Ahi Ayna

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Ahi Ayna Beg
Emir adil[a]
Emir of Erzincan
Reign1348–1362
Predecessor?
SuccessorPir Husayn
Died2–3 July 1362
ReligionIslam

Ghiyath al-Din Ahi Ayna Beg (

shaheed (martyr) and was succeeded by Pir Husayn
.

Background

Following the retreat of the Byzantine Empire from the region, the Mengüjekids rose around Erzincan in the early 12th century. It later came under the influence of the Sultanate of Rum, an Islamic state centered in Anatolia, which saw its height from the late 12th century to 1237. The Mongol invasion gradually reached the region. Mongol raiders led by Baiju Noyan pillaged Erzincan and pushed until Sivas in 1232. The Sultan of Rum, Kaykhusraw II (r. 1237–46) faced a major defeat by the Mongol Empire at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243. With the division of the Mongol Empire, the Ilkhanate rose in West Asia, which was founded by Hulegu Khan (r. 1256–65).[2] The Empire of Trebizond was located north of Erzincan. Although Trebizond did not rule over Erzincan, the town had significant commercial links with Trebizond, being mostly inhabited by Christian Armenians but administered by a Muslim ruler.[3] At an unknown date in the first half of the 14th century, Erzincan came under the rule of Eretna, a former Ilkhanid officer who carved up his sultanate after the downfall of the Ilkhanate. After his victory in 1343 at Karanbük (between Erzincan and Sivas) against the Chobanid army led by Suleiman Khan, Eretna declared independence as the sultan of his domains, minting his own coins and having the khutbah delivered in his name.[4]

Rough extent of Eretna's domains

Reign

A local ahi, Ahi Ayna purchased control of Erzincan from his predecessor sometime before 1348 according to Bazm-u Razm written by Aziz bin Ardashir-i Astarabadi.[5] Ahi Ayna first appears in records as a vassal of Eretna circa 1348.[4] Michael Panaretos wrote that in June 1348, Ahi Ayna led a joint attack against the Empire of Trebizond together with Tur Ali Beg of the Aq Qoyunlu Turkmens and Muhammad Rikabdar, the emir of Bayburt. He returned to Erzincan after 3 days of campaign was inconclusive.[6]

Following Eretna's death, Ahi Ayna exercised autonomy and attempted to increase his sphere of influence.[7] An Armenian colophon of 1355 mentions that Ahi Ayna was attacked by "Khochay Yali," likely Khoja Latif of Bayburt.[8] In June 1362, Ghiyath al-Din Ahi Ayna Beg went on an expedition in Georgia. He captured Akhaltsikhe, Samstskhe, and Atsquri, took 12,000 people captive, and had Manglisi pay jizya.[1] On 6 August 1361, Ahi Ayna continued his expedition in the region of Lazica, i.e. eastern territories of the Empire of Trebizond. In October of that year, he besieged but wasn't able to capture the fortresses of Golacha and Koukos.[9][b]

Ahi Ayna was the suzerain of three other emirates, namely those in

Upper Euphrates Valley near Çaltı. Kemah was under the administration of a governor instead of a vassal emir like Ahi Ayna.[10] Although Ahi Ayna acted semi-independently during the reign of Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad I of the Eretnid Sultanate, an Eretnid coin minted in Erzincan from the year 1359 indicates that Ahi Ayna's subordinate position continued and he never declared independence.[11]

Ahi Ayna died on 2–3 July 1362 reportedly as a

shaheed (martyr), suggesting a violent death.[12] Pir Husayn, who was originally the ruler of Karahisar, arrived in Erzincan on 8 June 1362 and succeeded Ahi Ayna Beg. He "gained independence" on 10 July, having clashed with emirs who fled to Bayburt and Tercan. In Abu Bakr Qutbi's Tarikh-i taqwim, he is mentioned as an emir-zada (lit. 'son of an emir') following the statement about Ahi Ayna's demise, hinting at the possibility he was Ahi Ayna's son.[13]

Notes

  1. ^ According to Abu Bakr Qutbi's Tarikh-i taqwim.[1]
  2. ^ Panaretos reported on the siege of Golacha and that it took 16 days. Some "siege machines" were used. Abu Bakr Qutbi mentions the siege of Koukos in his work Tarikh-i taqwim.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Yücel 1971, p. 669.
  2. ^ Peacock 2000.
  3. ^ Bryer 1975, p. 125.
  4. ^ a b Yücel 1971, p. 666.
  5. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 32.
  6. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 667.
  7. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 668; Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  8. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 32–33.
  9. ^ a b Shukurov 1994, p. 33.
  10. ^ Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  11. ^ Yücel 1971, p. 668–669; Sinclair 1989, p. 439.
  12. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 35–36.
  13. ^ Shukurov 1994, p. 36.

Bibliography

  • Bryer, Anthony (1975). "Greeks and Türkmens: The Pontic Exception". Dumbarton Oaks Papers. 29: 113–148. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  • Peacock, Andrew Christian Spencer (2000). "Saljuqs iii. Saljuqs of Rum". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica, Online Edition. Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  • Shukurov, Rustam (June 1994). "Between Peace and Hostility: Trebizond and the Pontic Turkish Periphery in the Fourteenth Century". Mediterranean Historical Review. 9 (1). Routledge: 20–72.
    doi:10.1080/09518969408569663
    .
  • Sinclair, T. A. (31 December 1989). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey. Vol. II. Pindar Press.
    ISBN 978-0-907132-33-2
    .
  • Yücel, Yaşar (October 1971). "Mutahharten ve Erzincan Emirliği" [Mutahharten and the Emirate of Erzincan]. Belleten (in Turkish). 35 (140): 665–719. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
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