Sarakhs In The X. and XI. centuries

Serahs is an ancient settlement located in the Southern Turkmenistan part of the historical Khorasan region, which is now within the borders of three countries (Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan). It was established in the middle basin of the Tecen river, formerly known as Herîrud, on the right side of this river. It is not known exactly when and by whom the city was founded for the first time, but VI-IV. It is estimated that it was founded by the Persians in the centuries. In the medieval Islamic sources, the first establishment of the city is attributed to Keykavus, Efrasiyab and Zulkarneyn. Yâkūt on the name and foundation of the city, referring to the Iranians, Keykavus's records that he appointed a person named Serhas b. Hûzrez, that he founded a city named after himself, and then Alexander the Great completed the reconstruction of this city. The ruins of this historical city, called Serahs, are located in the southeast of today's Serahs settlement. The main importance of Serahs in the Middle Ages was that it was located on the main road (Silk Road) from Iran to Turkestan and was in a strategic position in terms of defense. As a matter of fact, the road from Nishabur and Tus to Merv passed through here. For this reason, the city continued to be an important settlement center from the Sassanid period until the invasion and plunder of the Mongols in 1221. In some sources X. and XI. It was recorded that Serahs was half the size of Merv in the centuries. The city, which was under the rule of the Samanids in the 10th century, passed into the hands of the Ghaznavids after their destruction. When the Seljuks migrated to Khorasan in 1035, one of the first places they settled was Serahs and its surroundings. One of the wars of the Ghaznavids to expel them from these lands took place in 1038 in the Talhab region near Serahs. With the victory of the Seljuks in this war, the Ghaznavids lost their power in Khorasan. After the victory, in the division made according to the old Turkish state tradition, Tuğrul Bey owned Nişabur, Çağrı Bey owned Merv, and Musa Yabgu Serahs. The Dandanakan War, a very important turning point in Turkish history, took place in the desert between Serahs and Merv. After this war with the Ghaznavids, the Great Seljuk State dominated the region and Serahs remained within the borders of this newly established state. Although it is known that Arslan Argun had Serahs Castle destroyed like other Khorasan cities in 1095, it is seen that the city developed completely in the character of a Turkish city during the Seljuk period.