A Turkish drama called Ertugrul Ghazi is being aired in Urdu
on Pakistan Television. But before dubbing in Urdu, the drama is so popular in
Pakistan that even Prime Minister Imran Khan is considered among its fans who
have praised the 'Islamic civilization' shown in it.
According to Ottoman tradition, Ertugrul was the father of Usman
I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. In addition, there is a lack of factual
information about them.
The beginnings of this family and empire, which ruled a large part of the world for centuries are lost in the mists of history. In
addition to the Ottoman traditions, the history books mention two concrete
signs of the period (a coin and an inscription by a historian of the Byzantine
Empire) and a dream of 'Usman, which we will discuss later.
What is certain is that 'Usman belonged to a nomadic tribe
living in what is now Anatolia, Turkey, and his government was one of the
smallest in Anatolia, with little difference in power.
The question arises as to what ultimately Usman or his
father did that only the dynasty of this family spread from the tribe to a
small state and then from the formation of a large empire of Anatolia spread
over three continents and then became a caliphate.
The Ottoman Empire was founded in the early 14th century and
ended in the 20th century. Meanwhile, 37 sultans belonging to the same family
sat on his throne.
According to one historian, it is no less than a miracle for
a family to rule so long.
Historian Caroline Finkel writes in her book, The Dream of
the Ottomans: The Story of the Ottoman Empire: "Whatever the reasons for
the Ottoman success, their The two-century-long war with its neighbors was
fierce.
Ottoman tradition about Ertugrul
The historian Stanford J. Shaw, in his book The History of
the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey writes of the same tradition: "The
beginning of the Ottoman Empire has always been an important question for
students of history. It is difficult to say with certainty because of the
contradiction in the traditions written in later periods.
He narrated the same famous tradition that the ancestor of
the Ottomans was Amjad Salman Shah who was the chief of the Qai tribe and
settled in an area of northern Iran at the end of the 12th century.
According to tradition, in view of the Mongol invasions,
like many other Turkish tribes, this tribe also moved to new territories to
escape slavery and destruction, and according to Jaisha, Salman Shah is
believed to have drowned in the Euphrates River as he entered Syria. And then
his two sons went back.
Ertugrul, on the other hand, continued his journey to the
west and entered the territory of Anatolia, where the Seljuk rulers, in return
for their help, gave him land in the western part of Anatolia.
According to this tradition in J. Shah's book, Ertugrul died
in 1280 and the leadership of the tribe passed to his son Usman.
Finkel writes that according to Ottoman tradition, a tribal a chief named Ertugrul came to northwestern Anatolia and settled in the area
between the Seljuk and Byzantine empires, and according to this tradition, the
Seljuk sultan gave Ertugrul some territory in Sogat. But what did Ertugrul have
to do with 'Usman?
Coin with unknown date
Finkel writes that the only coin found from the time of Usman,
if genuine, proves that Ertugrul was certainly a historical figure. The coin
reads "Issued for Usman son of Ertugrul".
Finkel adds that Usman's issuance of a coin in his own name
proves that he was not only a tribal chief at the time, but that he had begun
to consider himself an independent amir outside the shadow of the Seljuk Mongol
Empire in Anatolia.
The first mention of the Ottomans in history
Finkel writes that the first mention of the Ottomans is
around 1300 AD.
A Byzantine historian of the time wrote that in 1301 the
Byzantine army was confronted by the army of a man named 'Usman. This battle,
known as the Battle of Baffios, was fought near Constantinople (Istanbul) and
the Byzantine army was severely defeated.
But the Ottomans still had a long way to go to equate the
Byzantine Empire. And when that happened, there were stories of a family
suddenly emerging from obscurity and coming so far.
Historians say that the Ottomans were fortunate in that
their territory was close to Constantinople, which was sure to be a great
reward if they ever succeeded.
Usman's dream
Historian Leslie P. Paris, in his book The Imperial Harem:
Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire, writes that according to the most
widely heard tradition about the beginning of the Ottoman Empire, Usman had a
dream after his initial success. Was
In this dream, he saw that the moon appears from the chest
of a dervishes Sheikh Adibali and enters his own chest. At the same time, a
huge tree emerges from this belly, the shadow of which covers the whole world.
There are springs flowing under the branches of this tree
from which people drink water and irrigate the fields. When 'Usman asked Sheikh
Adibi for an interpretation, he said that God had chosen' Usman and his
descendants to rule the world, and he said that the moon which came out of his
bosom and entered 'Usman's bosom was his. She has a daughter who became Usman's
wife after this dream.
