Oghuzs/Turkomāns in the Bahrī Mamlūks period (1250-1382)

One of the most important geographies shaped by the Og̲h̲uz migration in the eleventh century was the northern region of Bilād al-S̲h̲ām. The Turkomān tribes that arrived in Northern Syria quickly became involved in the power struggle between the Fāṭimids and the local rulers of the region and emerged as an important political force in the region. The fear and destruction caused by the Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century triggered the second great wave of Turkomān migration, and Turkomāns who had to flee to the extremes accumulated on the northern border of the Mamlūk State. In particular, Sultan Baybars settled the Turkomāns who sought refuge after the Battle of Albistān in 1277 in Northern Syria and the coastal region. Sultan Baybars' strategy of incorporating Turkomān and local forces into the provincial order of the state secured the northern frontier of the Mamlūk State for many years. In this process, the Turkomāns defended the Mamlūk borders against Armenian, Crusader and Mongol troops. The death of the Ilkhanid ruler Abū Saʿīd Bahādīr Khān in 1335 was a breaking point for them. In this context, the Turkomāns of Dulg̲h̲ādirid and Ramaḍānīd were able to break away from the Mamlūk authority and establish an independent beylik, laying the cornerstones for the transformation of Bilād al-Rūm into Bilād al-Turkmān. The relations between the Mamlūk State and the Turkomāns did not only remain at the political and administrative level, but also reflected on language and culture in the historical process. For this reason, Ḳipc̲h̲āḳ Turkish, the spoken and written language of the Mamlūk court in the 15th century, transformed into Og̲h̲uz Turkish.