Roma devleti zamânında Amasya'nın idâresine me'mûr olan vulâtın ahvâlini, etvârını ve Amasya'da bunların âsârını ma'lûm olabildiği kadar beyân eder.
Roma İmparatorı Tiber, Pon kralı Amentas'ın vefâtıyla Pon kıt'asını Roma memâliki a'dâdına ilhâk etmekle beraber Pon kıt'asının kısm-ı şarkîsi kralı olan İkinci Polemon'u dahi def' edib bütün Kapadokya, Pon kıt'alarını tevhîd ve "Armeniyak" nâmıyla tevsîm ederek bir vilâyet yapmış, Anadolu'ya gönderdiği birâderi Cermanikus'u dahi Armeniyak vilâyeti vâlîliğine nasb etmişdir.
"Vilâyet-i muvahhede" ma'nâsına olduğu haber verilen Armeniyak²⁹¹ [186] vilâyeti, şimdiki Erzurum, Sivas, Trabzon vilâyetlerinin tamâmiyle Ankara, Konya vilâyetlerinin birer kısmından müteşekkil bir kıt'a-i cesîmeden ibâret olup Tûrânîler'in evâ'il-i devrinde bu kısma "Toga, Toha" denmişdi. Mu'ahharan "Pont, Hunit" nâmı verilmişdir.
Doğrudan Roma devleti idâresine geçen Amasya şehri, bu kıt'a-i cesîmeden teşkîl edilen vilâyetin merkezi olduğu Dâ'iretü'l-Ma'ârif'de mestûr ve bu cihetden Amasya'ya "Metropol" dendiği Perro, Teksiye, Reynak, Luba gibi Avrupa müverrihlerinin şarka müte'allik eserlerinde²⁹² mezkûrdur.
Cermanikus, Roma imparatoru Tiberyus'un birâderi olup Anadolu vâlîsi unvânıyla kable'l-hicre 602'de Anadolu ıslâhına me'mûr olarak bir kuvve-i askeriyye ile Küçük Asya'ya geldi. Ufak Ereşkiyân (Ermeni) hükûmetini lağv ederek bir kısmını Roma memâliki idâdına ve bir kısmında ufak bir vilâyet-i mümtâze teşkîl eyledi.
Ba'dehû Cermanikus, kable'l-hicre 597'de Pon kralı olan Amentas bilâ-veled vefât etmekle lağv edilen Pon hükûmeti yerinde vech-i meşrûh üzere teşkîl olunan Armeniyak vilâyeti vâlîliğine nasb edilerek ikâmet eylediği Amasya'da ibkâ edildi. [187]
Fakat Cermanikus'un mukaddemâ Avrupa'da ve bu def'a Asya'da Roma devletine etdiği hidemât-ı âliyesi enzâr-ı umûmiyyeyi kendisine celb etmekle beraber imparator Tiber'in de istirkâbını celb etmekden hâlî olmuyordu.
Çünkü Tiber, gâyet müdebbir ve idâre-i mülke kâdir olmakla beraber gâyet zâlim, şerîr ve korkak bir kimse idi. Mezâlim ve seyyi'âtı halkı kendisinden tenfîr eylediğini biliyor, Cermanikus'un şöhreti de mevki'ini sarsıyordu. Binâ'en-aleyh imparator Tiber, kendi mevki'ini tahkîm için kardaşını öldürmek lüzûmunu hissediyordu.
Pon vâlîsi Cermanikus hakkında bu hissiyâtını tatbîk için bir fırsatın hulûlünü bekleyen imparator Tiber, Filistin kıt'asında zuhûr eden ufak bir ihtilâli basdırmak için Cermanikus'u oraya irsâl eylediğini müte'âkib, etvârından şübhelendiği Sûriye vâlîsine de Cermanikus'u bir sûretle öldürmesini şedîden emretmişdi.
Cermanikus, Tiber'in emrine imtisâlen hareket edib îfâ-yı me'mûriyet eyledikden sonra kable'l-hicre tahmînen 592'de Sûriye vâlîsinin verdiği zehirli bir şerbetden müte'essiren vefât eyledi. İmparator Tiber, enzâr-ı umûmiyyede küçük düşmemek için zâten sevmediği Sûriye vâlîsini de katl etdirip iki rakîbini de ber-taraf etmiş oldu.
Silenus, Roma generallerinden olup Cermanikus'un mesmûmen vefâtı üzerine Roma imparatoru Tiberyus tarafından Pon ve Kapadokya [188] vilâyeti vâlîliğine nasb olunup Amasya'da ikâmet eyledi. Buna "Jillenus, Julyenus" dahi denir idi.
Pon vâlîsi Silenus devrinde Rûmlar, Ermenîler Pon ve Kapadokya kıt'asının her tarafına intişâr ederek yerli Tûrânîler ile ihtilât etmişler idi. Bunların cümlesi de put-perest idiler. Bu cihetden imtizâc-ı anâsır-ı muhtelife uygun ise de Tûrânîler ile Românîler arasında milliyet da'vâları ba'zı vekâyi' ihdâsından hâlî değil idi.
Bu Silenus Amasya kalesini i'mâr ederek "Cilanus Polis" nâmıyla tevsîm eden "Cilanus" olmalıdır. "Cilanus Polis", "Cilanbolı, Cilanus İli" ya'nî "Cilan Şehri" demekdir. Bu nâm ibtidâ kaleye verilmiş ise de şimdiki hâlde yalnız kale derûnunda bulunan kuyuya "Cilanbolı" denmiş olduğuna nazaran Tûrânîler arasında iştihâr edememiş olduğu anlaşılır.
Kable'l-hicre 585'de imparator Tiber'in vefâtıyla sâbık Pont vâlisi Cermanikus'un oğlu Kalikulla Roma imparatoru oldu. Ancak Silenus'un kaç sene vâlî olduğu ve ba'dehû Pon ve Kapadokya'ya kimlerin nasb edildiği bulunamadı.
Kable'l-hicre 405'de Roma imparatoru olan Sûriye vâlîsi Makarinus (Makrin) zamânında Pon kıt'asında Tûrânîler ile Românîler arasında bir hâdise zuhûruyla Terâs (Tirâs) nâmında bir Tûrânlı teferrüd ederek Pon kıt'asını işgâl edecek bir hâle gelmiş idi. [189]
İmparator Makrin kable'l-hicre 400 hudûdunda aldığı bir kuvve-i askeriyye ile Pon kıt'asına gelip fitneyi teskîn etmekde iken maktûl olmakla Terâs'ın nüfûzu tezâyüd etmiş ise de kable'l-hicre 389'da Roma imparatoru Aleksandır Sevirus Îrân'a gâlib olduğu esnâda bunu da ber-taraf etmişdir.
Aleksandır Sevir, anası Hristiyân olduğu münâsebetle Hristiyânlığı himâye ve put-perest ya'nî müşrik olanlara ibrâz-ı şiddet ediyordu. Bunun zamânında Amasya'da Hristiyânlık zuhûruyla müşriklerin nüfûzu arasında ağır bir sûretde intişâr etmekde idi.
Tevârîh-i umûmiyye ve Kâmûsu'l-A'lâm'dan müstefâd olduğu üzere memâlik-i şarkiyye imparatoru Lisinus devrinde Amasya'da Roma zâbitânından Te'odor, Amasya'da Hristiyânların müdîr-i umûru olan râhib-i meşhûr Asteris'in telkîn ve iknâ'ıyla Hristiyânlığı kabûl eylediğinden Hristiyânların vaz'iyyeti tebeddül etmiş idi.
Bu esnâda Hristiyânlar ile müşrikler arasında zuhûr eden bir hâdiseden münfa'il olan merkûm Te'odor, ma'iyyetine aldığı Hristiyânlar ile müşriklerin ma'bedlerini yıkıp pek çoklarının cânlarını yakdılar, hayli adam öldürdüler.
Bu kanlı mâcerâdan fevkalâde müte'essir olan müşrikler, rü'esâdan Otas nâmında birinin kumandasında ictimâ' ve mukâbeleye kıyâm ederek mîlâd-ı Îsâ'nın 307'inci senesi kânûn-ı evvelinde Te'odor'u ve avenesini de [190] bunlar öldürdüler. Mu'ahharan Hristiyânlar, bu Te'odor'u e'izze sırasına geçirip nâmına her senenin kânûn-ı evvelinde bir gün yortu yaparlar.
İmparator Lisinus, Hristiyân olmadığı ve muhârebât ile gâyet meşgûl bulunduğu cihetle Otas'ın harekâtını hoş görüp nüfûzundan istifâde etmek üzere celb ve istimâlet ederek Pon vâlîliğini uhdesine tevcîh ve müşriklerin muzâharetleri sâyesinde mevki'ini tahkîme gayret ediyordu.
Fakat memâlik-i garbiyye imparatoru Kostantin, Hristiyânların kesretini görüp vâlidesinin delâletiyle Hristiyânlığı kabûl ve bu kesretden istifâde ederek memâlik-i şarkiyye imparatoru Lisinus'u harben def' etmekle kable'l-hicre 299'da müstakillen Roma imparatoru oldu.
Bu târîhden i'tibâren Pon vâlîliğine hristiyânlığa nusret etmiş olan sâbık Bitinya vâlîsi kumandanlarından Pilinus (Pilin) ve ilk Amasya metropolidliğine de râhib-i mezkûr Asteris nasb olunarak Hristiyânlık her tarafda ibrâz-ı şiddet etmeğe başladı. Bu iki kimse müşriklere nasrâniyyeti kabûl etdirmek için pek çok vesâ'it-i cebriyyeye mürâca'at ederek Hristiyânlığı ta'mîme çalışdılar.
