94 History
 
History 95  
 
   
 
   
     

Door of Karatay Madrasah 8th Century Era of Seljuks - KONYA
 
1071, literally opened up the gates of Anatolia to the Turks. The Great Seljuk State experienced its brightest period especially during the reign of Sultan Melikşah, and the Nizamiye Madrasahs, which constituted the foundation of western university institutions, were established in this period.
 
 
 
 
 
  Following the Khazars, the Turkish existence in Europe continued with the Pechenegs from the 10th century on. The Pechenegs, unable to withstand the pressure of the Khazar-Oghuz alliance, crossed the Volga and reached Hungary. They forced the Hungarians from their lands and settled there in the 880s. They spanned the steppes from the Don River to the west of the Volga. As they moved in 1091 to conquer İstanbul together with the Emir of İzmir, Çaka Bey, they suffered the bitterest defeat in their history in the bloody battle with the Byzantine-Cuman forces on the shores of the Meriç River (The Maritsa). Thus, the political life of the Pechenegs came to an end. With the Pechenegs receding from the stage of history, the first 700-year phase of the Turkish adventure in Europe also came to an end. The Turks would not be seen in Europe for the next 200 years.  
 
Turkish History in the Islamic Era: After the collapse of the Uigur State in 840, the Karakhanid State was founded. Islam was adopted as the official religion during the reign of Satuk Bugra Khan, the Karakhanid monarch. The foundations of the historical formation referred to as the Turkish-Islamic culture and civilization were laid down during this period.
 
During the rule of the Karakhanids, a second Turkish state, the Ghaznavid State was founded (969-1187), its capital being Ghazna in Afghanistan. Mahmud of Ghazna, using the “Sultan” title for the first time, launched many military campaigns to India and Islamizing these lands he laid the foundations for today’s Pakistan. The Ghaznavids retreated to India after losing the Dandanakan War (1040) with the Seljukids and later they fell under the dominance of the Seljukids.
 

The Great Seljuk State (1040-1157) was founded by Selçuk Bey, a descendant of the Kinik tribe of the Oghuz Turks. The Seljuks, establishing superiority over the Karakhanids and the Ghaznavids, successfully established Turkish unity. The Sultan of the Seljuks Tuğrul Bey, entered the capital of Abbasid Caliphate Baghdad and brought the Shiite Buwayhid State to an end in 1055, and therefore was bestowed the title of “Sultan of the World” by the Caliph. His successor Alparslan,  defeating   Diogenes  at  Malazgirt (Menzakirt) in