Saltuk Buğra Khan

Saltuk Buğra Khan was a medieval Turkic khan. He is known as the first Muslim Turkic ruler. Although Islam was slowly spreading among the Turks before Saltuk, Saltuk’s conversion accelerated the conversion.

Background

Around 870, a Turkic group emerged as a political power in Turkestan. ^[1] Their origin is obscure. But they were probably a mixture of Karluks, Chigils, Yagma and Uigurs. The title of their leader was Kara khan (courageous khan) and later the historians named them Karakhanids.

Early life

Saltuk Buğra’s exact birth date (probably early 10th century) is not known. After the death of his father, his mother married to Oğulcuk Khan a younger brother of the deceased. During his youth, Saltuk met many Samanids who took refuge in Karakhanid territory following a civil war in Samanid territory. Saltuk a tengrisit was influenced by the Muslim Samanid people and converted to Islam (around 932). He took the Arabic name Abdülkerim. ^[2]

As a khan

After conversion, together with his followers, (whose number was 200000 tents according to tradition ^[3]), he revolted against his uncle who was still a tengrisit and defeated him in the Battle of Fergana. He later on captured Turkestan cities. He became the khan of the western territory of the Karakhanids. But the eastern territory was under the control of a certain Bazir Arslan Khan. After defeating Bazir Arslan around Balasagun, he was able to unite all Karakhanid territıory under his rule. ^[2]He chose Kashgar (now in the East Turkestan Region of PROC) as his capital and appointed his son Buğra Khan Harun as the governor of Balasagun (now in Kyrgyzstan) .^[3] He died in 955 or 958.

References

1. ↑ Sina Akşin-Ümit Hassan:Türkiye tarihi Cilt I,ISBN 975-406-563-2 p.160
2. 1 2 Turkish Islam states page (Turkish)
3. 1 2 Jean Paul Roux:Türklerin tarihi, translation Aykut Kazancıgil, Lale Arslan Özcan, ISBN 975 997 091 0 p.195