Historical Reference

The Seljuk

From THE TURKMEN UP TO THE MODERN ERA By Barry O'Connell

The Oghuz began to settle and cities such as Yengi-kent and Djand (Yand) gained significance. This created a dichotomy in the confederation between the settled Oghuz and the herders. This resulted in punitive measures by the Yagbhu and his allies to maintain both control and tax revenue from the less settled parts of the Oghuz confederation. For many years the Yagbhu was able to keep things under control and reign in his recalcitrant tribal people when necessary. Finally late in the tenth century Duqaq Timuryaligh and his son Seljuk of the Kinik tribe split with the Yagbhu and left the Oghuz. Duqaq and his son Seljuk started as virtually bandits existing where they could graze their herds and by raiding to make ends meet.

Seljuk was able to build a following when he discovered Islam. This gave him the impetus to grow his following exponentially. By using Islam as a unifying factor the Seljuk declared religious warfare in the form of raids against the Oghuz. The success of the raids pulled an increasing number of tribes over to the Seljuk. The Oghuz were considered Pagan until the middle twelfth century although the Yagbhu appears to have converted to Islam in the opening years of the 12th century. Pushed out of their lands that spanned the Volga river to the Syr Darya the Oghuz moved south under the protection of the Ghaznevid Sultan Mas'ud (1031-1041) By 1038 the Seljuk began to move south against their enemy the Oghuz and take land claimed by Sultan Mas'ud. To stop the Seljuk and reinforce his hold on Khwarezm Sultan Mas'ud named Oghuz Yagbhu Shah Malik Khwarezm Shah in 1041.

In 1042 the Seljuk Khan Togrül and his brother Chaghri drove the Ghaznevids and their Oghuz allies out of Khwarezm ending the Seljuk Oghuz conflict.

• Seljuk Become Vassals of the Mongols
• Izz-al-din and Rukn-al-din under the Mongols
• The Great Seljuks
• The Seljuks of Kerman
• The Seljuks of Irak and Kurdistan
• The Seljuks of Rum
• The Seljuk Provinces
• The Seljuks of Syria
• The S Meander Border Seljuk Rug Allaeddin Mosque
• Seljuk of Rum Kay Khosrow II Dirham Coin
• Arts of Islam: Netiran>Architecture of Mosques Related to
• Chronology of Azerbaijan History and neighboring regions:
• Chronology of Azerbaijan History and neighboring regions:
• The Tom Cole Jerry Anderson Interview HALI 76

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