AMASYA 05

Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL

Emîr Han Bey (Karatekinoğlu)

Encyclopedia · History of Amasya, Volume 7, p. 353 • Edited by: Prof. Dr. Safi ARPAGUŞ- Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hakkı TURABİ

Original Text (Ottoman Turkish)

Melik Dânîşmed Ahmed Gâzi kölesi ümerâdan Karatekin Gâzi mahdûmudur. Türkler arasında “Emîr Celâlü’d-devle Umûr Hân Gâzi” diye meşhûrdur. Melik İsmâil Gâzi ve mahdûmu Melik Sungur Gâzi zamanlarında meşâhir-i ümerâdan olup Melik Yağıbasan Gâzi seraskeri olmuşdur. 540 sâline doğru vefât etdi.

Our Research Article Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk

In Modern English

He was the son of Karatekin Gazi, one of the emirs, a slave of Melik Dânişmend Ahmed Gazi. Among the Turks he is famous as "Emîr Celâlüddevle Umûr Han Gazi". He was a well-known emir in the times of Melik İsmâil Gazi and his son Melik Sungur Gazi, and became serasker [commander-in-chief] of Melik Yağıbasan Gazi. He died around the year 540 [1145-46].

Notes and Research

Old Words in the Text

  • mahdûm: son
  • ümerâ: emirs
  • meşâhir-i ümerâ: famous emirs
  • serasker: commander-in-chief
  • sâline doğru: around the year

The Danishmendids and Their Emirs

The ruler names in the entry belong to the Danishmendid dynasty. The founder of the dynasty is Dânişmend Gazi; Yağıbasan was ruler from 1143 to 1164 and had mosques, tombs and soup kitchens built in Sivas and Niksar. The Melik İsmâil and his son Melik Sungur whom Hüsameddin mentions do not appear in this order in the dynasty list that was read; in the list İsmâil appears after Yağıbasan in 1164, and the name Sungur does not occur among the rulers. Where Hüsameddin took these names from, and which branch he means, could not be determined. If the death date he gives, 540 [1145-46], is correct, it falls just after Yağıbasan's accession [1143] and does not contradict the note "Yağıbasan's serasker".

The name Karatekin occurs in Danishmendid sources in another context: it is written that Kara Tegin, one of Dânişmend Gazi's emirs, died in 1106, and that his tomb in Çankırı Castle has lost its original form through careless repairs. Whether he is the same as Hüsameddin's "Karatekin Gazi" is not clear. If they were of the same family, the father dying in 1106 and the son around 1145 would not conflict in time; this is an inference and is supported by no source.

Traces in Amasya

Hüsâmüddevle Hasan, son of İltegin Gazi, one of Yağıbasan's emirs, had the Çağlayan (Çalâkçalık) Bridge near Amasya built. The Yağıbasan Inn and the Dânişmend Gazi Palace in Amasya are also Danishmendid works known from sources and not surviving to our day. No information was found in other sources on Emîr Han Bey's connection with these buildings or with Amasya. It has been assumed that "Emîr Han" in the entry's title and "Umûr Han" in the text point to the same person; no source confirming this was found.

Bibliography

Primary sources

  • Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 7, p. 353–353. amasya.bel.tr

Academic studies

Volume 7 contents