Finkel writes that the early Ottoman sultans were more
interested in proving their right to rule over others than in knowing the date
of their beginnings and that their empire began with a dream that Usman sent
to the house of the elderly dervishes. I saw it during my stay.
She further writes that the documentary evidence for this
dream story is also found in history and that is that the documents of the
lands of the early Ottoman Empire suggest that there was an elder named Adibali
in the time of Usman and that There is also some evidence that his daughter was
one of Usman's two wives.
Ertugrul's Anatolia
Ertugrul's Anatolia was 13th century Anatolia.
Caroline Finkel writes that Anatolia has long been inhabited
by people of many races and religions, including Jews, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks
and the Arabs.
To the west of the region was a much weaker Byzantine empire
then in the past (which in good times extended from Anatolia to Syria) and to
the east the Seljuks who called themselves Roman Seljuks.
The defeat at the hands of the Mongols in the middle of the
13th century weakened the Seljuks and they were forced to make sacrifices to
the Mongols. The authority of the two powerful governments of the past was
equal to not being in this area of "uncertainty" between their
borders.
But it was not just a hotbed of militants. In addition to
the adventurers, there were people who had nowhere else to go.
Finkel takes a picture of the area of the Frontier, where
the Ottoman Empire was founded and says that ... The area is home to gypsies,
semi-gypsies, looters, military campaign enthusiasts, slaves from different
backgrounds, dervishes, monks and priests visiting scattered settlements,
homeless peasants seeking refuge, townspeople, tranquility, and Restless souls
seeking holy places, Muslim teachers seeking patronage and merchants who were
not afraid of dangers were left in the net.
Finkel writes that the highlight of this mismanaged area was
the presence of Muslim dervishes. Like Christian monks, they traveled all the
time or stayed among their followers and their lives became part of the
tradition.
"The opening of the
dervishes was a sign of the image of Islam in the region that was common with
the Sunni Islam of the Seljuk Empire in Anatolia."
Stanford J. Shaw writes in his book that 'When the Turks
(Gypsies) came to Anatolia, the Sufi elders also came with them, which the
powerful Seljuk rulers did not object to because of their popularity among the
Sufis. They were happy to leave the area.
"In the process, some Christians were killed and forced
to flee their homes, but most remained in their place," he added. Some
even converted to Islam ... Some Turkish Sufi sects also entered Christian
places of worship where Christians and Muslims were seen worshiping in the same
place.
Shrine of Ertugrul
In the area of Sogat (where Ertugrul is said to have met
Seljuk Sultan) there is a small mosque named Ertugrul and a shrine which is
said to have been built for him by Ertugrul's son. And then in which Usman's
son Arhan added.
Caroline Finkel writes that this mosque and shrine have been
worked on so many times that no trace of it has survived since its first
construction, so it cannot be said with certainty that any building dates back
to the Ottoman period.
He added that at the end of the 19th century, Sultan Abdul
Hamid II sought to use the fame of his ancestors to improve the reputation of
the weakening empire and rebuilt the mausoleum of Ertugrul in Sogat and the
'Ottoman Martyrs'. Built a cemetery.
Why a TV drama about Ertugrul's life?
Josh Carney, an anthropologist at the American University of
Beirut asked in an article published in the Middle Eastern Review, "Why
did the Turkish government choose Ertugrul instead of many famous
characters?"
Josh Carney says that Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
(1566-1520) and Abdelhamid II (1909-1876) was more famous in the Ottoman
Empire than Ertugrul, but that Ertugrul became a TV serial for no reason.
Turkish TV channel TRT's world-famous series "Dress
Ertugrul" is based on the progress of his Qai tribe fighting various
enemies in Anatolia.
"As a result, while little
is known about the historical role of Ertugrul, the role of TRT is popular in
Turkey and abroad and people love it."
In an article written in 2018, Carney says that many aspects
of the series were evident in the advertisements for the constitutional
referendum in Turkey, which "left no doubt that history and popular
culture have been combined for political gain." ۔
'
Carney says that in making a TV serial about a character
that people don't know, the ease is that it can be presented in any color.
(While) people are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of popular
personalities.
Carney says that's why the series about Sultan Suleiman had
never been so successful before. "Creating a series about Ertugrul was
like painting a blank slate with custom colors.
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