Asteris, bir tarafdan akâ'id-i Hristiyâniyye hakkında te'lîf-i kitâb, diğer tarafdan hâ'iz olduğu nüfûzunu sarf ederek Hristiyânlığa nusret etmiş olanlardan biri olduğu münâsebetle Hristiyânlar arasında e'izzeden ma'dûd ve Hristiyânlık târîhinde "Sent Asteris" nâmıyla mukayyed bulunmuşdur. [191]
Sent Asteris, Amasya'da metropolidliği zamânında fevkalâde nüfûza mâlik olduğu münâsebetle zâten merkez-i vilâyet olan Amasya, Hristiyânlığın dahi merkezi olarak mürâca'atgâh-ı umûm olmuşdur. Bu cihetden Amasya ruhbân yatağı olup her tarafa buradan râhib, vâ'iz gönderilirdi.
Sent Asteris, pek çok yaşamış olup asrında patrik derecesinde i'tibârı var idi. Kable'l-hicre 271 hudûdunda vefât etmişdir. Amasya'da şimdiki Çukur Kilise'de medfûn olup Hristiyânların ebedî bir hayâta mâlik olduğunu iddi'â etdikleri râhib-i muhayyel Sent Asteris'den kinâye olmalıdır.
Çünkü Amasya Hristiyânlarının arasında şâyi' olduğu üzere gûyâ Çukur Kilîse'de Hristo tilmîzlerinden gâyet ihtiyâr olup yıllar geçdikçe vücûdu küçülerek bir karga kadar kalmış, pamuk sepedi içinde mahfûz ve hâlâ sağ olan e'izzeden bir râhib var imiş, her sene ibtidâsında başını bir def'a kaldırıp kilisenin baş râhibine "Balık kavağa çıkdı mı, Rabbimiz Îsâ geldi mi?" diye sorarmış! Hayır cevâbını alınca "daha vaktim var imiş" diyerek yine yatarmış, tam bir yıl uyurmuş!
Hristiyânlar vaktiyle bu masâlı Hristiyânlığın bir mu'cizesi olmak üzere gösterdikleri hâlde şimdiye kadar ne sepedi, ne de karga kadar kalmış sağ papazı gören yokdur. Âcizleri bu masâlın aslına ermek için çok çalışdım ise de sözden başka bir eser göremedim. Her hâlde Atris, Teodor, Pelin Amasya'da Hristiyânlığı ta'mîm eden [192] e'izze-i nasârâdan oldukları cihetle bunların hâtırâtını ibkâ için tasnî' edilmiş olmalıdır.
Roma imparatoru Büyük Kostantin Hristiyânlığı sâyesinde mevki'ini tahkîm etdikden sonra herkesin hürriyet-i mezhebiyyesini de tasdîk ederek umûmen müşrikleri ve Anadolu'da meskûn olan Tûrânîler'i kendisine celb etmekle memâlik-i Româniyye'nin emniyet ve sükûnunu muhâfaza etmiş oldu.
Çünkü Hristiyânlık, efkâr-ı beşeriyyeyi tenvîr, ahlâk-ı umûmiyyeyi tehzîb etmekden ziyâde Hristiyân olmayanları hey'et-i beşeriyyeden ihrâc ederek her türlü ta'zîbâtı onlara mübâh gösterdiği, daha Hristiyânlığın şevketi olmadığı zamânlarda Hristiyânların Roma memâlikinde ibrâz etdikleri şiddetlerle anlaşılıyordu.
Hâlbuki o zamân Roma tâbi'iyyeti altında edyân-ı muhtelife ile mütedeyyin pek çok akvâm-ı muhtelife bulunuyor, bunların içinde Hristiyânlar henüz tebe'anın ancak bir nısfını teşkîl edebiliyordu. Amasya'da Te'odor vak'ası gibi vekâyi'-i Hristiyâniyye memâlik-i Româniyye'nin her tarafında eksik değil idi. Hürriyet-i mezhebiyye i'lân edilmediği takdîrde Hristiyânlık ta'assubu tekmîl müşrikleri katl edecek bir isti'dâda mâlik olduğunu anlayan Kostantin ya beşeriyyetin selâmeti yâhud hükûmetin bekâsı nâmına hürriyet-i mezhebiyye i'lânına mecbûr idi.
Fakat evâhir-i hükûmetinde Roma ahâlîsinin ba'zı evzâ'ından mugber [193] olan imparator Kostantin, İstanbul şehrini Roma devletinin pây-tahtı olmak üzere dört senede binâ ve merkez-i hükûmet ittihâz etdikden sonra memâlik-i Româniyye'yi evlâd ve akrabâsı arasında taksîm eylediği esnâda Pon ve Kapadokya krallığını da yeğeni Valentiyen nâmında bir prense tevcîh etmişdir.
Pon kralı Valentiyen imparator Kostantin'in birâderzâdesi olup Pon ve Kapadokya krallığına kable'l-hicre 286'da nasb olunmuşdur. Buna kral Habniyaliyen dahi denir. Vâlî-i sâbık Pelin, Amasya metropolidi Asteris, kral Valentiyen’in nezdinde müşâvir ve muhterem olarak kaldıkları münâsebetle Hristiyânlığın neşrinde eski tazyîkâta avdet etmişler idi.
Lâkin kral Valentiyen’in müsâ'adesiyle icrâ edilen tazyîkât ve iz'âcât, Hristiyânların müşrik tanıdıkları tebe'ayı pek bîzâr etmekle Pont kıt'asında meskûn olan Tûrânîler, İskitya denilen Hazar hânlarından istimdâd etmeğe başladılar. Çünkü cem'iyyet-i beşeriyyeyi isyâna sevk eden birinci kuvvet, cân yakmakdan ibâretdir.
Silsile-nâmelerde mezkûr olduğu üzere Pon kralı Valentiyen devrinde Hazar hükümdârı olan Sikrî Hân bin Gökböri Hân²⁹³ Tûrânîler'in feryâdına erişmek için aldığı bir kuvve-i kâfiye ile İbarya [194] üzerinden mükerreren Pon kıt'asına duhûl ederek Tûrânîler'in üzerinden tazyîkâtın ref'ini taleb ediyor, Valentiyen’in askerlerini bozuyordu.
Nihâyet Roma askerleri Sikrî Hân'ın hücûmlarından bîzâr olarak kral Valentine'yi sekiz sene sonra ya'nî kable'l-hicre 278'de evlâdıyla beraber katl ve itlâf edib hürriyet-i mezhebiyyeyi kabûl etmişler, Anadolu'daki Tûrânîler de tazyîkât ve ta'assubât-ı Hristiyâniyyeden kurtulmuşlardır. Fakat Kostantin'in oğlu Konstans müstakillen Roma imparatoru oldukda eski mezâlim ve ta'assubât-ı Hristiyâniyye olanca şiddetiyle infâz-ı ahkâm etmeğe başlamakla Hazar hükümdâr-ı meşhûru Sikrî Hân Küçük Asya'da Tûrânîler'e îkâ' edilen mezâlimi def'e gayret ederek hamiyyet-i milliyesini gösterdiği meşhûrdur.
Tevârîh-i umûmiyyede mestûr olduğu üzere kable'l-hicre 276-227 sâline kadar elli sene zarfında Konstans, Yulyanus, Valentin, Valanis, Garasiyan, Maksimiyus, Te'odos nâmlarında yedi nefer Roma imparatorlarından Yulyanus'dan mâ-adâ altı neferinin inân-ı ihtiyârı, zimâm-ı idâresi kilise elinde olduğu cihetle Roma teba'asına Hristiyânlığı cebren kabûl etdirmek için her zulmü revâ görüyorlar, her vahşeti adâlet gibi icrâ ediyorlardı. Binâ'en-aleyh Te'odos devrinde Roma teba'ası içinde Hristiyân olmayan bir tek nefer bile kalmamışdı.
Fakat bu kadar tazyîkât, koca Roma imparatorluğunu yangın yerine [195] çevirecek bir felâket ocağını yakıyordu. Çünkü Romalılar'ın diyânet, medeniyyet nâmına irtikâb etdikleri vahşetler, bütün İslavları, Almanlar'ı, Tutunlar'ı, Cermenler'i, Gollar'ı pek ziyâde igzâb ediyor, her millet Roma aleyhinde isyân bayrağını kaldırıyordu.
Bi'l-hâssa Tûrânîler Asya'da Romalılar'ın mezâliminden son dereceye geldikleri cihetle en ziyâde sâhib-i nüfûz olan Tûrânîler'den Hazar, Fin, Macar oymakları ve Hunlar ya'nî On Uygurlar tevhîd-i kuvâ ederek Romalılar'ın aleyhinde ittifâka çalışıyorlardı.
Küçük Asya'da en ziyâde hükmü nâfiz olan Hazar hükümdârı Sikrî Hân'ın vefâtında Silsile-nâmelerde mestûr olduğu üzere oğlu Gilgây Hân yirmi sene hükûmet edib kable'l-hicre 259'da vefâtıyla oğlu Mengli Hân, ba'dehû bunun oğlu Kâlîb (Sâlîb) Hân Hazar hükümdârı ve Roma imparatoru Te'odos'un mu'âsırı olarak Tûrân ittihâdına dâhil olmuş idi.
Hunlar'ın hâkânı olar Runa (Urun) Hân ve ba'dehû Rukilas (Irkıl) Hân tûrân ittihâdına muvaffak oldukdan sonra Hazar hükümdârı Sâlîb Hân idâresinde Becenekler, Sakîtler, Gurşîler, Lekzler, Kumânlar'dan bir kısmını Anadolu'ya irsâl ve diğer kısmını Avarlar, Tatarlar, Finler, Macarlar, Nogaylar gibi Tûrân oymaklarıyla tevhîd ve istishâb ederek Avrupa'ya hücûm eyledi.
