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Seljuks, Turkish dynasty prominent in the Middle
East during the 11th and 12th centuries. Originally a clan belonging to
the Ghuzz , a Turkmen tribe of Central Asia, they were converted to Islam
in the |
10th century and established themselves in
the Iranian province of Khorasan in the early 11th century. In the period
between 1040 and 1055, their chief, Togrul Beg, conquered most of Iran
and Iraq and made himself protector of the caliph of Baghdad, spiritual
leader of the Sunni (orthodox) Muslims. Togrul was given the title sultan
by the caliph and made war on the Shia Muslims, who rejected the caliph's
authority.
Under Togrul's successors, Alp Arslan and Malik
Shah, the empire of the Seljuks was further extended into Syria, Palestine,
and Anatolia. Alp Arslan's victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of
Manzikert (1071) alarmed the Christian world, and Seljuk aggressiveness
was a major reason for launching the First Crusade (1095). The main enemy
of the Seljuks, however, was the Shia Fatimid dynasty of Egypt.
Ruling from their capital at Esfahan (Isfahan)
in Iran, the Seljuk sultans used the Persian language in their administration
and were patrons of Persian literature. They founded madrasahs (colleges)
to train future administrators in accordance with Sunni doctrine. After
the death of Malik Shah and his vizier, Nizam-al-Mulk, the empire was divided
among Malik Shah's sons, and Seljuk power gradually declined.
A branch of the dynasty, the sultanate of Rum
with a capital at Konya, survived in Anatolia until subjugated by the Mongols
in 124
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