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Tuqaq

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Tuqaq[a]is described as the father ofSeljuq,the founder of theeponymous dynasty,in the Maliknamah tradition.

Sources[edit]

Maliknamah[edit]

The Maliknamah, which was drafted during the reign of Tuqaq's great-great-grand-sonAlp Arslan(r. 1063-1072) from oral lores, was perhaps the only significant text to document the earliest history of Seljuqs and Tuqaq, in particular.[1]The relevant information was obtained from Amir Inanj Beg, a clan-elder with extensive knowledge of genealogies.[2]Though Maliknamah is not extant, extracts concerning our subject survive in a few works —al-Kāmil fit-TārīkhbyIbn al-Athir[1231 CE],Aḵbār al-Dawlat al-Saljūqīyaby Ibn Husayni [early 13th c],Chronicon Syriacumby Bar Hebraeus [mid 13th c.], andRawżat aṣ-ṣafāʾbyMirkhvand[late 15th c.][3][b]Besides,Ibn al-Adim'sBughyat al-Talab fī Tārīkh Ḥalabquotes Beg directly and was likely derived from Maliknamah.[2]

Saljuq-nama[edit]

Saljuq-nama— dedicated toToghrul III— drafted in 1175, note Seljuq to be the son of Luqman; neither is Tuqaq mentioned nor is any detail provided about Luqman.[4]The many histories that derive from theSaljuq-namareproduce the genealogy. Some historians assert Luqman to be a misreading of Tuqaq; however, it might be that its authorZahir al-Din Nishapurihad intended to allude to theeponymous Koranic sagethan any historical persona.[5]

Others[edit]

Ibn Hassul — who served as the secretary of Tughril (r. 1037 - 1063) and whose epistle pre-dated the Maliknamah — discusses early Seljuqid history but does not mention Tuqaq;[c]however, he ascribes the conflict alluded to Tuqaq in Maliknama, with most of its details, to Seljuq.[6][7]Jirjis al-Makin Ibn al-'Amid'sal-Majmu` al-Mubarakdescribed Tuqaq in the context of early Seljuqid history but does not cite any source.[8]

Ethno-political affiliations[edit]

The Seljuqs (and thus, Tuqaq) are traditionally traced to the Qiniq sub-tribe of the Oghuz Turks.[9][d]However, the Maliknama tradition describes Tuqaq as a Khazar Turk; whether this is a faithful depiction of historical reality or an attempt by the Seljuqs to cast links with the illustriousKhazar Empireremains debatable.[12]Clifford Edmund Bosworthleans in favor of the latter whileA. C. S. Peacockleans against, arguing that the empire carried little prestige in the Arabic world to warrant the production of fabricated connections in the eleventh century.[13]

Biography[edit]

Mirkhvand quotes from the Maliknamah in the fullest extent: Tuqaq was the Chief Counsel of "the King (Yabghu) of Khazars".[14]He carried the sobriquetTemuryaligh(lit. Iron Bow),[e]and was the father ofSeljuq.[14]Tuqaq gained repute among the local nobility, mostly composed of Turks, after objecting to the Yabghu's decision to raid other innocent Turk tribes; even after assaulting the Yabghu with a mace and toppling him from his horse in the course of his dissent, he escaped from being punished since the nobles did not consent to have him killed.[14]Tuqaq and the Yabghu buried their differences soon; he would die, years later, while accompanying the Yabghu in a military mission.

