Policies and conquests of the Türkiye Seljuk State regarding commercial targets in the 13th century

Anatolia, thanks to its location, has been able to utilize its potential and opportunities for centuries. The existence of a significant natural road network offers favorable conditions for transportation, and human and economic activities have also followed an intertwined direction throughout the historical process. The weakning of the political and economic system of the Byzantine State in the 11th century is created a suitable environment for the Türkiye Seljuks to rebuild this order. After ensuring peace and security within the country, the Seljuk sultans planned their conquest movements with economic objectives in mind and to make the commercial routes safe. Sinop and Suğdak in the Black Sea; By capturing port cities such as Alâiye and Antalya in the Mediterranean, they took control of the trade carried out in the east-west and north-south directions, and this added dynamism to Anatolia. Seljuk sultans, also took protective and encouraging measures to accelerate economic and commercial activity. Some legal regulations were made and agreements were signed with merchant states. While customs tax rates were reduced, merchants' losses were guaranteed under state insurance. Thus, the commercial flow was directed to the Seljuk area and exports came to the fore. The existence of the commercial road network and the favorable conditions it offered also contributed greatly to the transfer of trade to the international level. The security and ease of transportation hoped for during travel did not go unnoticed by the Seljuk rulers, and they built structures such as ribat, caravanserais, inns and bridges in order to improve and protect the existing ones, and they attached great importance to them. In this research, we tried to examine what kind of policies the Türkiye Seljuk State followed in order to integrate Anatolia into the international trade network, and how the conquest activities and investments carried out for economic purposes brought prosperity to this geography. Key Words: Seljuks, Anatolia, Trade, Export, İmports