Tevârîh-i umûmiyyenin verdiği tafsîlât üzere işte bizim Pon kıt'ası [196] bu esnâda ya'nî kable'l-hicre 231 hudûdunda Hazar hükümdârı Sâlîb Hân'ın kumandası altında bulunan Becenekler ile Kumânlar tarafından işgâl olunarak Roma idâresi Pon kıt'asından ve merkezi olan Amasya'dan ref' edilmiş ve Beceneklerle serdârı olan Senâ (Sungây) Hân Pon kıt'asının idâresini deruhde ederek Amasya etrâfını karargâh ittihâz etmişdir.
Roma idâresi zamânında Amasya'da pek çok kiliseler, sarâylar, mezârlar binâ edilmiş olup bunların kısm-ı küllîsi mün'adim olmuşdur. Ancak Romalılar'ın âsârından olduğu anlaşılan birkaç kitâbe hâlâ mevcûd olmakla bunlardan ma'lûm olanları buraya nakl edildi.
El-yevm Amasya'da Kuşköprü başında Şamlar Mahallesi'nin cenûb-ı şarkîsinde ırmak üzerinde şimdiki debbâg-hânenin arkasında kâ'in kaya üzerinde mahkûk olan Latin yazılarında şöyle mestûr olduğu haber verilmekdedir:
"Kendi hayâtında bu kayayı tezyîn eden, Rufis'dir ki bizim â'ilemizin re'îsidir. Adliye kânûnlarını tanzîm eden oğlu Kıleobrat için bu mezârı yapdırmış olup vefâtında kendisinin kemikleri de buraya konmuşdur. Burada bizim babalarımızın kemikleri vardır. Bizim için pek mu'azzez olan Timeyis Kıroniyon ve onun oğlu Palikaruniyos burada yatıyorlar”. [197]
DÖRDÜNCÜ ve BEŞİNCİ FASIL
Tûrânîler'in, Romalılar'ın, Îrânîler'in, Arablar'ın Amasya'da hükûmetlerini, sûret-i vürûdlarını ve yek-diğeriyle olan münâsebât ve muhârebâtını ma'lûm olabildiği kadar beyân ve tafsîl eder. Bu iki fasl-ı mütedâhili yek-diğerinden ayırmak mümkün olmadığı cihetle mezc edilmişdir.
Roma'nın idâresi Amasya'dan zâ'il olduğu esnâda Hunlar'ın hâkânı olan Irkıl Hân tarafından Pon kıt'ası barlığına Becenekler'in serdârı olan Sungay Hân nasb olunarak tevsî'-i fütûhâta me'mûr olduğu cihetle diğer barlar ile müttefikan bir tarafdan Haleb, diğer tarafdan Bağdâd, bu tarafdan Üsküdâr önünde Kadıköyü hudûduna kadar hücûm ve istîlâ, gâret ve yağmâ ederek Romalılar'dan yapdıkları mezâlimin, vahşetlerin öcünü almakda idiler.
Lâkin Roma askerleri, ekseriyetle metîn kalelere kapanmış olup Tûrânîler'in savletlerini muvakkat bir seyl akıntısına benzetiyorlardı. Roma imparatoru Te'odos, Roma mülküne her tarafdan ta'arruz eden akvâm-ı muhtelife ve bi'l-hâssa Tûrânîler ile harb ederek münhezim bir hâlde kable'l-hicre 227'de vefât ederken bilâd-ı Româniyye'yi şark ve garb nâmıyla tefrîk ve şark ya'nî Bizans imparatorluğuna büyük oğlu Arkadiyus'u ve garb [198] ya'nî Latin imparatorluğuna da küçük oğlu Honoriyus'u ta'yîn edib vefât etmekle eski Roma devleti müzmahil olmuşdur.
Bu taksîmde Pon kıt'ası tamâmiyle şark imparatorluğuna isâbet etmiş olduğu cihetle on bir livâdan müteşekkil bir vilâyet i'tibâr ve birinci livâ merkezi olan Amasya beldesi de kemâ-kân merkez-i vilâyet ittihâz edilmişdir. On bir livâ şunlardır: Amasya, Erzincân, Tokat, Canik, Çorum, Sivas, Trabzon, Karahisâr-ı Şarkî, Gümüşhâne, Lazistân, Yozgat.
Fakat Irkıl Hân'ın zamânında Asya ve Avrupa'da Roma devletleri yerinde kutlu bir devlet-i Tûrâniyye zuhûr etmekle müşârün-ileyhin vefâtında hemşîrezâdesi Atıl Hân bin Muncuk Hân, umûmen Tûrânîler'e gâyet bahâdır bir hâkân-ı kâhir olmuş idi.
Atıl Hân, aksâ-yı şarkdan müntehâ-yı şimâle, cenûben Şâm'a ve garben Avrupa'nın nısfına hâkim bir hâkân-ı zî-şân olduğu cihetle Pon kıt'ası da müşârün-ileyhin zîr-i istîlâsında olduğu tevârîh-i umûmiyyenin şehâdâtıyla müsbet olup Becenekler'in serdârı olan Sungay Hân'ın idâresi altında bulunduğu anlaşılır.
Çünkü silsile-nâmelerden müstebân olduğu üzere Hazar hükümdârı Sâlib Hân'ın vefâtında oğlu Biris (Bars) Hân, Hazar tahtına câlis [199] olup zamânında Anadolu sâlârı, Becenekler'in serdârı olan Sungay Hân idi.²⁹⁴
Medhal'de tafsîl edildiği üzere Becenekler'in Pon kıt'asında bu târîhden i'tibâren mutavattın olduğu ve Amasya şehrine şarkan üç sâat kadar kurb mesâfede bulunan şimdiki Zana Karyesi'nin nâmı kuyûd-ı atîkada "Suna, Sunga" şeklinde mestûr bulunduğu ve Mukaddime'de îzâh edildiği üzere Zana Karyesi, Hakala gibi vaktiyle bir kasaba-i latîfe olduğu tedkîk olunursa Anadolu sâlârı olan mûmâ-ileyh Sungay Hân'ın burada bir şehr-i latîf binâsıyla ikâmet eylediği istidlâl olunabilir.
Hulâsa Pon kıt'ası ve Amasya sancağı Bizans imparatorluğuna intikâl etdiği târîhden i'tibâren yarım asırdan ziyâde ya'nî tâm bir bogun (altmış yıl) Becenekler'in taht-ı idâresinde bulunduğu ma'lûm olmakla beraber Sungay Hân'ın ahlâfı kimler olduğuna dâ'ir bir kayd-ı târîhî görülemedi.
Bu esnâda Rûm imparatoru Arkadiyus'un, ba'dehû oğlu İkinci Te'odos'un kable'l-hicre 175'de vefâtıyla Rum imparatoru olan Marsiyanus, Anadolu'da Hunlar'ın ya'nî Türk olan Becenekler'in, Kumânlar'ın savletini def' ederek Pon kıt'asını kable'l-hicre 171'de istirdâd etmekle Amasya şehri Rûmlar'ın idâresine intikâl etmişdir. [200]
Bizans imparatorluğunun idâre-i dâhiliyyesi şark ve garb hâssa kumandanları nâmıyla iki büyük me'mûr-ı askerînin dest-i iktidârında olup şark hâssa kumandanı İstanbul'da oturuyor ve beş patrikliği idâre ediyordu. Onlar da: Şark, Mısır, Anadolu, Pon, Trakya idi.
Pon vilâyeti patrîki Amasya'da ikâmet etmiş idi. Roma devrinde metropol olan Amasya şehri, metropolid idâresinde bulunduğu hâlde Rum devrinde patrik idâresinde bulunuyordu. Amasya'da şimdiki "Venk" dediğimiz yerin taraf-ı şarkîsinde bir patrik-hâne inşâ edilmiş olup oraya "Ayanikos" dendiğine bakılırsa ilk Amasya patrîki Ayanika'us olduğu anlaşılır.
Lâkin Pon vilâyetinin umûr-ı dîniyyesini tesviye eden patrîklerden başka bir de umûr-ı mülkiyye ve askeriyyesini idâre eden “Prefketus” namıyla bir vâlî ve sancaklarını idare eden "Vikâr" nâmıyla birer mutasarrıf var idi. Ancak patrîklerin nüfûzu ahâlî üzerinde pek ziyâde cârî olduğu münâsebetle prefektuslar, patrîklerin birer âlet-i icrâ'iyyesi hükmünde idiler.
Ayanika'us'dan sonra Amasya patrîkleri içinde pek ziyâde ma'rûf olan "Antimus" ba'dehû "Ayavasilus" nasârâ arasında pek ziyâde mu'azzez idiler.
Amasya'da "Ayvasıl" dediğimiz mevki'de gâyet muhteşem bir kilise yapılmış olup bu patrîkin nâmına nisbetle "Ayavasilus Kilisesi" [201] denmişdir. Hâlâ Amasya'nın şarkında Yeşilırmak'ın cenûb taraflarında vâki' olan Kibrît-hâne önüne kadar "Ayvasıl, Ayavasıl" dediğimiz yerler, bu Ayavasilus'un nâmıyla müsemmâdır. "Aya", Rûmca "azîz" demekdir.
Bizans imparatorlarından Fokas, Amasya patrîki olan Ayavasilus'un yeğeni olduğu münâsebetle Bizans imparatoru olan İkinci Jüstinyen kable'l-hicre 57-44 devrinde umûr-ı hükûmet dest-i idâresinde olan zevcesi imparatoriçe Sofiya'ya intisâb ederek Pon vilâyeti vâlîliğine nasb olunmuş idi.
