1. iqta‘ ≈ feudal fief
‘Ashura’ -
commemorates
martyrdom of
al-Husayn
Ghadir Khumm - commemorates Prophet’s
designation of ‘Ali as successor
Hamdanids of Aleppo
960s Buyids inaugurate
holy days of
‘Ashura’ and
Ghadir Khumm

2. 960s Byzantines take
Crete, take or
raid cities in
N. Syria
961 Ghaznavids set up
in Ghazna, soon
take Khurasan
11th c. Turks entering
Muslim world
from Transoxiana
Samanids of
Bukhara
mamluks (“owned
ones”) i.e. slave-
soldiers
Ghaznavids
Mahmud of Ghazna
(r )

3. 980s Saljuqs enter
Transoxiana as
mercenaries for
Samanids
1010 Ferdowsi completes
the Shah-Nameh
1028 Mahmud of Ghazna defeats band of
Saljuqs. Survivors flee west
Shah-Nameh
of Ferdowsi
(d. 1020)
Saljuqs/Seljüks
iwan/eyvan (three-sided hall)

4. 1035 Saljuqs under Tughril
and Chaghri defeat
Mas‘ud of Ghazna
1037 Saljuqs take Merv
1038 Saljuqs take Nishapur
1040 Saljuqs defeat Mas‘ud
again, take Khurasan
1042 Saljuqs take Khwarazm
Nizam al-Mulk
(d. 1092)
wazir = vizier
Turkmen/
Turcomans
(nomadic
Turkish
warriors)

5. 1043-50 Tughril takes Rayy, Hamadan,
Isfahan/Esfahan
1055 Tughril takes Baghdad
al-Basasiri holds Baghdad for Fatimid
caliph
Reign of Alp Arslan
1071 Battle of Manzikert/Malazgirt
sultan = ruler
gazi/ghazi =
raider

6. Saljuq Sultanate of Rum,
based at Nicaea/Iznik
Rum = Byzantines
Great Saljuq Sultanate

7. Reign of Malik-Shah
1092 Death of Malik-Shah leads to civil war
between various members of the Saljuq
family
Reign of Muhammad at Esfahan,
with brother Sanjar ruling Khurasan
for him
Great Mosque of Malik-Shah, Esfahan, bt. 1080