Browsing by Subject "Türkmen"

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Open Access
Winter in the land of Rum : Komnenian defenses against the Turks in Western Anatolia
(2015) Deluigi, Humberto Cesar Hugo
Castles constitute the most abundant group of Byzantine remains in Anatolia, and offer historians and archaeologists the opportunity to more fully understand both Byzantine settlement patterns and defensive systems through the ages. However, due to their inaccessibility, lack of distinctive construction techniques, and an absence of evidence for secure dating these monuments have often been neglected by Byzantinists. At the same time, historical sources of the eleventh and twelfth centuries make it clear that the Komnenian emperors Alexios, John, and Manuel all engaged in extensive fortification activities. This thesis seeks to critically unite the historical and archaeological evidence for Komnenian fortifications, with the goal of further understanding the Komnenian defensive strategy and evaluating its results. Following a historical overview of Turkish settlement in Anatolia and the Byzantine response, forty Komnenian castles are surveyed, half of them historically attested and the other half assigned to the period based on historical likelihood and, where possible, stylistic similarities with known Komnenian fortifications. The conclusion argues that while the Komneni were generally successful in dealing with the Selçuks diplomatically, they were unable to solve the problem of the nomadic Türkmen, against whom their fortification program was overwhelmingly directed.
Open Access
The yörüks: their origins, expansion and economic role
(2014) İnalcık, Halil
Yörüks, are historically known as Turkmen (Turcoman), or Al-Atrak, being a branch of the Oguz group of peoples who invaded Asia Minor from the 1020's onwards. The Seljuk/Selcukid central government used to settle them on the East Roman borders-marches. Due to the nature of animal husbandry and seasonal migrations, conflict with the central government, Seljuk or Ottoman, was at times inevitable. Due to their activities against the East Roman Empire a heavy concentration of Turkmen formed in western Anatolia. In a census of 1520-1530 pastoral nomads in the provinces of Western Anatolia numbered 77,368 and those on military service 52.148. The regions where a sizeable Turkmen population formed were the mountainous areas with yaylak, summer pastures, along the Toros mountain chain from western Anatolia to the coasts of the Mediterranean and in the Lake District in the Isparta-Eğirdir region. Practising the heterodox doctrines of Shii’ite Islam, the Turkmen often came in conflict with the central government. The term yoruk or yoruk was the descriptive term preferred by the official chancery. The central government employed yoruks in military service. The contribution of the Yoruks to the economy of the Ottoman state was important for transportation as, before the railways, transport overland between the regions depended entirely upon yoruk camel caravans. Main items of trade were yoruk carpets and rugs: halı, kilim, seccade, ortu etc. Tribal and regional designs distinguished local productions. Turkmen carpets were very valuable and had been exported to the West and to Moslem countries from the XIIIth century onwards.