Tamar Gurju Khatun

Tamar Gurju Khatun (Georgian: გურჯი-ხათუნი, romanized: gurji-khatuni; also Gürgü Hatun, fl. 1237-1286) was a Georgian royal princess from the Bagrationi dynasty and principal consort of the Sultanate of Rum as the favorite wife of sultan Kaykhusraw II, whom she married after the death of Muhammad II of Khwarazm in 1237.^[2][3] After his death in 1246 she married the Anatolian strongman Mu'in al-Din Parwana. She was the mother of sultan Kayqubad II and patron to Rumi.

Gurju Khatun
Likely depiction of Gurju Khatun, Kırkdamaltı Kilisesi.[1]
Consort of Sultanate of Rum
Tenure	1237–1246
Born	Tamar c.1224 Kingdom of Georgia
Died	c.1286 (aged 65-66)
Spouse	Kaykhusraw II Pervâne
Issue	Kayqubad II
Names Tamar Bagrationi
Dynasty	Bagrationi dynasty
Father	Ghias ad-Din
Mother	Rusudan of Georgia
Religion	Georgian Orthodox Church, later Islam

Her title Gurju Khatun means "Georgian Lady" in Turkic languages.

Life

She was born as Tamar (Georgian: თამარი, Tamari), had a biblical name popular in Kingdom of Georgia and was named after her grandmother Tamar the Great.^[4]

Gurju Khatun was the daughter of Queen Rusudan of Georgia and the Seljuk prince Ghias ad-Din, a grandson of Kilij Arslan II.

She was a sister of King David VI of Georgia.

The raids conducted by Kayqubad I, the Seljuk sultan of Rum, into Georgian lands alarmed the Georgian queen Rusudan, who sent a letter to the sultan. Among other matters, she offered her daughter Tamar — "of the line of the Seljuks, of the line of David" — in marriage to Kayqubad's son, Kaykhusraw. An agreement was reached, but the wedding took place only after the sultan's death. The vizier Shehabeddin Kermani traveled to Tbilisi bearing gifts, and once preparations were completed, the bridal procession departed for Konya.

Upon reaching Erzincan, Shehabeddin informed the groom, now the reigning sultan, and preparations began in Kayseri. When the bride arrived, a magnificent wedding ceremony was held.^[5] This occurred in 1237, when Tamar was about thirteen years old.^[6][7] According to the Centennial Chronicle (Anonymous Chronicle of the 14th century, part of the Kartlis Tskhovreba), Rusudan granted her the city of Atskuri, including its church and fortress, as her dowry.^[8]

Kaykhusraw already had a wife and a concubine, each of whom had borne him a son; both were of Greek origin. Nevertheless, Tamar became his favored wife and bore the prestigious title Malikat al-Malikat ("Queen of Queens").^[9][10] Among the Turks she was known as Gurju Khatun ("the Georgian Lady").^[11][12] She spent most of her life in Kayseri.^[13]

According to Tamara Talbot Rice, Tamar exerted considerable influence over her husband.^[14] Kaykhusraw minted coins depicting himself as a lion and Tamar as a rising sun with a woman's face.^[13][10][15]

Rusudan married off her daughter on the condition that Tamar would not be compelled to accept Islam,^[16][17] and Kaykhusraw agreed to this promise.^[17] Tamar "came from her country wearing Christian garments, accompanied by a catholicos, holy men, and priests of the Church," as well as Georgian attendants. Her cousin David traveled with her as well.^[5][17][18]

According to the Centennial Chronicle, Rusudan later wrote to her son-in-law Kaykhusraw and to her daughter, urging them to kill David.^[19] When Kaykhusraw and Tamar refused after two such appeals, Rusudan "forgot both faith and compassion toward her kin, and even the love of a mother," and, sparing no one, falsely accused her daughter. She wrote to the sultan claiming that "David has committed adultery with your wife, my daughter." Enraged, the sultan beat Tamar and smashed the icons in her chambers, then forced her to accept Islam and imprisoned David.^[5][11][20]

Historian Speros Vryonis considered the credibility of this narrative doubtful.^[21] According to Bar Hebraeus, Tamar accepted Islam some time after the marriage, while her companions — "her cousin David and the catholicos" — were arrested and confined in a citadel; they were freed only upon the arrival of the Mongols.^[22] Claude Cahen attributed David's imprisonment to Rusudan's political intrigues, arguing that she sought to eliminate her nephew in order to secure the throne for her own son.^[23]

He only let her choose which denomination of Islam she wanted to convert to. Gurju Khatun chose Sufism. It is said that the sun on the Seljuk coins of that time symbolizes Tamar, while the lion stands for the sultan himself. This emblem, known as shir-u hurshid (Lion and Sun), later became widespread in the Islamic world (though its origins date back to much earlier times). After the death of Kaykhusraw in 1246, the government of the sultanate was seized by the Mu'in al-Din Parwana who married Gurju Khatun.

She is known to have patronized science and art, and to have been on friendly terms with the famous Sufi poet Rumi in particular. She also sponsored the construction of the poet's tomb in Konya.^[24]

Family

Gurju Khatun had married in 1237 his Seljuk cousin Kaykhusraw II, Sultan of Rum, she had a son from this marriage:

• Kayqubad II (c. 1238-1239 – 1254/1256), Sultan of Rum (1249–1254).

She subsequently married the Mu'in al-Din Parwana (d.1277), she had another son from this marriage:

• Mehmed Bey, who became the heir of Mu'in al-Din Parwana.

Lastly, she may have married the Byzantine dignitary Basil Giakoupes.^[25]

Bibliography

• Kapanşahin, M.; Duman, K. (2023). "Anadolu Selçuklu Devleti'nde Rum Kökenli Melikeler" [Melikes of Rum Origin in the Anatolian Seljuk State]. Journal of Turkic World Women Studies (in Turkish). 2 (1): 1–19. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7764630.
• Vryonis, Speros (1977). Another Note on the Inscription of the Church of St. George of Beliserama. Vol. 9. Βυζαντινά. pp. 11–22.
• Shukurov, R. M. (2011). S. P. Karpov (ed.). Harem Christianity: The Byzantine Identity of the Anatolian Seljuks Гаремное христианство: византийская идентичность анатолийских Сельджуков. Black Sea Region in the Middle Ages (in Russian). Vol. 8. Saint Petersburg: Aleteiya. pp. 64–90.
• Kartlis Tskhovreba (in Russian). Artanuji Publishing. 2008. p. 484.
• Shukurov, R. (2017). Turks in the Byzantine World (1204–1461) Тюрки в византийском мире: (1204—1461) (in Russian). Moscow University Press. ISBN 978-5-19-011131-6.
• Cahen, Claude (1968). Pre-Ottoman Turkey: A General Survey of the Material and Spiritual Culture and History c. 1071–1330. New York: Sidgwick & Jackson. p. 492. ISBN 978-0-283-35254-6.