Fokas Amasya'da prefektus olarak hayli zamân oturmuş olup Kibrît-hâne önünde hâlâ Kral Sarâyı demekle meşhûr olan bir sarây-ı âlî binâ etdirmiş ve şimdiki Bâyezîd Paşa Mahallesi yerine daha evvel "Foka Mahallesi" denmiş olduğu Mukaddime'de îzâh edilmiş idi.
Amasya prefektusu olan Fokas, Rûm imparatoru Tiberyus kable'l-hicre 44-40 devrinde Tatarlar şarkdan, Îrânîler cenûbdan bilâd-ı Rûm'a hücûm etdikleri zamân Rûm generali Moris'in idâresinde olan orduda bulunarak Îrânîler'e karşı bir muvaffakiyet kazanmakla iştihâr etmişdir.
General Moris, Îrânîler'e galebe ederek İstanbul'a gâlibâne girdikde imparator Tiberyus'a dâmâd olmakla beraber velî-ahdı ve kable'l-hicre 40'da imparatorun vefâtıyla Bizans imparatoru oldu.
Bunun zamânında Îrân hükümdârı Hürmüz bin Nûşîrevân hal' ve [202] katl olunduğu zamân oğlu Husrev-i Pervîz İstanbul'a firâr ve ilticâ ederek Moris'den taleb-i mu'âvenet etmiş idi. Moris, bilâd-ı Rûm'dan mukaddemâ Îrân'ın aldığı yerleri i'âde etmek şartıyla muvâfakat ve kızı Mariya (Şîrîn)'i tezvîc ve altmış bin asker terfîk ederek kable'l-hicre 31'de Husrev-i Pervîz'i taht-ı Îrân'a iclâs eyledi.
İşte Mukaddime'de îzâh edildiği üzere Şîrîn, Rûm imparatoru Moris'in kızı Mariya olup "Ferhâd, Şîrîn" mu'âşakasına dâ'ir tasnî' edilen roman bu "Husrev, Şîrîn" mu'âşakasını musavvir olarak tertîb edilmişdir. Mu'ahharan yalnız Ferhâd isminin Amasya'da meşhûr olması münâsebetiyle Amasya'ya nisbet edilmiş olmalıdır.
Rum imparatoru Moris, Rûmeli'de bilâd-ı Rûm'a hücûm ve savlet eden Avar Türkleri'yle harb ederek beş def'a galebe eylediği hâlde altıncı def'asında mağlûb olduğunu orduda bulunan Pon vâlîsi Fokas İstanbul'a acı bir sûretde iş'âr ve Rûm esîrlerinin tahlîsinde Moris dahi muttasıf olduğu buhli izhâr etmekle askerî tâ'ifesi hiddet edib imparator Moris'i evlâd ve etbâ'ıyla beraber i'dâm ederek Fokas'ı kable'l-hicre 20'de Rûm imparatoru yapdılar.
Bizans imparatoru Fokas, Amasya'da el-yevm mevcûd olan Fethiyye Câmiini kızı Eleni nâmına kilise olmak üzere binâ etdirmiş olduğu, câmi-i mezkûrun minâresini 1300 sene-i hicriyyesinde yaparken zuhûr eden bir kitâbe-i Rûmiyye'nin tercümesinden müstebân olmuşdur. [203]
Amasya'da Foka (Bâyezîd Paşa) Mahallesi'nde Kral Sarâyı, el-yevm Kibrît-hâne önünde Kirazlı Dere'ye giderken yol üzerinde bulunan tarla derûnunda zuhûr etmiş olduğu ve Câmiu'd-Düvel'de Rûm imparatorlarından Tekfûr Fokas tercemesinde Amasya'da evlâd-ı mülûkdan olmak üzere zabt edildiği tedkîk olunursa bu imparator Fokas'ın Amasyalı olduğunda şübhe kalmaz.
Tevârîh-i umûmiyyeden müstebân olduğu üzere Husrev-i Pervîz, ma'iyyetine aldığı bir kuvve-i cesîme ile bilâd-ı Rûm'a Diyârbekir üzerinden dâhil olup Kapadokya ve Pon kıt'alarına girmiş, ba'dehû İstanbul'a doğru ta'arruz ederek Kadıköyü'ne kadar gelmiş olduğundan Pon vâlîsi Yani esnâ-yı muhârebede maktûl olup kable'l-hicre 13'de Amasya sancağı Pon kıt'asıyla beraber Îrân idâresine intikâl etmişdir.
Mukaddime'de beyân edildiği üzere Îrânîler'in Amasya sancağını istîlâ etdikleri zamân, Îrân ümerâsından Efrûhte nâmında bir kimse Pon vilâyeti vâlîliğine nasb olunarak Amasya'da ikâmet eylediği, ba'dehû oğlu Ferhâd'ın Amasya vâlîsi olduğu ba'zı resâ'il-i târîhiyyeden anlaşıldığı söylenmekdedir.
Her hâlde Rûm imparatoru Amasyalı Fokas, şarkan Îrânîler'e, garben Tûrânîler'e fenâ hâlde mağlûb olarak Rûmlar'ın adâvetini celb etmekle imparatorluğunun sekizinci sâlinde isyân eden Afrika eksârhı Herakliyus'un İstanbul'a vusûlünde i'dâm olunarak Herakliyus Risâlet-penâh [204] Efendimiz Hazretleri'nin ta'bîr-i mükerremleri vechile azîmü'r-Rûm ya'nî Rûm imparatoru olmuşdur.
Fakat Herakliyus'un cülûsunda Bizans imparatorluğu gâyet müşkil bir mevki'de bulunuyordu. Çünkü şarkan Îrânîler Anadolu taraflarını kâmilen istîlâ ederek Şâm ve Kudüs'ü alıp İstanbul'u tehdîd etdikleri gibi Avar Türkleri dahi garben imparatorluğu İstanbul surunun önünde fevkalâde tazyîk etmekde idiler.
Bu kadar gavâ'il arasında mebhût kalan Herakliyus, tedâbîr-i ciddîyeye mürâca'at ederek ibtidâ Avarlar'ı sulha irzâ etdikden sonra muntazam ordular tertîb ve Karadeniz cihetinden Pon kıt'asına harben duhûl ederek Îrânîleri bozmuş ve hicret-i seniyyeden dört sene evvel Pon vilâyetiyle beraber tekmîl Anadolu kıt'asını istirdâd edib Amasya sancağı yine Rûm idâresine avdet etmişdir.
Rûm imparatoru Herakl'ın zamânında mîlâd-ı Îsâ'nin 622'inci sâlinde Resûl-ı Rabbü'l-âlemîn, şefî'u'l-müznibîn, Muhammedü'l-Emîn Efendimiz Hazretleri'nin Mekke-i Mükerreme'den Medîne-i Münevvere'ye hicret-i seniyyeleri vâki' olarak kurûn-ı ûlâya hitâm vermişdir.
Hey'et-i beşeriyyeyi livâ-i adâlet ve müsâvât altında cem' etmeğe bâ'is ve selâmet-i umûmiyyeyi kâfil olan şems-i münîr-i İslâmın tulû'uyla beraber kemâl-i sür'atle cihânı tenvîr etmeğe başladı.
Bütün milel ve akvâm-ı beşeriyyenin menâfi'-i rûhâniyyesinin, hukûk-ı insâniyyesinin [205] muhterem ve ta'arruzdan masûn olduğunu i'lân eden dîn-i İslâm, beşeriyyet için birer zillet-i fikriyye hâlinde bulunan edyân-ı sâ'ireyi gölgede bırakarak berk-i hâtif gibi nûru gözleri kamaştırıyor, bilâd u emsârı önüne katıp Asya'nın, Afrika'nın müntehâlarına doğru neşr-i envâr ediyor, Anadolu'ya geçip eski Tûrân diyârını Türkistân'a vasl etmeğe çalışıyordu.
İbtidâ Medîne-i Münevvere'de, ba'dehû Şâm'da teşekkül eden hilâfet-i İslâmiyye, nûr-ı İslâmı aktâr-ı âleme nakl etmeğe bezl-i makderet etdiği esnâda kavm-i necîb-i Arab'ın sîmâ-yı sa'âdetleri Anadolu bilâdının cenûbundan görünmeğe başladı.
Hilâl-i İslâm, Anadolu'ya cenûbdan tulû' ederek tedrîcen yükseliyor, yükseldikçe bizim Amasya diyârının ufukları parlamağa başlıyor, Amasya toprağı o sîmâ-yı sa'âdetin leme'ât-ı lâhûtiyyesini kemâl-i iştiyâk ile özlüyordu. Çünkü Amasya, vahdet-i İlâhiyyeyi mu'tekid olan eski Tûrânîler'in eser-i binâsı idi.
Tevârîh-i ümemi kemâl-i ihtimâm ile zabt ve kayd eden fuzalâ-yı Arab'ın, ulemâ-yı Tûrân'ın verdikleri tafsîlâtdan müstebân olduğu üzere bizim Pon kıt'asında sîmâ-yı besâleti görülen ilk Arab mücâhidi Mesleme bin Abdülmelik bin Mervân olduğunda şübhe yokdur.
Çünkü 72 sene-i hicriyyesinde Rûm imparatoru olan Le'onitus, Arab mücâhidlerinin Anadolu'da muvaffakiyâtı tevâlî eylediği esnâda 75'de hal' olunarak burnu kesiliyor, imparatorluğu Anadolu kumandanı [206] Absimâr, "Üçüncü Tiberiyus" unvânıyla işgâl ediyor ise de mücâhidân-ı İslâmın savleti tevakkuf etmiyordu.
