The Saljuq Dynasty : The First Islamic Empire in Iran

Abstract

The Saljuq dynasty, which ruled the vast Islamic lands from Mā Varā al-Nahr to the Mediterranean Sea for nearly two centuries, based its power on the division of power between various structures, namely the soltānate, the caliphate, the vizierate, and the amirate. Khwāja Nezām al-Molk, the vizier of the Saljuq dynasty, by establishing Nezāmiya schools (religious colleges), wanted to draw the religious scholars and young generations of the Saljuq Empire to this region and establish intellectual harmony. Instead, Khwāja Nezām al-Molk’s political-religious ideas fueled religious differences and created a suffocating environment. Eventually, with the weakening of the bureaucratic structure and the expansion of the monopolistic power of the military, the Saljuq territories were divided among princes, amirs, and atābaks (governors).