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TYRANT COLLECTION
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277
Great Seljuqs
Gold Dinar (2.22g), AH 463
Alp Arslan, Great Seljuq Sultan, AH 455-465/AD 1063-1072
Jafar S.MS.463; A 1670. Very Fine.
Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad) mint, citing Alp Arslan with title ‘Adud al-Dawla, the ‘Abbasid caliph al-
Qa’im bi-Amr Allah and as heir, Abu’l-Qasim ‘Uddat al-Din (the future caliph al-Muqtadi).
Alp Arslan (AH 465-485/ AD 1072-1092) was the nephew of Tughril Beg and accompanied his uncle in
several military campaigns. After Tughril’s death he subdued the various warlords that rose against the
Seljuqs. Eventually he became the undisputed king of greater Persia. He hired Nizam, a gifted Persian
administrator, to lay a secure foundation for the governance of his vast empire. Alp Arslan conquered
eastern Anatolia and Armenia, bringing him face to face with Byzantium. The Byzantine and Seljuq
forces met at Manzikert near Lake Van in the far east of what we know today asTurkey. Alp Arslan
emerged victorious in spite of the numeric superiority of his foe. The Seljuq victory at Manzikert opened
the door for the Turkicization of Anatolia and the rise of the Ottoman Turks.
276
Great Seljuqs
Gold Dinar (2.87g), AH 449
Tughril Beg, Great Seljuq Sultan, AH 429-455/AD 1038-1063
Jafar S.MS.449B; A 1665. Nearly Mint State.
Madinat al-Salam (Baghdad) mint, with titles Rukn al-Din and Shahanshah. Also citing the ‘Abbasid
caliph al-Qa’im. The object above the reverse is described by some as a version of the Seljuq bow-and-
arrow tamgha and by others as a mosque dome with minaret.
Tughril Beg (AH 429-455/ AD 1038-1063) was the founder of the Seljuq Empire. He was a gifted
military leader who defeated his rivals and captured most of Persia and Mesopotamia. He conquered
Baghdad in 1055, ending the rule of the Buwayhids. Tughril maintained the ‘Abbasids as figureheads to
satisfy the Sunni Arab population. His coins bear the Sasanian title shahanshah (”king of kings), estab-
lishing his claim of authority throughout greater Persia.