Şâm'da hilâfet-i İslâmiyye makâmında bulunan Abdülmelik 65-86 devrinde Rûm imparatorları yek-diğerinin burnunu keserek imparatorluğu ihrâz eyledikleri esnâda Arab mücâhidlerinin kumandanı olan Abdülmelikzâde Emîr Mesleme Kapadokya kıt'asına gâlibâne giriyordu.
Üçüncü Tiberiyus, mücâhidân-ı İslâmın Anadolu'daki harekât-ı askeriyyesini tevkîf edemediği cihetle Emîr Mesleme 83 sene-i hicriyyesinde Malatya, Kayseriyye beldelerini feth ederek Pon kıt'ası dâhilinde bulunan "Tarende (Dârende)" şehrine girmiş, burayı üssü'l-harekât ittihâzıyla cezîre ahâlî-i müslimesinden mikdâr-ı kâfî asker celb ve iskân ederek avdet etmişdir.
Bundan mukaddem Kersun mahbesinden firâr eden esbak imparator Jüstinyânus, Hazar ve Bulgar hânlarından aldığı kuvve-i askeriyye ile İstanbul'a girip sâniyen Rûm imparatoru oluyor, mücâhidân-ı İslâmın Anadolu'daki muvaffakiyetinden dolayı Rûmlar'ın zâten dil-gîr oldukları Üçüncü Tiberiyus'u 83'de hal' ederek burnunu kesdikden sonra zâlimâne katl etdiriyordu.
Bu târîhden i'tibâren Amasya patrîki olan Kalis (Kelkis) Dârende şehrinin sukûtundan dolayı kesb-i nezâket eden Amasya'ya müdâfa'a edebilmek için asker ve zehâ'ir celb ve tedârik etmekde [207] iken 86 şevvâlinde Abdülmelik vefât edib büyük oğlu el-Velîd hilâfet-i İslâmiyye makâmına geçdi.
Velîd bin Abdülmelik, Anadolu fütûhâtını Hazar bilâdına vasl etmek ve îcâbında İstanbul'u muhâsara ederek Rûmlar'ın tecâvüzünden emîn olmak için birâderi emîr-i müşârün-ileyh Mesleme'yi şark, ya'nî umûmen Anadolu vâlîliğine nasb eyledi.
Şark vâlîsi Emîr Mesleme, 89 rebî'ulevvelinde mücâhidân-ı İslâmdan mürekkeb cesîm bir ordu ile Şâm'dan hareket edib bilâ-mâni' Dârende şehrine geldi. Buradan kuvve-i mevcûdesiyle toplu bir sûretde hareket ederek Tohât (Tokat) üzerinden Harşene (Amasya) şehrini muhâsara eyledi.
Amasya patrîki Kalis, ma'iyyetinde bulunan kuvvetle müdâfa'a eylediyse de mükerreren münhezim olduğundan istîmân ederek Emîr Mesleme, ilk def'a olmak üzere Amasya'ya gâlibâne girdi. Harşene'de mukîm ve Hristiyân olan Tûrânîler, Rûmîler cizye i'tâsını kabûl etmekle Emîr Mesleme elli kadar müslim tahsîl me'mûrları iskân ederek avdet eyledi.
İmparator Jüstinyanus, Anadolu bilâdını müdâfa'a edemediği gibi mukaddemen hakkında sû'-i kasd eden Kersun (Kırım) ahâlîsinden ahz-ı intikâm için icrâ-yı mezâlim etmekle Kersun kumandanı Bardan (Vartan) mücâhidân-ı İslâmın feth etdiği bilâdı geri alacağını ta'ahhüd ederek [208] 89 senesi evâhirinde Filipikus unvânıyla Rûm imparatoru i'lân ve selefi itlâf edilmişdir.
In Modern English
It relates, as far as can be known, the circumstances and conduct of the governors appointed to the administration of Amasya in the time of the Roman state, and their works in Amasya.
The Roman emperor Tiber (Tiberius), upon the death of Amentas, king of Pontus, annexed the Pontus continent to the Roman lands, did away with Polemon II, king of the eastern part of the continent, united all the Cappadocia and Pontus continents, gave them the name "Armeniak" and made them a province. He also appointed his brother Cermanikus, whom he had sent to Anatolia, to the governorship of the Armeniak province.
The Armeniak province, reported to mean "united province," was a great continent made up of the whole of today's provinces of Erzurum, Sivas and Trabzon and parts of each of the provinces of Ankara and Konya. In the early periods of the Turanians this region was called "Toga, Toha." Later it was given the name "Pont, Hunit."
It is written in the encyclopedia (Dâ'iretü'l-Ma'ârif) that the city of Amasya, which passed directly under Roman administration, was the center of the province formed from this great continent. For this reason it is mentioned in the works on the East of European historians such as Perro, Teksiye, Reynak and Luba that Amasya was called "Metropol."
Cermanikus was the brother of the Roman emperor Tiberyus. With the title of governor of Anatolia, 602 years before the Hijra [around AD 20], he was charged with putting Anatolia in order and came to Asia Minor with a military force. Abolishing the Little Ereşkiyan (Armenian) government, he annexed part of it to the Roman lands and in another part established a small privileged province.
Then, in place of the Pontus government that was abolished when Amentas, who became king of Pontus 597 years before the Hijra, died childless, he was appointed to the governorship of the Armeniak province established as described, and was left residing in Amasya.
However, although Cermanikus's great services to the Roman state earlier in Europe and now in Asia drew everyone's attention, they did not fail to draw the emperor Tiber's suspicion on him as well.
For although Tiber was a man very skilled in state administration, he was extremely cruel, ill-natured and cowardly. He knew that his cruelty and evils had made the people cool toward him, and Cermanikus's fame was shaking his own position. For this reason the emperor Tiber thought it necessary to kill his brother in order to secure his position.
The emperor Tiber, waiting for an opportunity to carry out this feeling about Cermanikus, governor of Pontus, sent Cermanikus to the Palestine continent to suppress a small uprising that had broken out there; immediately afterward he had sternly ordered the governor of Syria, whose conduct he suspected, to kill Cermanikus by some means.
After Cermanikus obeyed Tiber's order and carried out his duty, approximately 592 years before the Hijra, he died affected by a poisoned sherbet given by the governor of Syria. The emperor Tiber, so as not to be diminished in the people's eyes, also had the governor of Syria, whom he did not like anyway, killed, and thus did away with both of his rivals at once.
Silenus was one of the Roman generals. On Cermanikus's death by poisoning he was appointed by the emperor Tiberyus to the governorship of the province of Pontus and Cappadocia and lived in Amasya. He was also called "Jillenus, Julyenus."
In the time of Silenus, governor of Pontus, the Greeks and Armenians had spread to every part of the Pontus and Cappadocia continent and mixed with the native Turanians. All of them worshipped idols. Although the fusion of the various elements seemed appropriate in this respect, incidents between the Turanians and the Romans because of national disputes were not lacking.
This Silenus must be the "Cilanus" who repaired the fortress of Amasya and gave it the name "Cilanus Polis." "Cilanus Polis" means "Cilanbolı, Cilanus İli," that is, "City of Cilan." Although this name was first given to the fortress, judging by the fact that today only the well inside the fortress is called "Cilanbolı," it is understood that it did not become widespread among the Turanians.
With the death of the emperor Tiber 585 years before the Hijra, Kalikulla, son of the former governor of Pontus Cermanikus, became Roman emperor. But how many years Silenus remained governor and who was appointed to Pontus and Cappadocia after him could not be found.
In the time of Makarinus (Makrin), governor of Syria, who became Roman emperor 405 years before the Hijra, an incident arose between the Turanians and the Romans in the Pontus continent; a Turanian named Terâs (Tirâs) rebelled and came to the point of taking the Pontus continent.
The emperor Makrin, around 400 years before the Hijra, taking a military force and coming to the Pontus continent to calm the revolt, was killed; Terâs's influence thereupon increased. However, 389 years before the Hijra, when the Roman emperor Aleksandır Sevirus prevailed over Iran, he did away with him too.
Since Aleksandır Sevir's mother was a Christian, he protected Christianity and showed violence to idol worshippers, that is, the polytheists. In his time Christianity appeared in Amasya and began to spread heavily among the influence of the polytheists.
As understood from the general histories and from Kâmûsu'l-A'lâm, in the time of Lisinus, emperor of the eastern lands, Te'odor, one of the Roman officers in Amasya, accepted Christianity through the exhortation and persuasion of the famous priest Asteris, who directed the affairs of the Christians of Amasya; for this reason the situation of the Christians had changed.
At this time the said Te'odor, angered by an incident between the Christians and the polytheists, with the Christians he took demolished the polytheists' temples, burned very many of them and killed a good number of people.
The polytheists, greatly affected by this bloody event, gathered under the command of one of the notables named Otas and rose to resist, and in December of the 307th year after the birth of Jesus they killed Te'odor and his helpers. Later the Christians placed this Te'odor among their saints and make a feast in his name on a day in December every year.
The emperor Lisinus, since he was not a Christian and was very busy with wars, tolerated Otas's moves and, to benefit from his influence, summoned him, won his heart, gave him the governorship of Pontus, and tried to secure his position through the polytheists' support.
But Kostantin, emperor of the western lands, seeing the multitude of the Christians, accepted Christianity under his mother's direction and, taking advantage of this multitude, defeated Lisinus, emperor of the eastern lands, in war and in 299 years before the Hijra [AD 323] became sole Roman emperor.
