Anatolian Seljuk State
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The Anatolian Seljuk State was an Islamic state ruled by a Turkish Seljuk dynasty over much of Anatolia (Asia Minor). It emerged from the fragmentation of the Great Seljuk Empire after Turkmen forces entered the Byzantine territories of Anatolia. The name "Rum" derived from the Arabic and Persian term for Rome—meaning Byzantine—because this state ruled lands that had formerly been part of the Byzantine Empire.
The capital was initially Nicaea (Iznik), later moved to Konya, which became the most important city in the state's history. Persian was the primary language of administration and culture, while Arabic was used for religious sciences and Turkish served as the language of the common people and military. The state gradually declined following Mongol rule and was replaced by smaller states called beylik-s, one of which became the Ottoman Empire.
Foundation and early centuries
The founder of the state is recognized as Suleyman ibn Qutalmush, a member of the Seljuk ruling family. The Seljuk military victory at Manzikert (1071) opened Anatolia to Turkmen migration. The reigns of Kilij Arslan I and Mesud I were marked by wars against the Crusaders and Byzantines, and competition with other Turkish states in Anatolia, particularly the Danishmends. Kilij Arslan II fought the Byzantines at Myriokephalon (1176), which strengthened Seljuk control of central Anatolia.
Period of greatest power
In the early thirteenth century, especially under the reign of Ala al-Din Kayqubad I, the state reached its height. It controlled maritime ports including Antalya, Alanya, and Sinop, giving it access to Mediterranean and Black Sea trade. Notable buildings such as mosques, madrasas, and caravanserais (roadside inns built along trade routes) were constructed in Konya, Sivas, Kayseri, and Erzurum. Konya also became a center of learning and Sufism; Jalal al-Din Rumi spent much of his life there, and it was where the Mevlevi Order originated.
Mongol rule and collapse
In 1243 the Mongol forces defeated the Seljuk army at Köse Dağ. After this, the sultans of Rum became tributary rulers under the Ilkhanate of Iran. Real authority passed to Mongol viziers and military commanders, while the sultanate became divided among competing factions. By the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, effective power shifted to regional emirs (beylik-s), such as Karaman, Germiyan, Aydın, and the Ottomans. The state formally ended when its last sultan was deposed.