onality that both his birth and his life and also events in which he was involved during

his
lifetime are still being examined deeply by today's researchers.

The tomb of the Seljuk's Emir Sadettin Köpek is located in the district of Ilgin, Konya.

His Tomb can be seen on this links :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94CmLTK3xNc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZkDr7CygMA

*****

He was an extremely powerful man, who advanced up the State levels of the Seljuk’s Empire in a
very short time.

The name of Emir Sâdeddin Kopek was first seen in the record of State’s duties during the reign
of Sultan Alâeddîn Keykubâd I. (1220-1237).

He held duties such as interpreter/translator, Emir-i Sikâr (Master of Hunt), Architect, Army
Commander, Emir of Regents, Melikü'l Umera/Grand seigneur (Beylerbeyi) and Pervane (the
Secretary of finances).

His first duties were duties in the background. He initially had started serving the State as
translator and interpreter.

As hunting season and entertainments took an important place in Turk’s States, he was then
promoted to the position of Emir'i Sikâr, meaning being responsible for hunting affairs during the
period of Sultan Alâeddîn Keykubâd I.

Soon after, Emir Sâdeddin Kopek was promoted to the duty of a Commander of an Army Unit . In
1226, Aladeddin Keykubad assigned him the command of the left wing forces of the Seljuk Army
in Harput battle against Ayyubids.

He then advanced within the Army levels to the Commander in Chief for the whole Seljuk’s
Army, and ultimately he attained the highest position in the State, the Emirship.
In addition, it needs to be duly acknowledged that Sâdeddin Kopek was a great and talented
Architect, who had built a great number of various buildings, many of which are still standing.

*****

It was understood that his full name was Sa’d al-Dīn Kobek bin Muhammad (Arabic: ‫سعد الدين‬
‫)كوبك بن محمد‬, as per the epigraph on “Zazadin Caravansary” that he had it built on a site
between Konya and Aksaray, and that his name "Sâdeddin" was a cognomen.

At that time, contrary to the today’s meaning, his name “Kopek” had meanings such as
obedience, devotion, serving sincerely and being loyal.

*****

THE BIRTH of EMIR SÂDEDDIN KOPEK

There is no any data regarding Sâdeddin Kopek’s childhood in the Chronicles of Seljuks
' period. His birth date and birthplace is not known with certainty. But there is a lot of data
related to his young adult and adult life. However, there are allegations that his parents
were members of respected families of Konya and that his mother’s name was Şehnaz
Hanim. On the other hand, the great number of historians of that period and of today,
claim that it was fabricated by Sâdeddin Kopek himself.

The following paragraph was cited in the Seljuks ' Chronicles of the Period, and it was
extracted from his personal Diary and Autobiography written by Sâdeddin Kopek’s own
hand –

** "Kopek's mother, Sehnaz Hatun, was daughter of rich and pleasant persons from
Konya.

Sultan Giyâseddîn Keyhusrev I, who was the father of the Sultan Alâeddîn Keykubâd I,
was very impressed by her curly hair, he admired her tall stature and her cherubic face,
and at the sight of her he would turn like Mecnun in front of Leyla.

So they started to bring her to the Sultan's palace and to take her back, without showing
her to anyone to pay respects and for entertaining. No one knew about this affair except
her grandmother.
When, sometime later, they brought the woman who was Kopek's mother to the home of
his “father”, his mother was already two months pregnant with him.

However, she deceived him (the “father”) and showed herself as a virgin on their
wedding. By the cunning plans of her grandmother, they convinced his “father” that the
bride became impregnated on the wedding night.

So, I was born 7 months later"**

[Diary and Autobiography, by Sâdeddin Kopek]

By saying this, Kopek declared that he came from the lineage of Seljuks Dynasty, albeit
as an out of wedlock son.

In his Diary/Autobiography, Sâdeddin further wrote that his mother Sahnaz, brought up
her son like the son of Sahnaz's husband, while he was in fact the son of late Sultan
Giyâseddîn I, and half-brother of Sultan Alâeddîn Keykubâd I, and he was of the Seljuks’
lineage.

The grandmother told this secret to her grandson, Sâdeddin Kopek before she died.

But the authors and historians of the period noted that it was probably invented by
Sâdeddin Kopek in order to get the Throne of Seljuks for himself.

In the same context, Ibn Bîbî, a Persian historiographer and the author, the most
respected historian of that time, described this story as not having any consistent aspect,
and as “ironic" and "fallacious".

*****

From the name "Kopek" and from the fact that he has been brought up with an Islamic
training in Gulâmhâne, today's researchers have deducted that he was a “Devshirmeh”,
namely, that he was not a Turk.

Because children who came from “Devshirmeh” were not of Turk’s origin, and they would
undergo special training in Gulâmhâne (a training institution) and they would eventually
become Gulâm (troops with the sole duty to protect the Sultan).

*****

THE RAISE of EMIR SÂDEDDIN KOPEK

The period that Sâdeddin Kopek came into prominence in the State and surged in his
career was during the time of Giyâseddîn Keyhusrev II.

After abominable murder of his father, Sultan Alâeddîn Keykubâd I, whom he had
poisoned during the banquet in Kayseri in 1237, on the eve of Sultan’s announcement of
an important decision regarding his successor to the Throne, Sâdeddin Kopek has
enthroned Giyâseddîn II, instead of Kilic Arslan, who was the rightful Heir apparent.

The young sultan briefly fell under the control of Köpek who, according to Ibn Bibi,
harbored heinous plans to eventually murder even the young Sultan and usurp the
throne. With Giyâseddîn Keyhusrev II firmly under his control, Köpek, concentrated
power in his hands by embarking on a murderous rampage, removing rivals from among
the administrative corps and military commandership.

