THE RULE OF ABAQA KHAN IN ANATOLIA AND HIS PERSONALITY

The Mongols established a great empire under the leadership of Genghis Khan within a short period of time governed both Asia and Europe. The Mongols, who launched frequent raids until the reign of Mongke Khan, attacked the Muslim world after having established a great army through consensus. Hulagu Khan, who led the great army via Turkistan and Iran and reached Iran, destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate and founded an empire lying on the lands of Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Syria. The Ilkhanids, a vassal of the Great Mongol Khanate, secured their hegemony all over the Muslim-inhabited lands, except Egypt. Following Hulagu Khan's death, his elder son, Abaqa, became the khan. Abaqa Khan followed the policies of his father and kept the oppressive policies against Muslims in the region. This study aims at investigating the religious motives of Abaqa Khan's political maneouvres on the Ilkhanid lands and its vassal states. Abaqa Khan's religious personality, religious educatian and culture, his stance towards religion, his relations with the clergy, and its reflections on the policy are also concerned in this paper. Particularly, the effects of his religious thoughts and practices on the Sultanate of Rum and Anatolian Muslims will be discussed.