Initially nomadic tribes, known to the Byzantines under the name of the Oghuz (later - the Turks), lived in the Altai Mountains. However, around the 5th century they moved to the southwest and captured Turan (Turkestan), from where they drove out the Avars. Already in the VI century, ambassadors from their great khan were seen in the palace of the Byzantine emperors.
The ancestor of the Seljuk was one of the leaders of the Oghuz tribe Kynyk of the royal clan Afrasiab - Seljuk-bek. In the middle of the X century, he with his rich and numerous family migrated to the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River, where he fought with other Turkic tribes for supremacy in the region. There, together with his retinue, he converted to Islam. As a result, the Oghuz union was formed, headed by the descendants of Seljuk-bek.
In the historical arena
Soon after the death of Seljuk-bek (sources claim that he lived to be 107 years old!), The Oguz union collapsed. One group of Seljuk Oghuz was headed by his eldest son - Arspan Yabgu, another - by his grandchildren, the sons of Mikail ibn Seljuk. At this time, the lower reaches of the Syr Darya came under the rule of another Oguz conglomerate, jabga. But after the Seljuk ruler Togrul-bek assumed the title of Sultan in 1038, large-scale conquests began: Khorezm, then Western Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan and Azerbaijan were captured. After his death in 1063, the aggressive policy of the Seljuks continued, and Armenia came under their control. In the 1060s, the Seljuk government recognized the state of the Shirvan Shahs (Northern Azerbaijan). In 1064, the Seljuk army, led by Alp-Arslan, entered Eastern Anatolia and Transcaucasia,and then in two years he conquered the Kypchaks and the Turkmens, and also conquered the Mangyshlak Peninsula and the Syr Darya basin, inhabited by Turkic tribes.
The Byzantine troops could not withstand the onslaught of aggressive nomads: they were defeated at the Malaz-Yurt (Manzikert) fortress in 1071. After that, hordes of nomadic Oguzes (Seljuk Turks) rushed to Asia Minor, where in 1077 the first Turkic state arose - the Rum Sultanate. In 1072, Alp-Arslan was killed by a hired assassin,”and his son Melik-shah became his successor.
During the conquests of Melik Shah, the Seljuk Empire covered vast territories from the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles to China. But the flourishing of the empire did not last long. Feudal fragmentation prevented a young and ambitious state education from developing. Even under Melik Shah, the Rum and Syrian sultanates were created.
In 1092 Melik-shah died and after his death the collapse of the Oghuz state began. It was accompanied by internecine wars and ended with a final collapse in the XIII century.
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In 1243, the Mongol-Tatars occupied the whole of Asia Minor, and the Seljuks were ruled by the Tatar Ilkhans (translated as "rulers of the people"). In 1307, the last Ruman sultan and Tatars vassal Masud was killed. Anatolia was fragmented into many small emirates, which were later united under the auspices of the new Turkic Ottoman dynasty.
Lifestyle
As the Seljuk society turned into a monarchy, the tribal elite developed a taste for luxury. The new, prosperous way of life led to the fact that the sultan moved away from his fellow tribesmen.
At the same time, a new class of courtiers and officials appeared, which inevitably led to an increase in intrigue and political conspiracies. Because of this, the sultans even had to have a special person to taste the dishes before serving. But even this precaution was not a guarantee against sudden death from poisoning.
There were special ceremonies at court. When a new sovereign ascended the throne, he was greeted by the highest dignitaries and clergy, holding in their hands golden cups with honey and mare's milk. At the feast, the Sultan with his guests sat at a high table, on which servants brought delicious food and sweets in gold and silver bowls. A general amnesty was usually announced on the occasion of public holidays. For this reason, the doors of the prisons were opened at dawn so that the liberated could take part in the general fun.
During the pagan nomadic period, Seljuk women walked with open faces and fought alongside men. However, after the adoption of Islam, they were obliged to wear a veil and live in harems, without taking part in state life. Usually the sultans took as their wives noble princesses from the Turkic dynasties.
The Seljuk Empire was essentially a military state, and the fighting efficiency of the army in the country has always been a matter of paramount importance. The army was well armed: ordinary soldiers wore chain mail and pointed helmets, all had shields, and many officers had two-edged swords. Archers were given arrows with jagged tips, which were dipped in poison.
No less attention was paid to legislation guaranteeing peace and order in the country. Intentional murder was punishable by death, which was sometimes replaced by the payment of money to the victim's family. The offender could be strangled, hanged or beheaded, and in the most extreme cases, the skin from which they made a stuffed animal was ripped off him alive. He was taken throughout the city, and then placed in a special hut and publicly burned. Less serious crimes were punishable by exile, public flogging, or even confiscation of property.
Such measures clearly demonstrated the result of criminal activity, so the power of the sultans was unquestioning and enjoyed great respect.
From hospitals to hotels
In the cities captured by the Seljuks, rapid construction began almost immediately. First, the fortress walls and towers were restored, and then mosques appeared. Therefore, rather quickly, slender minarets appeared on the site of domes familiar to local residents, mausoleums with conical roofs grew, and the city's appearance changed beyond recognition.
It is believed that, in contrast to the Christian world, much more attention was paid to social problems in the East. Starting in the 9th century, Seljuk rulers began to build hospitals and charitable institutions, religious educational institutions, charities, orphanages and almshouses in large cities. Following the example of the Sultan and his entourage, they were built mainly on private donations and contributions. The medical schools and hospitals included surgeons, ophthalmologists and internal medicine specialists. Typically, doctors who worked in hospitals and gained experience at the bedside, then taught theory in schools. Some of the hospitals built were so successful in treating that they operated in Turkey until the middle of the 19th century.
The Seljuks were able to appreciate the benefits of baths and mineral springs. There are preserved references to more than two hundred springs, near which baths and fountains with drinking water were built. However, some of them were used exclusively for bathing horses and other valuable animals. The sultans also found money for the construction of numerous shelters for orphans and the mentally ill, in which all services and treatment were free. But even more attention and funds were given to the needs of general education and religious schools, as well as to road construction and improvement of caravan routes.
The Seljuks actively repaired old roads and crossings, built magnificent stone bridges on them. Then, for the first time, they opened hotels for travelers, where people and animals could rest after a tiring day's journey. The best of them were called caravanserais, and the less luxurious ones were called khans. They were built along the main trade routes at a convenient distance for travelers from one hotel to another: in a day, the caravan necessarily reached the next hospitable refuge. As a rule, they had excellent conditions for recreation. People could spend the night in separate rooms or in a common room. Almost every khan had a mosque, a fountain for ablution, a tavern, a coffee house, various repair shops, and some even played orchestras.
Seljuk rulers were well aware that the development of trade was facilitated by well-thought-out arrangement of markets. Therefore, even in small towns, markets were built so convenient that they aroused admiration among travelers, including such famous ones as Ibn Batuta. We can say that the well-thought-out social policy of the Seljuks was far ahead of its time, and even today not every state can boast of such achievements.
Evgeny YAROVOY