Among many, he eliminated Altun Aba Atabey (a tutor) of Sultan Giyâseddîn II, by
accusing him of treason, and then “he had him dragged from the Divan, by his white
beard, and murdered in the countryside. “

He then eliminated Husameddin Kaymer, Taceddin Pervane, both of whom we saw in

Dirilis, and many more.

As a result of Sadeddin’s terror, there was very known uprising of Babai Brotherhood
which he quenched violently.

He then killed Princ Izzeddin Kilic Arslan, the rightful Heir apparent, and his younger
brother Rukneddin, as well as their mother Ayyubid Queen Melike Adliyye Sultan.

As per historical record, Sâdeddin took them from Kayseri Keykubadiye Palace to
Ankara. Herein, he strangled Melike Adliyye Sultan by bow string according to the Turk’s
Kut law. He then took her two sons to Borgulu Castle and killed them there.

He suspected the loyalty of the Khwarezmians, the remnant troops of Jalal al-Din
Manguberti (the last ruler of the Khwarezmian Empire) whom Sultan Kayqubad had took
in and installed in various Anatolian fortresses, and he imprisoned their leader Kirkhan.

Consequently, the Khwarezmians’s troops abandoned their posts in all fortresses and
fled to Diyar Mudar Provence, where they joined the Ayyubids, as mercenaries.

Köpek’s suspicions deprived the sultanate of seasoned soldiers at a time of external

threat and internal instability.

He then, briefly set himself up as a tyrant and his power seemed limitless.

Köpek began to saunter majestically before the Sultan’s presence with his sword
dangling at his hip, in clear violation of royal protocol. About that time Sadeddin started
circulating the story that he was the Sultan’s son.

Also, at some point during this period, he started showing the signs and symptoms of
serious mental disorder. He started behaving in a strange way, and suffered from bouts
of insanity and delusional disorders.

THE FALL and DEATH of EMIR SÂDEDDIN KOPEK

The young Sultan Giyâseddîn Keyhusrev II, started to see Sadeddin as a greatest threat
to his State, his people, and to himself, and got in touch with Sivas’ Deputy Chief
Commander, Emir Husameddin Karaca in order to get his help in assassination plot.

Emir Husameddin Karaca was a single Commander among Seljuks' Statesmen, whom
Sâdeddin Kopek abstained of and of whom he was very afraid.

Since Karaca was aware of that and didn’t want to raise suspicion in Sadeddin, he
secretly informed the young Sultan how he intends to proceed, they made the plan how
to kill Sâdeddin Kopek , and then Karaca went to Sadeddin’s residence.

Sâdeddin Kopek was surprised when he saw Emir Husameddin Karaca suddenly in front
of him. When Kopek asked: “Did you come to see the Padishah of the World?”, Karaca
wanting to gain his trust, answered him with the words of praise: "How can I go into the
presence of the Sultan without getting your permission first, and how I can see myself
next to him, when I see your rank as a lofty position to take a shelter in and to ask for
help."

Husameddin Karaca, after gaining Sadeddin’s trust, started to work as his assistant and
attendant. For a few days, he attended Sâdeddin Kopek's dinners and entertainments
that were held in the Sultan’s Palace, in order to reinforce his confidence in him.

Sometime during the last night of visit and entertainment with the young Sultan, in the
course of which Sadeddin had drunk a copious amount of wine, Karaca left the room
with the Sultan’s permission, on the pretext of going to the bathroom. He went to the
doorstep of the Palace instead and there he took his place. He waited outside for
Sadeddin to emerge, along with the loyal men with whom he previously had an
agreement.

After a while, when Sâdeddin Kopek left the presence of the Sultan and came out,
Karaca aimed to hit Kopek's head by his sword, but his sword glanced off Kopek's
shoulder and just cut his face. Sâdeddin, with his face covered in blood, recovered
quickly and run away from the Palace.

Emir-i Âlem (the Emir responsible for Seljuk’s standards) Togan, who was at the time
standing next to Emir Karaca took his sword and went in pursuit of Kopek.

Sâdeddin Kopek had entered into cellar (which was his own architectural work) in the
run for dear life. There, he was attacked by others (soldiers and workers alike) waiting in
the cellar. They hacked him to pieces by their knifes, swords and maces injuring him
quite badly, before Emir Husameddin Karaca and Emir-i Âlem Togan caught up with
Kopek and finished him off.

Sâdeddin Kopek’s assassination has rescued both, the Sultan and the State from a
great threat. The Sultan Giyâseddîn II ordered that his dead body was put into an iron
cage which was to be displayed on a high spot on the fortress of Konya, to serve as a
lesson to everyone and to sooth the feelings of all who were terrorized by Sâdeddin
Kopek.

However, as it has been recorded, the rope holding the cage suddenly broke, and few
persons who were among the crowd, watching the end of Sâdeddin Kopek, and were
standing just below it, have died under the cage. Like he wanted to have the last say,
even after his death.
*****

Although his power and terror was short lived and he himself was eliminated, Köpek’s
bloody purges during the period of 1237-1238 had far-reaching consequences. He has
been the chief architect of bloody and gruesome events within the State that involved
eliminations, murders and oppressive regime.

With the loss of experienced military Commanders and with the alienation of the
Khwarazmian troops, who formed a key element of its armed forces, the Seljuk State
was hard pressed to maintain political stability within its realm, as well as to defend its
borders on the eve of the Mongol invasions.

Sâdeddin Kopek administration caused a chaos and destruction that irrevocably brought
Seljuk Empire to its knees.