After this date Pilinus (Pilin), one of the commanders of the former governor of Bithynia who had helped Christianity, was appointed to the governorship of Pontus, and the said priest Asteris to the first metropolitanate of Amasya; Christianity began to show violence everywhere. These two persons tried to spread Christianity by resorting to a great many coercive means to convert the polytheists to Christianity.
Asteris on one hand wrote books on Christian beliefs and on the other helped Christianity using the influence he had. For this reason he was counted among the saints by the Christians and was recorded in Christian history under the name "Sent Asteris."
Since Sent Asteris had very great influence during the period he served as metropolitan in Amasya, Amasya, which was already the provincial center, also became the center of Christianity, a place to which everyone applied. For this reason Amasya became a seedbed of priests, and priests and preachers were sent from here to every side.
Sent Asteris lived very long and was held in esteem in his age at the level of a patriarch. He died around 271 years before the Hijra. He is buried in Amasya in today's Çukur Church. He must be speaking of the imaginary priest Sent Asteris, whom the Christians claim to have an eternal life.
For as is widespread among the Christians of Amasya, in the Çukur Church there is said to have been a priest among the saints, one of Jesus's disciples, extremely old, whose body shrank as the years passed until it remained the size of a crow, kept hidden in a cotton basket and still alive. Once at the beginning of each year he would raise his head and ask the head priest of the church, "Has the fish climbed the poplar, has our Lord Jesus come?" Receiving the answer "No," he would say "I still have time" and lie down again, sleeping a full year.
Although the Christians once presented this tale as a miracle of Christianity, no one has so far seen either the basket or a living priest the size of a crow. Your humble author, though he worked hard to reach the origin of this tale, could see no trace beyond word. In all likelihood, since Atris, Teodor and Pelin were among the Christian saints who spread Christianity in Amasya, this tale must have been fabricated to keep their memory alive.
The Roman emperor Constantine the Great, after securing his position through Christianity, also confirmed everyone's freedom of sect, drew to himself first of all the polytheists and the Turanians living in Anatolia, and thus preserved the security and peace of the Roman lands.
For Christianity, rather than enlightening people's minds and improving general morality, expelled non-Christians from the human community and showed every kind of torture to be permitted against them. This was understood from the violence the Christians showed in the Roman lands even at times when Christianity was not yet strong.
Yet at that time under Roman rule there were very many different peoples of various religions, and among them the Christians could make up only about half of the subjects. Christian incidents like the Te'odor affair in Amasya were not lacking in every part of the Roman lands. Understanding that, if freedom of sect were not proclaimed, Christian fanaticism was of a structure that would kill all the polytheists, Kostantin had to proclaim freedom of sect, either in the name of humanity's well-being or of the state's continuation.
However, toward the end of his rule the emperor Kostantin, offended by some conditions of the Roman people, had the city of Istanbul built in four years to be the capital of the Roman state and made it the seat of government; when he divided the Roman lands among his children and relatives, he gave the kingdom of Pontus and Cappadocia to his nephew, a prince named Valentiyen.
Valentiyen, king of Pontus, was the son of the emperor Kostantin's brother and was appointed to the kingdom of Pontus and Cappadocia 286 years before the Hijra. He is also called king Habniyaliyen. Since the former governor Pelin and Asteris, metropolitan of Amasya, remained with king Valentiyen as advisers and respected persons, they returned to the old pressures in the spread of Christianity.
But since the pressure and persecution applied with king Valentiyen's permission greatly oppressed the people whom the Christians regarded as polytheists, the Turanians living in the Pontus continent began to ask for help from the Khazar khans in the place called Scythia. For the first force that drives a human community to revolt is causing pain.
As written in the genealogical registers, in the time of Valentiyen, king of Pontus, Sikrî Han, son of Gökböri Han, who was Khazar ruler, taking a sufficient force to answer the Turanians' outcry, entered the Pontus continent repeatedly by way of Iberia, demanding that the pressure on the Turanians be lifted, and routed Valentiyen's soldiers.
In the end the Roman soldiers, worn down by Sikrî Han's attacks, eight years later, that is 278 years before the Hijra, killed and destroyed king Valentiyen together with his children and accepted freedom of sect; the Turanians in Anatolia were also freed from pressure and Christian fanaticism. But when Kostantin's son Konstans became sole Roman emperor, the old cruelty and Christian fanaticism began to be applied with all their violence. It is known that the famous Khazar ruler Sikrî Han showed his national zeal by making efforts to lift the cruelty done to the Turanians in Asia Minor.
As written in the general histories, within the fifty years from 276 to 227 years before the Hijra, of seven Roman emperors named Konstans, Yulyanus, Valentin, Valanis, Garasiyan, Maksimiyus and Te'odos, six, apart from Yulyanus, since the reins of the state were in the church's hands, thought every cruelty appropriate in order to make the Roman subjects accept Christianity by force, and applied every barbarity as if it were justice. For this reason in Te'odos's time not a single non-Christian remained among the Roman subjects.
But this much pressure was lighting a hearth of calamity that would turn the whole Roman empire into a place of fire. For the barbarities the Romans committed in the name of religion and civilization angered all the Slavs, Germans, Tutuns, Germanics and Gauls greatly, and every nation was raising the banner of revolt against Rome.
In particular, since the Turanians in Asia had reached the utmost point from the Romans' cruelty, the most influential Turanians, the Khazar, Finnish and Hungarian clans and the Huns, that is the On Uygurs, were trying to unite their forces and form an alliance against the Romans.
On the death of Sikrî Han, the Khazar ruler with the most say in Asia Minor, as written in the genealogical registers, his son Gilgay Han ruled twenty years and died 259 years before the Hijra, and his son Mengli Han, and after him his son Kâlîb (Sâlîb) Han, became Khazar ruler and, a contemporary of the Roman emperor Te'odos, joined the Turan union.
After Runa (Urun) Han, khan of the Huns, and then Rukilas (Irkıl) Han succeeded in securing the Turan union, he sent part of the Pechenegs, Sakîts, Gurşîs, Lekzs and Cumans under the command of the Khazar ruler Sâlîb Han to Anatolia; the other part he united with Turan clans such as the Avars, Tatars, Finns, Hungarians and Nogays, took with him and attacked Europe.
According to the details the general histories give, our Pontus continent, at this very time, that is around 231 years before the Hijra, was occupied by the Pechenegs and Cumans under the command of the Khazar ruler Sâlîb Han; Roman rule was removed from the Pontus continent and from its center Amasya, and Senâ (Sungay) Han, commander-in-chief of the Pechenegs, took over the administration of the Pontus continent and made the Amasya area his camp.
In the time of Roman rule many churches, palaces and tombs were built in Amasya, and most of them have vanished. But since a few inscriptions understood to be among the Romans' works still stand, what is known of them is reported here.
In the Latin writing carved on the rock behind the present tannery, on the river, at the head of Kuşköprü in Amasya today, southeast of Şamlar Quarter, it is reported to be written thus:
"It is Rufis, head of our family, who adorned this rock in his own lifetime. He had this tomb made for his son Kıleobrat, who arranged the laws of justice, and when he died his own bones too were placed here. Here are the bones of our fathers. Timeyis Kıroniyon, very dear to us, and his son Palikaruniyos lie here."
The Fourth and Fifth Chapters
It relates and explains, as far as can be known, the governments of the Turanians, Romans, Persians and Arabs in Amasya, their coming, and their relations and wars with one another. Since these two interwoven chapters cannot be separated from each other, they have been combined.
When Roman rule was lifted from Amasya, Sungay Han, commander-in-chief of the Pechenegs, was appointed to the beylik of the Pontus continent by Irkıl Han, khan of the Huns, and charged with extending the conquests. For this reason, together with the other beys, they attacked and seized and plundered on one side as far as Aleppo, on another as far as Baghdad, and on this side as far as the Kadıköy border before Üsküdar, taking revenge for the cruelties and barbarities the Romans had committed.
But the Roman soldiers, mostly shut in strong fortresses, likened the Turanians' attack to a passing flood current. The Roman emperor Te'odos, fighting the various peoples attacking the Roman lands from every side, and especially the Turanians, and dying defeated 227 years before the Hijra, divided the Roman lands into east and west; he appointed his elder son Arkadiyus to the east, that is the Byzantine empire, and his younger son Honoriyus to the west, that is the Latin empire, and died, and the old Roman state thus dissolved and weakened.
In this partition, since the Pontus continent fell entirely to the eastern empire, it was counted as a province made up of eleven livas (sanjaks), and the town of Amasya, the center of the first liva, was made the provincial center as before. The eleven livas are these: Amasya, Erzincan, Tokat, Canik, Çorum, Sivas, Trabzon, Karahisar-ı Şarkî, Gümüşhane, Lazistan, Yozgat.
But in Irkıl Han's time an auspicious Turan state had arisen in place of the Roman states in Asia and Europe; at his death his sister's son Atıl Han, son of Muncuk Han, had become a very brave and invincible khan to all the Turanians.
Since Atıl Han was a glorious khan who ruled from the farthest east to the farthest north, to Damascus in the south and half of Europe in the west, the Pontus continent too was under his sovereignty. This is established by the testimony of the general histories, and it is understood that the continent was under the administration of Sungay Han, commander-in-chief of the Pechenegs.
For as understood from the genealogical registers, at the death of the Khazar ruler Sâlib Han his son Biris (Bars) Han sat on the Khazar throne, and in his time the commander-in-chief of Anatolia was Sungay Han, commander-in-chief of the Pechenegs.
