A Turkish drama by the name of Ertugrul Ghazi is being telecasted in the Urdu language on Pakistan Television. But before dubbing in Urdu, this drama is so popular in Pakistan that Prime Minister Imran Khan is also counted among its fans who have praised the 'Islamic civilization' shown in it.
According to Ottoman traditions, Ertugrul was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Apart from this, factual information about them is negligible.
The beginnings of this dynasty and empire, which ruled over a large part of the world for many centuries, have been lost in the mists of history. In addition to Ottoman traditions, history books mention two concrete signs of this period (a coin and writing by a historian of the Byzantine Empire) and a dream of Osman, which we will mention later.
What is certain is that Osman belonged to a Turkic nomadic tribe living in what is now Anatolia in Turkey, and his government was one of the smaller Anatolian governments that did not vary much in power.
The question arises, what did Uthman or his father do so that the rule of only this family from becoming a small state from a tribe and then a large empire of Anatolia spread to three principalities and then changed into a caliphate.
The Ottoman Empire was founded in the early 14th century and ended in the 20th century. Meanwhile, 37 sultans belonging to the same family sat on his throne.
According to a historian, it is nothing less than a miracle for a family to rule continuously for so long.
Historian Caroline Finkel writes in her book 'Otman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire' that 'whatever the reasons for the Ottomans' success, their success in Anatolia (the region that roughly corresponds to the borders of present-day Turkey)' The struggle with its neighbors over two centuries was fierce.'
Historian Stanford Jay Shaw mentions the same tradition in his book "History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey" and writes that "The origin of the Ottoman Empire has always been an important question for students of history, but the lack of sources of this period and It is difficult to say anything with absolute certainty because of the contradictions in the traditions written in later periods.'
Describing the same famous tradition, he wrote that the ancestor of the Ottomans was Amjad Salman Shah, who was the chief of the Qai tribe and settled in a region of northern Iran at the end of the 12th century.
According to tradition, this tribe, like many other Turkic tribes, migrated to new territories to escape slavery and destruction in the face of Mongol invasions, and according to Jayshaw, it is believed that Salman Shah drowned in the Euphrates River while entering Syria. went and after that his two sons went back.
While Ertugrul continued his journey towards the west and entered the Anatolian region where the Seljuk rulers gave him land in the western region of Anatolia in return for his help.
According to this tradition recorded in Jay Shah's book, Ertugrul died in 1280 and the leadership of the tribe was given to his son Osman.
Finkel writes that according to Ottoman traditions, a tribal chief named Ertugrul came to northwestern Anatolia and settled in the area between the Seljuk and Byzantine empires, and according to this tradition, the Seljuk Sultan granted Ertugrul some territory in Sugata. But what was Ertugrul's relationship with Usman?
Finkel writes that the only coin from the Ottoman period, if genuine, proves that Ertuğrul was indeed a historical figure. This coin is inscribed 'Issued for Osman son of Ertugrul'.
Finkel further writes that Osman's issuing of coins in his own name proves that he was not just a tribal chief at this time, but had begun to consider himself an independent emir in Anatolia, outside the shadow of the Seljuk Mongol Empire.
Finkel writes that the Ottomans are first mentioned around the year 1300.
A Byzantine historian of the time wrote that in the year 1301, the Byzantine army encountered the army of a man named Osman. This battle, called the Battle of Baphius, was fought near Constantinople (Istanbul) and the Byzantine army was badly defeated.
But the Ottomans still had a long time to match the Byzantine Empire. And when it did, so did many stories about how a family suddenly rose from obscurity to come so far.
Historians say that the Ottomans were fortunate in that their territory was close to Constantinople, which ensured a large reward in case of ever-successful victory.Historian Leslie P. Peirce writes in her book The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire that according to the most commonly heard account of the beginnings of the Ottoman Empire, Osman had a dream after his initial successes. was
In this dream, he saw that the moon appeared from the chest of a dervish Sheikh Adibali and entered his own chest. Along with this, a huge tree emerges from this stomach, whose shadow covers the entire world.
Springs flow under the branches of this tree from which people drink water and fields are irrigated. When Uthman asked Sheikh Adibali for an interpretation, he said that God has chosen Uthman and his descendants to rule the world and he said that the moon coming out of his chest and entering Uthman's chest is his. There is a daughter who became Usman's wife after this dream.
Finkel writes that the early Ottoman sultans were more interested in proving their right to rule over others than in knowing the date of their beginning, and that their empire began with a dream that Osman had in the house of an elderly dervish. I saw during my stay.
She further writes that documentary evidence in favor of this dream story is also found in history and that is that the land documents of the early period of the Ottoman Empire suggest that there was a nobleman named Adibali during the time of Osman and that There is also some testimony that his daughter was one of Usman's two wives.
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