After the success of the first season of “Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu” (“The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice”), which told the story of the rise of the Seljuk Empire in the Abbasid era and received very high ratings, Akli Film Production has once again decided to continue the Turkish drama series for its fans. “Alparslan: Büyük Selçuklu” (“Alparslan: The Great Seljuks”) has now premiered on Turkish television station TRT 1, the first Turkish national television network owned by state broadcaster TRT. The series depicts the political events and wars during Alp Arslan’s rule as a sultan of the Seljuk Empire.
“Alparslan: The Great Seljuks” premiered on Nov. 8, 2021 as a prequel to “The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice,” which aired from September 2020 until May last year. “The Great Seljuks: Guardians of Justice” narrated the rise of the empire under the leadership of Alp Arslan’s son, Malikshah, and Malikshah’s son, Ahmad Sanjar, who later inherited his father’s throne. A total of 8 episodes of the recent Alparslan series have been broadcast at the time of this review's publication. The earliest episodes of “Alparslan: The Great Seljuks” have focused on Alp Arslan’s endeavors as a sultan trying to protect innocent Turks, including women and children, from the cruel Byzantines, particularly following the victory of the Seljuk army in the Battle of Pasinler (Battle of Kapetron or Kapetrou). This became the first step of Alp Arslan on his blessed path to open the doors of Anatolia to the Turks.
The narration of this period of the Seljuk Empire highlighted characters such as Tuğrul Bey, the founder and the first sultan of the empire, as well as Tuğrul’s brother Çağrı Bey. Tuğrul and Çağrı were both the sons of Mikail, who was the son of Seljuk Bey, the person after whom the empire was named. Tuğrul and Çağrı were the two leaders who continued to dominate as far as Baghdad, which was successfully conquered after defeating the military of Buyid Dynasty in 1055. Tuğrul later was bestowed with support by Abbasid Caliph Al-Qa'im at Baghdad on his arrival and leadership as well as with great appreciation and title. The entry into the city became a sign of the end of the Buyid’s rule and certainly the beginning of Seljuk Empire in the Abbasid era.
Apart from the two main characters mentioned above, the empire also witnessed antagonist characters who caused problems for the sultan. Tuğrul Bozan was a slave-soldier to Mahmud, the ruler of the Ghaznavid Empire, who rose through the ranks to become commander in chief of the army. However, he became known as the accursed, the inauspicious, the arrogant and the contemptible, following his usurpation of the Ghaznavid throne and massacre of Ghaznavid royal princes. Similarly, al-Kunduri was a vizier to Tuğrul Bey and was originally recruited into the Seljuk bureaucracy as a secretary. Then he became a natural schemer and sought to exploit power and influence over the ruler. The empire also witnessed dissatisfaction among brothers such as Ibrahim Inal, who was a half brother of Tuğrul and served as the commander of the Seljuk army in the Battle of Pasinler, but was finally executed following his revolt against his half brother.
In addition to these characters, the narrative of the Seljuk Empire would have been incomplete without the involvement of Nizam al-Mulk who was the “de facto” leader of the empire. Nizam al-Mulk was an atabey to Alp Arslan, meaning a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. Therefore, Nizam al-Mulk played a very important role in molding the personality of Alp Arslan, who eventually inherited the throne.
One of the most captivating scenes in this series was when Alp Arslan asked Nizam al-Mulk about the personalities of the Ghaznavid sultans (Nizam al-Mulk had previously served the Ghaznavids). Nizam al-Mulk gave this exceptional answer to the question: “I don’t know about Ghaznavid sultans, but if you ask me what qualities a sultan needs to have, I can tell you them. A sultan needs to be good natured. He needs to be brave, good at riding and needs to be able to use all kind of weapons skillfully. He needs to know about arts. He needs to approach Muslims with kindness. He needs to fulfill his promise in any condition. He needs to be pious and like to pray. He needs to give importance to scholars. He needs to protect poor people and be the enemy of oppressors. What I told you is what a sultan needs to be.”
This scene caught my attention, as if I was reading the “Siyasat Nameh” (“Book of Government”), the most famous work on the politics and administration of Muslims by Nizam al-Mulk himself. The work, which is now known as “Mirrors for Princes” was commissioned by Malikshah, the son of Alp Arslan who took over the ruling throne after his father’s death in 1072, to serve as a ruling guide.
Until now, this television series has featured an abundance of intriguing scenes and even significant script lines about the responsibilities of leaders that do not fulfill only the physical needs of the people, but their spiritual needs as well. Tuğrul instructed his viziers and officials in a scene: “Do not forget, if the lands conquered with swords are not improved with pens, they remain as just lands, they don’t become a homeland.”
“Alparslan: The Great Seljuks” is anticipated to deliver more outstanding scenes in narrating the life and triumphs of the second sultan of the Seljuk Empire Alp Arslan, just like his uncle, Tuğrul, the fearless sultan whose priority was to strengthen the empire for the people so they could enjoy an independent life under the auspices of Islam. Such high character has continued the legacy of the empire, expanding the victories of the 11th century.
This television series is expected to end with a big event that was an important moment that changed the long history of Turkey and marked the victory of the land. The Battle of Manzikert, which witnessed the success of Alp Arslan against the armies of the Byzantine Empire in 1071, was the critical moment for Muslim advancement in the lands of Anatolia that eventually paved the way towards the conquest of Constantinople 382 years later by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror.
The upcoming episodes are eagerly awaited by a huge audience who are keen to follow every single scene of the series. We hope that this series, and others like it, will continue to thrive in portraying every historical event throughout the age of Muslim rulers, which will undoubtedly serve to unveil the great history of Turkey.
