The change of sovereignty areas in the Byzantine-Seljuk tertiary geography: Ankara and its environs

The main objective of our study has been to examine the movements of Turkish groups who arrived in Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 and the changing domains of influence in the Byzantine-Seljuk frontier region, focusing on the example of Ankara and its surroundings. In line with this aim, to understand the gradual expansion of Turkish movements in Anatolia after 1071, the mechanisms and behavioral patterns of semi-independent regional powers and coalitions between local elements and Turks, which replaced the central government's unifying forces, were evaluated through an unbiased perspective using both Byzantine and Turkish sources and a more objective analysis of historical events was conducted. This analysis contributes to a more objective understanding of historical events. Contradictory situations that were often overlooked or inadequately discussed in early research are at the center of our thesis. In particular, the conquest of Ankara by the Turks in 1073 and the different historical narratives of the conquests described in the Danishmendname create significant contradictions in historiography. By addressing these contradictions, our thesis offers an expression closer to historical reality. The process between the Byzantine-Muslim border and the Turkish raids, encompassing four centuries of movement from Arab incursions to Turkish raids, was comprehensively discussed through the lens of publications and historical data, with Ankara serving as a prominent example. According to historical information about the conquest of regional metropolitan cities by the Turks, the border region in Anatolia was examined with its constantly changing dynamics. Efforts were made to identify Byzantine and Turkish buildings and settlements dating from the 11th to the 13th centuries in Ankara and its surroundings, aiming to analyze the process of Ankara's transition to Turkish sovereignty based on these constructions. Within the scope of our thesis, the movements of the Turkish/Turkmen groups around Ankara were compared with the situation in other Anatolian cities of the Empire, and in this context, suggestions were made on the new socio-political structures that emerged in the countryside after the withdrawal of the Byzantine Empire.