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The
Seljuk Turks
The first that we hear of Turks in the Anatolian region is during the reign of the
Abbasid caliph, Al-Mutasim (833-842 AD). This Caliph raised an army of Turkish
mercenaries, nomads from the Altai region and founded the Gokturk Empire. The Gokturks
formed a confederation of tribes under a dynasty of Khans whose influence and power
extended during the 6th though to the 8th century. The Caliphs surrounded themselves with
an army of bodyguards to protect themselves from others wanting to be Caliph, and gave the
guards a lot of power. In the 8th century some of the Turkish tribes moved south of the
Oxus River, while the others migrated west, to the northern shore of the Black Sea.
The Oguz Turks had embraced the faith of Islam during the 10th century. By doing this they
became the nations strength, but also its undoing. Later caliphs found that their
protectors had become their masters, and the Turkish "praetorian guard"
supported or removed the caliphs as they pleased. The beginning of the 2nd century brought
the emergence of the Seljuk Turks into Anatolia. The Seljuk's were direct descendents from
the Oguz Turks. Conquering much of eastern and central Anatolia they were more of an
un-organised rabble as apposed to a disciplined army. The Seljuk's consolidated their
power during the 12th century and made Konya their capital. Between the years of 1211 and
1237 the Seljuk's enjoyed relative peace and harmony. Prosperity came from the re-opening
of the trade routes into the Middle East and China. The old Roman highways in Anatolia and
the so-called Silk Road leading to China were restored and furnished with caravansaries.
The harbours of Trabzon, Sinop, and Alanya at the end of these continental high ways
became secure and important points for Italian merchants sailing in Mediterranean and
Black Seas. In the cities, institutions of learning were established to attract from the
neighbouring countries. The Seljuk's were very interested in the science of medicine.
Hospitals were founded in Kayseri, Sivas, Tokat, and Amasya to become centers of medical
education. In conforming to the general trend of the Islamic world, the Seljuk's who were
Sunnid-Hanefid Muslims allowed their Christian subjects to live amongst them, in their
towns and cities. They also allowed them to continue worshipping their own Gods and pursue
their own religious beliefs. In the years that followed the continuing Seljuk conquests,
the Christian businessmen were still actively plying their trades in Anatolia. Metal
workshops, textile industry and construction facilities were still under the control of
the Christian masters and the Seljuk's had for some time been apprentices to these people.
They were learning how to manufacture goods and to construct buildings suitable for local
climatic and territorial conditions. In this way, they not only learned how to master
various branches of local artistry, but also gained the centuries old knowledge of the
Anatolian provincial arts and material culture. This education did not end with products
of imitative nature for the extrinsic culture of the Seljuk's persevered for long in
Anatolia creating original works of art. In every field, the culture of the Seljuk's had
the capacity to integrate local ways with the ones they brought from their homeland in
Western Asia.
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