As explained in detail in the introductory section, the Pechenegs settled in the Pontus continent from this date. The name of today's Zana Village, which lies about three hours' distance east of the city of Amasya, is written in old records as "Suna, Sunga"; as explained in the preface, if one examines that Zana Village, like Hakala, was formerly a pleasant town, one can conclude that Sungay Han, commander-in-chief of Anatolia, founded and settled in a fine city here.
In short, although it is known that from the date the Pontus continent and the sanjak of Amasya passed to the Byzantine empire it was under Pecheneg administration for more than half a century, that is a full "bogun" (sixty years), no historical record was seen of who Sungay Han's successors were.
At this time, with the death of the Greek emperor Arkadiyus and then of his son Theodosius II 175 years before the Hijra, Marsiyanus, who became Greek emperor, repelled the attack of the Huns, that is the Turkish Pechenegs and Cumans, in Anatolia and retook the Pontus continent 171 years before the Hijra; thus the city of Amasya passed to Greek rule.
The internal administration of the Byzantine empire was in the hands of two great military officers called the special commanders of the east and the west; the special commander of the east lived in Istanbul and administered the five patriarchates. These were: the East, Egypt, Anatolia, Pontus, Thrace.
The patriarch of the province of Pontus lived in Amasya. The city of Amasya, which had been a metropolis in the Roman period, was under patriarchal administration in the Greek period, whereas it had been under a metropolitan. A patriarchate was built on the east side of the place we today call "Venk" in Amasya; judging by its being called "Ayanikos," it is understood that the first patriarch of Amasya was Ayanika'us.
But besides the patriarchs who ran the religious affairs of the province of Pontus, there was a governor called "Prefektus" who ran civil and military affairs and a mutasarrıf called "Vikâr" who ran each of its sanjaks. But since the patriarchs' influence over the people was very great, the prefects were in the position of instruments of execution of the patriarchs.
After Ayanika'us, "Antimus," who was very well known among the patriarchs of Amasya, and after him "Ayavasilus," were very respected among the Christians.
A very magnificent church was built at the place we call "Ayvasıl" in Amasya, and it was called "Ayavasilus Church" in relation to this patriarch's name. The places we call "Ayvasıl, Ayavasıl," still in the east of Amasya as far as the front of the Kibrithane on the south side of the Yeşilırmak, are called by the name of this Ayavasilus. "Aya" means "saint" in Greek.
Among the Byzantine emperors, Fokas, since he was a nephew of Ayavasilus, patriarch of Amasya, in the time of Justinian II, who became Byzantine emperor 57-44 years before the Hijra, had been appointed to the governorship of the province of Pontus by attaching himself to his wife, the empress Sofiya, in whose hands the affairs of state were.
Fokas lived in Amasya as prefect for quite some time and had a lofty palace built, still famous as the King's Palace, in front of the Kibrithane. It was explained in the preface that the site of the present Bayezid Pasha Quarter was earlier called "Foka Mahallesi."
Fokas, prefect of Amasya, in the time of the Greek emperor Tiberyus 44-40 years before the Hijra, when the Tatars from the east and the Persians from the south attacked the Greek land, became famous for having been in the army under the command of the Greek general Moris and gaining a success against the Persians.
When general Moris defeated the Persians and entered Istanbul in triumph, he became both the emperor Tiberyus's son-in-law and heir, and with the emperor's death 40 years before the Hijra became Byzantine emperor.
In his time, when Hürmüz, son of the Persian ruler Nûşîrevân, was deposed and killed, his son Husrev-i Pervîz fled to Istanbul, took refuge and asked Moris for help. Moris agreed on condition that Iran give back the places it had earlier taken from the Greek land; he married his daughter Mariya (Şîrîn) to him, added sixty thousand soldiers, and in 31 years before the Hijra seated Husrev-i Pervîz on the throne of Iran.
As explained in the preface, Şîrîn is Mariya, daughter of the Greek emperor Moris; the romance written about the love of "Ferhad and Şirin" was composed to relate this love of "Husrev and Şirin." Later, solely because the name Ferhad is famous in Amasya, it must have been attached to Amasya.
The Greek emperor Moris, although he defeated the Avar Turks, who attacked the Greek land in Rumelia, five times in war, was defeated on the sixth campaign. Fokas, governor of Pontus, who was in the army, reported this bitterly to Istanbul and also said that Moris had shown stinginess in ransoming the Greek prisoners. Thereupon the soldiery, enraged, executed the emperor Moris with his children and supporters and made Fokas Greek emperor 20 years before the Hijra [AD 602].
That the Byzantine emperor Fokas built the Fethiye Mosque, which still exists in Amasya, as a church in the name of his daughter Eleni, was understood from the translation of a Greek inscription that came to light when the mosque's minaret was being built in the Hijri year 1300.
If one examines that the King's Palace in Foka (Bayezid Pasha) Quarter in Amasya came to light in a field on the road toward Kirazlı Dere, today in front of the Kibrithane, and that in Câmiu'd-Düvel, in the translation of Tekfur Fokas among the Greek emperors, he is recorded as of the royal line in Amasya, there is no doubt that this emperor Fokas was of Amasya.
As understood from the general histories, Husrev-i Pervîz, with a great force he took, entered the Greek land by way of Diyarbekir, reached the Cappadocia and Pontus continents, then attacked toward Istanbul and came as far as Kadıköy. Yani, governor of Pontus, was killed during the war, and 13 years before the Hijra the sanjak of Amasya, together with the Pontus continent, passed to Persian administration.
As related in the preface, when the Persians took the sanjak of Amasya, one of the Persian emirs named Efrûhte was appointed to the governorship of the province of Pontus and lived in Amasya, and it is said to be understood from some historical treatises that his son Ferhad then became governor of Amasya.
In all likelihood the Greek emperor Fokas of Amasya, badly defeated by the Persians in the east and the Turanians in the west, earned the Greeks' enmity. In the eighth year of his empire he was executed when Herakliyus, the exarch of Africa who had revolted, came to Istanbul, and Herakliyus became, in the Prophet's blessed expression, "azîmü'r-Rûm," that is, Greek emperor.
But at Herakliyus's accession the Byzantine empire was in a very difficult state. For in the east the Persians had completely occupied the Anatolian regions, taken Damascus and Jerusalem and were threatening Istanbul; the Avar Turks too from the west were pressing the empire hard before the walls of Istanbul.
Bewildered amid so many calamities, Herakliyus resorted to serious measures. First he persuaded the Avars to peace, then raising regular armies he entered the Pontus continent by fighting from the Black Sea direction, routed the Persians and in four years before the Hijra retook the whole Anatolian continent together with the province of Pontus; the sanjak of Amasya again returned to Greek rule.
In the time of the Greek emperor Herakl, in the year 622 after the birth of Jesus, the Hijra of our Lord Muhammed, the messenger of the Lord of the worlds, intercessor of sinners, the trustworthy, from Mecca to Medina took place and brought the early ages to an end.
As soon as the bright sun of Islam, which became the means of gathering humanity under the banner of justice and equality and which ensured general well-being, rose, it began to light up the world at great speed.
The religion of Islam, proclaiming that the spiritual interests and human rights of all nations and communities are worthy of respect and protected from attack, overshadowing the other religions, which were for humanity a kind of intellectual baseness, dazzled the eyes with its light like flashing lightning; sweeping before it cities and towns, it spread its light toward the ends of Asia and Africa and, passing into Anatolia, was trying to unite the old Turan land with Turkestan.
While the Islamic caliphate, founded first in Medina and then in Damascus, was spending its strength to carry the light of Islam to the lands of the world, the happy face of the noble Arab people began to appear from the south of Anatolia.
The crescent of Islam, rising on Anatolia from the south and slowly climbing, as it climbed began to light the horizons of our Amasya land; the soil of Amasya awaited the divine lights of that happy face with great longing. For Amasya was a work made by the old Turanians who believed in the oneness of God.
As understood from the details given by the Arab scholars and Turan scholars who wrote and recorded the histories of peoples with great care, there is no doubt that the first Arab mujahid whose valiant face was seen in our Pontus continent was Mesleme ibn Abdülmelik ibn Mervân.
For while the Greek emperor Le'onitus, who became emperor in the Hijri year 72, was in 75 deposed and had his nose cut off as the successes of the Arab mujahids in Anatolia continued one after another, and the empire was taken by Absimar, commander of Anatolia, with the title "Tiberius III," the attacks of the Islamic mujahids did not stop.
In the period 65-86 of Abdülmelik, who held the office of the Islamic caliphate in Damascus, while the Greek emperors were seizing the empire by cutting off one another's noses, Emir Mesleme, son of Abdülmelik, commander of the Arab mujahids, was entering the Cappadocia continent in triumph.
Since Tiberius III could not stop the Islamic mujahids' military movements in Anatolia, Emir Mesleme, in the Hijri year 83, conquering the towns of Malatya and Kayseri, entered the city of "Tarende (Dârende)" within the Pontus continent, made it a base of operations, summoned and settled a sufficient number of soldiers from the Muslim people of the Jazira, and returned.
Before this, the former emperor Justinian, who had escaped from the prison at Kersun, entering Istanbul with a military force he had received from the Khazar and Bulgar khans, became Greek emperor for the second time and, in 83, deposed Tiberius III, whom the Greeks were already weary of because of the Islamic mujahids' success in Anatolia, cut off his nose and then had him cruelly killed.
After this date Kalis (Kelkis), who was patriarch of Amasya, was bringing and preparing soldiers and provisions in order to defend Amasya, which had come into danger because of the fall of the city of Dârende, when in Şevval 86 Abdülmelik died and his eldest son el-Velîd took the office of the Islamic caliphate.
Velîd ibn Abdülmelik, to link the Anatolian conquests to the Khazar land and, when necessary, to besiege Istanbul and be safe from the Greeks' attack, appointed his brother, the said emir Mesleme, to the governorship of the east, that is, of all Anatolia.
