamia and Syria, including Palestine. These religious bridges allowed the Seljuk Empire to plant roots in the region and connect to neighboring civilizations. On the contrary, the Seljuk Empire’s main rivals were the army of Diogenes under the Byzantine Empire [v]and the crusades army, which ultimately prevented the reforming of the Seljuk Empire [vi] right before its decline.

Seljuk designs have a prominent stylistic influence [vii] in the fashion world today. Their artistic and cultural sway was adapted from Perso-Islamic and Asian-Turkic traditions that prompted the use of bronze or brass with metals in their arts. Objects were “animated” with Arabic written words which made the letters transform into human/animal figures. What is showcased through their work is the effect of a more contemporary ware and advancement in techniques with some surviving examples today [viii]. Additionally, we see that the Seljuk people were colossal with their architecture, especially in institutions of higher learning. They also transformed mosques and constructed funerary monuments.

Given that the Seljuks had conquered multiple important cities, it is understood that they ruled as a cohesive dynasty [ix]. The structure conveyed presidents, state administrators, sultan candidates, army organizations, and courts. The land system included tax collection that provided for bureaucracy management and was accepted as a legitimate societal norm. Political efforts trained people for the multiple levels of governing, thus enhancing an operative structure. The Sultanate that began with Seljuq Bey was first based on lineage and later transformed into a system of princes’ seniority. This created struggles for power over time and the deterioration of a legitimate system.

The Seljuks were a group of nomadic warriors [x] from Central Asia who established themselves in the Middle East during the 11th century. The empire, founded in Nishapur, Iran, conquered its territory in a short time-bound by Islamic faith while slightly subordinate to the Abbasid Caliphate. The civilization was made up of pilgrims with different origins, beliefs, and idioms who adopted many aspects of the Persian culture. Eventually Seljuk formed a unified state of several sultans including most of modern Turkey, gaining control of major cities [xi] including Anatolia and Kayseri. By the 14th century, its bureaucracy weakened to a slow decline.

To the benefit of Europe [xii], the power of the Seljuks proved significant as they barricaded themselves against the raiding Mongols [xiii]. As guardians of the Abbasid caliphate, the Seljuks defended the Islamic world against crusaders and conquered large parts of the Byzantine Empire, which allowed for full occupation of Anatolia. It was also apparent that trade served as a form of Diplomacy as these routes were pathways of communication establishing a bridge between the Christian and Muslim populations of Turkey. Another important accomplishment of the Seljuks was the spread of literature [xiv], the conception of writings, and the ponderous use of the Turkish language.

The Seljuk had tremendous riches based on strategic trading [xv] and the value of commercial goods. After seizing Anatolia, the empire conquered important ports while engaging in foreign agreements. Seljuks founded strategic routes on sea and land which boosted economic development. The civilization traded silks and valuable metals such as tin and copper. History conveys a famous “Tin Road'' original to Anatolia’s mining and metalworking that existed since antiquity. The currency, the dirhem, was made from copper, silver and gold and changed over time along with the different rulers. Money was stored using an extremely secure Chinese [xvi] method that helped avoid robberies.