Hebraeus name-drops Tuqaq as Seljuq's father; he is simply noted to have been an excellent warrior in service of the Khakans of Khazar.[2]al-Adimnotes Beg to have held Tuqaq as the father of Seljuq, and a noble of the Khajar Turks.[2]Accounts by Ibn Husayni as well as al-Athir not only mention Tuqaq as Seljuq's father but also describe the conflict, though altering key details.[16][f]In their account, Amir Tuqaq had objected to the Yabghu ofTurksraidingIslamic lands.[16][17]Also, after the faceoff, the court nobles played no significant role and did not come in the aid of Tuqaq.[18][19][g]It is likely that both Husayni and al-Athir were sourcing from a variant edition of the Maliknamah, that was perhaps circulated by the Seljuqs themselves, to embed themselves within a framework of Islamic piety.[20]

Legacy[edit]

After his death, Seljuq became asubashybefore breaking away to form a polity of his own.[12]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Also known asDuqaqorDukak(Persian:دقاق,Turkish:Dukak bey,Turkmen:Dukak begorDukak Temür Yalïgh,Azerbaijani:Dukak bəy
  2. ^Neither al-Athir nor Ibn Husayni cite the Maliknamah; however, a comparison with Mirkhvand shows common phrases and wordings.
  3. ^The workTafḍīl al-Atrākis lost but the introduction survives.[6]
  4. ^From the eight to tenth century, theOghuz Turksmigrated across Eurasia — from their ancestral lands in Mongolia to Transoxania to the Volga pastures — for reasons which are not very clear.[10]They formed a polity which was spread over a vast area, overlapping with major powers like the Khajars and Samanids, and was ruled (?) by anyabghu.[11]
  5. ^The sobriquet probably alluded to his might and influence.[15]
  6. ^Both al-Athir and Husayni, probably out of their non-familiarity with Turkmen culture, notes Temuryaligh to be the meaning of the name Tuqaq!
  7. ^In Husayni's narrative, Tuqaq was successfully incarcerated and he could only repose faith in the God.[19]In al-Athir's narrative, there was a clash between the Yabghu's men and those who supported Tuqaq; in the end, he was left alone.[18]Both agree that the Yabghu and Tuqaq reconciled their differences.[18][19]

References[edit]

  1. ^Cahen 2007,p. 315.
  2. ^abcdPeacock 2010,p. 28.
  3. ^Peacock 2010,p. 8-9.
  4. ^Peacock 2010,p. 30.
  5. ^Peacock 2010,p. 31.
  6. ^abPeacock 2010,p. 29.
  7. ^Frenkel 2015,p. 19, 82.
  8. ^Frenkel 2015,p. 84.
  9. ^Peacock 2010,p. 17.
  10. ^Peacock 2010,p. 18-20.
  11. ^Peacock 2010,p. 21-23.
  12. ^abPeacock 2010.
  13. ^Peacock 2010,p. 32-34.
  14. ^abcPeacock 2010,p. 27.
  15. ^Lange 2012,p. 30.
  16. ^abPeacock 2010,p. 29-30.
  17. ^Mecit 2013,p. 2.
  18. ^abcRichards 2010,p. 31.
  19. ^abcBosworth 2011,p. 9.
  20. ^Peacock 2010,p. 30-32.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Bosworth, C.E. (2011).The History of the Seljuq State: A Translation with Commentary of the Akhbar al-dawla al-saljuqiyya.Routledge.ISBN9781138789036.
  • Cahen, Claude (2007). "The Malik-Nāma and the History of Seljuqid Origins". In Bosworth, C.E. (ed.).The Turks in the Early Islamic World.Translated by Simpson, Philip.ISBN9781315236711.
  • Frenkel, Yehoshua (2015).The Turkic Peoples in Medieval Arabic Writings.Routledge.ISBN9781315752952.
  • Lange, Christian (2012).Seljuqs: Politics, Society and Culture.Edinburgh University Press.
  • Mecit, Songul (2013).The Rum Seljuqs: Evolution of a Dynasty.Routledge.ISBN9781134509065.
  • Peacock, A.C.S (2015).The Great Seljuq Empire.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN9780748638277.
  • Peacock, A.C.S (2010).Early Seljuq History: A New Interpretation.Routledge.ISBN9780415864824.
  • Richards, D.S (2010).The Annals of the Saljuq Turks: Selections from al-Kamil fi'l-Ta'rikh of Ibn al-Athir.Routledge.ISBN9780415583138.
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