Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kartal1071 (talk | contribs) at 15:13, 28 December 2024 (←Created page with 'Within two months of his entry into Rey, Alp Arslan was busy with administrative affairs and the preparations of the army and in February 1064 he set out on a western expedition called the “Ghazâsı of Rum”. During his reign, Alp Arslan gave more importance to the western side of the state, and carried out operations in the west for conquest and in the east for the general purpose of ensuring public order. The main reason for this was that the Eastern...'). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Within two months of his entry into Rey, Alp Arslan was busy with administrative affairs and the preparations of the army and in February 1064 he set out on a western expedition called the “Ghazâsı of Rum”. During his reign, Alp Arslan gave more importance to the western side of the state, and carried out operations in the west for conquest and in the east for the general purpose of ensuring public order. The main reason for this was that the Eastern Anatolian plateaus, discovered during the raids of his father Çağrı Bey into Byzantine lands forty-five years earlier, were seen as the most suitable settlement area for the Turkmens. With its regular organization, strong army and perfect administration, the Seljuk State was an ideal political institution for various Turkish communities who did not feel very secure in the Central Asian steppes and who were also struggling with economic difficulties. For this reason, these large masses, known as Turkmens, who flocked to Seljuk lands never to return, partly entered the service of Seljuk princes and participated in conquests, while partly they fought under the command of their own leaders to acquire new homelands in climates suitable for their lifestyles. These Turkmens, who had been dispersed to almost every part of the Seljuk country due to the migrations that had been going on continuously since the beginning of the 11th century and who had also caused social unrest in some places, needed to be settled in a country that was suitable for the conditions they were accustomed to. This country was Anatolia, with its regions that reminded them of the steppes and were suitable for raising animals. The Seljuk statesmen, who were determined that Anatolia, which was in the hands of Christians, should be conquered, accepted the official settlement policy of the state to send the Turkmens towards the Byzantine borders. However, there were some small principalities in the area extending from Lake Urmia to the north of Tbilisi, which were outposts serving Byzantine policy, and in order to reach Anatolia, the defenses in these areas had to be broken first. Alp Arslan, accompanied by his most beloved son, Melikshah, and his old vizier Nizam al-Mulk, whom he had brought from Khorasan, set off from Rey to Azerbaijan, and his army was reinforced on the way by the Turkmen chief Tugtegin, who was on a campaign. While the forces under the command of Melikshah and Nizam al-Mulk captured the fortified places north of the Aras, the army under the command of Alp Arslan, which entered Georgia, reached Trialet, which is surrounded by the Kur River, from there to Kvelis-Kur, then to the Taik region via the Şavşat road, and after the Georgian king fled, to Ahılkelek north of Lake Çıldır, conquering many cities and castles. Alp Arslan, who united with the forces of Melikşah and Nizamülmülk in front of Akhalkalaki, captured this fortified city in June 1064. In the meantime, the prince of Lori, Kuirike (Georgi), who saw that Akhalkalaki had also fallen, accepted to submit to the Seljuks and pay the jizya. After this, Alp Arslan went to Eastern Anatolia and laid siege to Ani, the most fortified city in the region, which was in the hands of the Byzantines. After a siege that lasted for more than a month and very fierce fighting, the city fell to the Seljuks (August 16, 1064). The conquest of Ani, which was thought to be impossible to capture, by the Muslims had great repercussions in the East and the West, and the Caliph Qāim-Biemrillāh expressed his appreciation and congratulations in a letter he sent with his special envoy and gave Alp Arslan the title of “Ebü’l-feth”. After the fall of Ani, the prince of Kars, Gagik (Hayık), invited Alp Arslan to Kars, welcomed him with great ceremonies, and offered his allegiance.

SOURCE:

https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/alparslan&ved