Sa'd al-Din Köpek

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Emir Sa'd al-Din Köpek
A portrait of Sa'd al-Din Köpek
Died	1238
Cause of death	Decapitation
Burial place	Ilgın, Konya
Nationality	Seljuk
Occupation	Vizier Court administrator
Known for	Attempt to become the Sultan of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum[1]
Opponent(s)	Husam al-Din Qaraja Emir-i Âlem Togan Kayqubad I Kaykhusraw II Other Viziers and Emirs against him including Shams al-Din Altınapa Ertugrul

Biography[]

Köpek, as an advisor to Kayqubad's successor Kaykhusraw II, grew his influence considerably. His first aim was to secure the reign of the new sultan. He had Kaykhusraw's two half-brothers strangled along with their mother, an Ayyubid princess, but he did not become successful, was later killed by Husam al-Din Qaraja,^[2] and was hanged on the Seljuk palace walls for treason. It was also known that he wanted the throne of Seljuqs and had made his connections with Mongols. He suspected the loyalty of the Khwarezmians, the remnant followers of Jalal al-Din Manguberti whom Kayqubad had installed in various Anatolian fortresses, and had their leader, a certain Kirkhan, imprisoned. The Khwarezmians abandoned their posts and fled to Diyar Mudar, where they applied to the Ayyubids for work as mercenaries. Köpek's suspicion deprived the sultanate of seasoned soldiers at a time of external threat and internal instability.

'Zazadin Han' built by Sa'd al-Din Köpek

A caravanserai built by Sa’d al-Din Köpek during 1235-1237^[3] survives about 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Konya on the road to Aksaray.^[4] Known as Zazadin Han, the caravanserai bears two inscriptions: one naming Köpek as founder and dated 1235–36, the other indicating the patronage of both Kayqubad I and Kaykhusraw II.

In popular culture[]

In the Turkish television series, Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Sa’d al-Din Köpek is portrayed by Turkish actor,  [tr].^{[citation needed]} In the series, Sa’d al-Din Köpek's name is in Turkish, as Sadettin Köpek, and is shown as a traitor and is eventually beheaded by the protagonist, Ertuğrul.

References[]

Sources[]

• Claude Cahen, Pre-Ottoman Turkey: A general survey of the material and spiritual culture and history c. 1071-1330 (Taplinger: New York 1968), 133–34.
• Carole Hillenbrand, “Sa’d al-Dīn Köpek b. Muhammad” Encyclopaedia of Islam, ed. by P. Bearman, et al. (Brill 2007).
• SÂDEDDİN KÖPEK(in Turkish) — An article published in the 35th Volume of TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, pp. 392–393, in Istanbul (2008)

External links[]

• Turkish Hans: Zazadin Han near Konya.