Description
Book SynopsisUnder Seljuk rule (c. 1081-1308) the formerly Christian Byzantine territories of Anatolia were transformed by the development of Muslim culture, society and politics, and it was then - well before the arrival of the Ottomans - that a Turkish population became firmly established in these lands. But these developments are little understood, and the Seljuk dynasty remains little studied. Yet the Seljuks of Anatolia were one of the most influential dynasties of the thirteenth-century Middle East, controlling some of the major trade routes of the period, playing a crucial role in linking East and West of the medieval world. This volume examines Seljuk culture and history by looking at developments both at court and in society at large and shed new light on Seljuk political culture and dynastic ideology, the engagement of politics with religion, and Christian-Muslim interaction. The Seljuks of Anatolia will be of great interest to researchers with interests in Byzantium as well as the material culture and society of the medieval Islamic world.
Trade Review'This impressive scholarly volume opens up several new lines of research into the turbulent and little-known history of Seljuk Anatolia, marked by religious and linguistic pluralism and fragmented political control. The contributors achieve an impressive coherence in their different approaches to the ideological, religious and literary character of the period, drawing on a range of what are usually described as ancillary sources such as inscriptions, evidence of architectural patronage, correspondence, hagiographies and didactic literature to supplement the meagre narrative chronicles of the time. Altogether, this is a valuable collection of studies that will quickly take its place among the growing body of new work on the Seljuks as a whole and the Seljuks of Rum in particular.' -Professor Charles Melville, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Part One: Dynastic Identity and the Great Seljuk Inheritance Chapter 2: The House of Mengujek in Divrioi: Constructions of Dynastic Identity in the Late 12th Century Chapter 3: 'The King of the East and the West': the Seljuk Dynastic Concept and Titles in the Muslim and Christian Sources Chapter 4: A Nadim for the Sultan: Rawandi and the Anatolian Seljuks Part Two: The Royal Household Chapter 5: Harem Christianity: The Byzantine Identity of Seljuk Princes Chapter 6: Paper, Stone, Scissors: 'Ala' al-Din Kayqubad, 'Ismat al-Dunya wa 'l-Din, and the Writing of Seljuk History Part Three: Sufism at Court and in Society Chapter 7: In the Proximity of Sultans: Majd al-Din Ishaq, Ibn 'Arabi and the Seljuk Court Chapter 8: Sufis and the Seljuk Court in Mongol Anatolia: Politics and Patronage in the Works of Jalal al-Din Rumi and Sultan Walad Chapter 9: Futuwwa in 13th-century Rum and Armenia: Reform Movements and the Managing of Multiple Allegiances on the Seljuk Periphery Chapter 10: Conclusion: Research on the Seljuks of Anatolia: Some Comments on the State of the Art
