AHistoryIndependent states
Great Seljuk Empire
An empire founded by Turkmen Oghuz in 1037, stretching from Central Asia to Anatolia, which won its first great victory near Merv.
The Great Seljuk state was founded in 1037 by the brothers Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg of the Oghuz Qiniq tribe, who took Khorasan after defeating the Ghaznavids at Dandanaqan near Merv in 1040.
At its height it covered 3.9 million km² from Anatolia and the Levant to the Hindu Kush and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. Alp Arslan's victory at Manzikert in 1071 began Anatolia's transformation into a Turkic homeland, and Seljuk architecture, madrasas and caravanserais influenced the whole Islamic world.
Under Sultan Sanjar its capital Merv was among the largest cities in the world. After Sanjar's death in 1157 the state broke apart, but the Anatolian Seljuks and then the Ottomans carried on its legacy.
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Updated: October 3, 2026