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Danishmendids)
Danishmend Melik Mehmed Gazi Tomb in
Kayseri
The Danishmend dynasty was a Turcoman dynasty that ruled in north-central and eastern Anatolia in the 11th and 12th centuries. The center of their power was originally around Sivas, Tokat and Niksar in central-northeastern Anatolia, extending as far west as Ankara and Kastamonu for a time. Later on, they also extended southwards, by capturing Malatya in 1103. In early 12th century, Danishmends were at least as powerful as the Anatolian Seljuk Sultans based in Konya and were their chief rivals. They also gave an equally hard time to Crusaders.
Courtyard for
ablutions in the Great Mosque of Kayseri built by Melik Mehmed Gazi (1134-1143)
The dynasty was established by Danishmend Gazi on whom historical information is rather scarce and principally retrospective. He is, on the other hand, the central figure of a posthumous romanced epic, Danishmendnâme, in which he is identified with an 8th century Arab warrior based in the same geography as himself, Sidi Battal Gazi and where stories relating to both were blended.
His title or name, Dānishmand may mean "learned man" in Persian. The verb danışmak means "to consult, to speak" in Turkish languages. As of 1134, Danishmend dynasty leaders also held the title Melik (the King) bestowed in recognition of their military successes by the Abbasid caliph Al-Mustarshid. Beys (Emirs) of Danishmend prior to 1134 may also be retrospectively referred to as Melik on the basis of the title earned. Danishmend Gazi himself was alternatively called "Danishmend Taylu" [1]. Yet another point that may complicate the picture is that virtually all Danishmend rulers entered the traditions of the Turkish folk literature, where they are all referred to as "Melik Gazi" [2]. Hence, there are "tombs of Melik Gazi", many of which are much visited shrines and belong in fact to different Danishmend rulers, in the cities of Niksar, Bünyan, Kırşehir, along the River Zamantı near the castle of the same name (Zamantı) and elsewhere in Anatolia, and Melikgazi is also the name of one of the central districts of the city of Kayseri. The same uniformity in appellations in popular parlance may also apply to other edifices built by Danishmends.
Danishmends established themselves in Anatolia in the aftermath of the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, in which the Seljuks defeated the Byzantine Empire and captured most of Anatolia. In 1097 the Seljuks based in Konya and Danishmends allied against the crusaders but were defeated at the Battle of Dorylaeum.
In 1100, Danishmend's son Emir Gazi Gümüshtigin captured Bohemond I of Antioch, who remained in their captivity until 1103. A Seljuk-Danishmend alliance was also responsible for defeating the Crusade of 1101. After the defeat of the crusade, Kilij Arslan established his capital at Konya and continued to fight with the Danishmends. The Danishmends were probably involved in overthrowing Kilij Arslan’s son. For a time, they reduced the Sultanate of Rum to Konya and its immediate surroundings.
In 1130 Bohemond II of Antioch was killed in a battle with Emir Gazi Gümüshtigin, after coming to the aid of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, which Gümüshtigin had invaded. Gümüshtigin died in 1134 and his son and successor Mehmed did not have the martial spirit of his father and grandfather. He is nevertheless considered the first builder of Kayseri as a Turkish city, despite his relatively short period of reign. Danishmend state began to decline after his death in 1142, falling under increasing control of the reinvigorated Seljuks of Konya. As of 1142, the Danishmend state was split into two, with one branch of the family, which kept the title "Melik" ruling Sivas and its surrounding regions, while another branch was based in Malatya.
In 1155 Kilij Arslan II attacked Yaghi-Basan, who sought help from Nur al-Din, the Zengid emir of Mosul. Nur al-Din captured Sivas in 1173, but was more concerned with his territory to the south. The Danishmends were eventually defeated and incorporated into Seljuk territory by 1178, after the Seljuk victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Myriokephalon.
Remaining members of the dynasty entered the service of the Seljuks. 20th century historian İsmail Hami Danişmend is a descendant of the family.
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Landmarks of the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate and Turkish Beyliks |
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