Emir Mesleme, governor of the east, in Rebiülevvel 89 set out from Damascus with a great army made up of Islamic mujahids and came to the city of Dârende without hindrance. From there, advancing in a body with the force at hand, he besieged the city of Harşene (Amasya) by way of Tohat (Tokat).
Kalis, patriarch of Amasya, although he defended with the force he had, asked for quarter since he was routed repeatedly, and Emir Mesleme entered Amasya in triumph for the first time. When the Christian Turanians and Greeks living in Harşene accepted to pay the cizye, Emir Mesleme settled some fifty Muslim tax officials and returned.
The emperor Justinian, since he could not defend the Anatolian land and, to take revenge on those who had earlier plotted against him, committed cruelty against the people of Kersun (Crimea), Bardan (Vartan), commander of Kersun, promising to retake the land the Islamic mujahids had conquered, was proclaimed Greek emperor at the end of the year 89 with the title Philippikos, and his predecessor was killed.
Notes and Research
Old Words in the Text
- vulât: governors
- kıt'a: a large region, part of a land (used in the text for Pontus and Cappadocia)
- vilâyet-i mümtâze: a privileged province with a special status
- nasb etmek: to appoint to a post
- kable'l-hicre: before the Hijra; the author subtracts from 622 to find the Gregorian year
- müşrik: an idol worshipper, one who believes in many gods; the author uses this word for the non-Christian people of Rome
- metropolid: metropolitan, the archbishop at a provincial center
- patrik: one of the highest-ranking religious officials of the Orthodox church
- prefektus: the governor in charge of civil and military affairs in Rome and Byzantium
- mutasarrıf: administrator of a sanjak (liva)
- silsile-nâme: genealogical register, dynastic family tree
- hâkân: the highest title given to rulers in Turkish states, khagan
- eksarh: a governor holding civil and military authority in Byzantium's distant provinces
- istîmân: asking for quarter, surrendering and asking that one's life be spared
- cizye: a tax taken from non-Muslims under Islamic rule
- mücâhid: a soldier fighting on the path of Islam
- mecrûh: wounded
- kitâbe: writing on stone
Amasya under Roman Rule
Hüsameddin relates the Roman period as a short series of governors under the name "Armeniak province." According to today's sources Amasya (Amaseia) was one of the capitals of the kings of Pontus in the Hellenistic period and was annexed within Roman borders in 63 BC; in the 3rd century AD it gained importance as a bishopric center. After Diocletian's reorganization Amaseia became the center of the Dioecesis Pontica, which covered northern Anatolia; this diocese was made up of twelve provinces extending from Bithynia to Cappadocia and Armenia, and Helenopontus was one of them.
The account concerning Germanicus partly agrees with today's knowledge. Germanicus was not Tiberius's brother but his adopted son. He was sent to Asia Minor in AD 18 and, defeating the kings of Cappadocia and Commagene, turned these regions into Roman provinces. The next year he died suddenly in Antioch, rumors arose that the governor of Syria, Piso, or Tiberius had had him poisoned, but these were never proved. Hüsameddin's account that the governor of Syria gave a poisoned sherbet is a form of these rumors; the author relates it like an established event. That Germanicus lived in Amasya as governor of Pontus could not be verified in another source.
The figures given for the years before the Hijra are the author's own calculation: these years, found by subtracting from 622, establish an approximate equivalence with Gregorian dates and were not tested one by one in this study.
Saint Asteris and Saint Te'odor
The person who appears as Asteris in the text is, in Christian sources, Asterios of Amasya. According to today's knowledge he was born in Cappadocia around AD 350, after practicing law became bishop of Amasya between 380 and 390, and died around 410. Little is known of his life; sixteen homilies of his survive to the present, and these homilies are valuable for the social life and art history of the period. Hüsameddin moves him to the beginning of the time of Constantine the Great and makes him the first metropolitan of Amasya; he writes that he died "271 years before the Hijra," that is, around AD 351. The date of the bishopric in today's records is about thirty years after this; the expression "first metropolitan" was also not seen in another source.
The person called Te'odor is Saint Theodoros Tiron ("the recruit") of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. According to the account he was a soldier in the Roman army; during Diocletian's great persecution of Christians he refused to offer sacrifice to the idols in Amasya, burned the city's temple of Cybele, and was thereupon burned to death. The year of death is generally given as 306; one source has 287. His remains were later taken to Euchaita, today the village of Beyözü within the borders of Çorum. Hüsameddin's account resembles this tradition, but places the event in the time of the emperor Lisinus and presents Te'odor as an officer who demolished the polytheists' temples and was then killed by Otas's men. The December date in the text does not agree with the Christian tradition's commemoration day of 17 February.
The Claim That Fokas Was from Amasya
The most striking claim of the section is that the Byzantine emperor Fokas was from Amasya. Hüsameddin bases this on a Greek inscription found during the building of the Fethiye Mosque's minaret, on remains that came out in a field in front of the Kibrithane, and on the entry for Fokas in Câmiu'd-Düvel. In today's sources it is stated that Phocas was born in Thrace; nothing is known of his childhood and youth. He served as a non-commissioned officer in Mauricius's Balkan campaigns, became emperor in 602, and died in 610. Hüsameddin's account that he became emperor while governor of Pontus does not agree with this information. His giving the year of accession as "20 years before the Hijra," that is, AD 602, is correct.
The Fethiye Mosque is still in Amasya today. According to the city guide of Amasya Municipality the building is an old Byzantine church; the church is thought to have been built in the 7th century by Helena, daughter of Phocas. It is said that Fetih Gazi, who was governor of Amasya in the Danishmendid period, converted the church into a mosque and named it Fethiye. The minaret was added in 1883 by İncezade Hacı Mehmet; the building was repaired and reopened for worship in 1956. The present state and text of the Greek inscription Hüsameddin mentions could not be verified.
Phocas's overthrow largely coincides with the course Hüsameddin relates: in 608 Heraclius the Elder, exarch of Carthage, and his son revolted, and the son Heraclius reached Istanbul in 610 and took the throne. That the empire was at that time under pressure from the Sasanians in the east and the Avars and Slavs in the west also agrees with today's knowledge. That the Sasanian ruler Khosrow II came to the throne with Mauricius's help and later became hostile to Byzantium also appears in the records. Hüsameddin's linking the story of "Ferhad and Şirin" to these events is the author's own interpretation; no source was found that Mauricius's daughter was Şirin. Hüsameddin places Heraclius's retaking Anatolia from the Persians four years before the Hijra; according to the TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi Heraclius left Istanbul in 622 and in this campaign freed Anatolia and Armenia from Sasanian occupation.
The Arab Conquests, Mesleme and Battal Gazi
Mesleme ibn Abdülmelik is a son of the Umayyad caliph Abdülmelik and one of the leading Umayyad commanders of his age. According to today's knowledge, as governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan he organized many campaigns against Byzantium, destroyed Galatia, and plundered Amasya in 712. This date coincides with the Hijri year 93 (711-12) that Hüsameddin gives. According to the TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi Amasya was taken by the Arabs in 712 and a few years later Byzantine forces under Leo III (717-741) retook the city; Hüsameddin too relates that Leon retook the city, but places this between the years 97-100. Another study notes that the Byzantine author Theophanes writes that in a campaign of Mesleme around Hijri 111-112 he took the fortress of Harşene in Cappadocia; this suggests that a trace of the Amasya wars Hüsameddin relates may also be found in Byzantine sources. Hüsameddin, however, records that these wars do not appear in the translation of Byzantine history he has at hand.
Battal Gazi, according to the TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, is a commander who lived in the Umayyad era; he took part in the Byzantine campaigns of 717-740, and his fame spread in these years. The sources first mention him at the siege of Istanbul in 717. His death took place at Akroinon, near today's Seyitgazi, and the date of death is given in the sources between 731 and 741. For this reason Hüsameddin's showing him in the Amasya wars of Hijri 93 (712) should be viewed with caution. The author's rejecting in a footnote the Husaynid sayyid lineage in the Battalnâme also agrees with the encyclopedic sources; it is noted that the traditions placing Battal in the Abbasid period come from the legends in the Battalnâme.
The person Hüsameddin calls "Abdülvehhab Gazi" is Abdülvehhab ibn Buht. In the sources he appears as Battal Gazi's close friend and is said to have fallen a martyr in the Hijri year 113 (731). His tomb at the place called Yukarı Tekke in Sivas is still visited today. The people of Sivas regard him as the Prophet's standard-bearer; Evliya Çelebi also thought him to be Süheyb-i Rûmî of the Companions. Hüsameddin likewise warns against a similar confusion by saying that Süheyb and Ma'dî Kerb, thought to be buried in Çorum, are not of the Companions but ghazis of this war.
Points to Note
In this section Hüsameddin reads the history of Amasya as a contention between the Turanians and the Romans and ties the Pecheneg and Khazar names to place names around Amasya. His linking Zana Village to Sungay Han and the name "Cilanbolı" to Silenus is the same method. No independent document supporting these identifications was found; they should be read as interpretations the author drew from similarity of names.
The present state of the Latin tomb inscription said to belong to the Roman period could not be verified.
The approximate Gregorian equivalents of the Hijri years are as follows: 72 (691-92), 83 (702), 86 (705), 89 (707-08), 93 (711-12), 113 (731-32).
Bibliography
Primary sources
- Abdîzâde Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar, Amasya Tarihi, Amasya Belediyesi Kültür Yayınları, 2022, vol. 2, p. 282–289. amasya.bel.tr
Academic studies
Official sources
Other sources