The Islamic World to 1600

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Although the Seljuks largely succeeded in settling and unifying the Turkish nomads in their territory, there remained a distinct difference between the Seljuk aristocracy that administrated the realm, and the Turkish people who inhabited it. Much of the population came from the warrior tradition that had made the Turks both a feared and prized military force throughout the Islamic world. We already saw in Chapter 3 how Turks were used as slave soldiers in many Islamic dynasties, and even managed to establish their own military state under the Mamluks in Egypt.

In Asia Minor, these Turkish warriors were known as gazis, meaning "warriors of the faith." Gazi warriors believed that it was their sacred duty to extend the territory controlled by Islamic rulers, particularly if it was done at the expense of non-Muslims. In addition to their religious motivation, gazi warriors were also lured by the booty available to them following a victory. The principle strategy of gazi warriors was to conduct gaza, or raids, into non-Muslim territory. During the Mongol rule over the Seljuks in Asia Minor, the gazi warriors conducted frequent raids into Byzantine lands. As the Seljuk administration disintegrated along with that of the Mongols, it was the gazis who took power for the Turks. The Ottoman Empire was in fact founded by gazis, and as a gazi state its major mission was military conquest.

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