36. The Turks’ Entry Into the Middle East
The Turks first made their entrance as power players in the Middle during the Abbasid Caliphate (750 – 1258). The Abbasids were the second of two hereditary dynasties that claimed suzerainty over the Islamic empire. At the height of their powers, they ruled a realm stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the borders of China, and from Central Asia to the borders of India. Their fortunes took a nose dive when shortsighted caliphs hired Turkish mercenaries, then failed to control them.
The arrival of the Turks began in the ninth century, with al Mu’tasim, a younger son of the dynasty’s most famous caliph, Harun al Rashid – a contemporary of Charlemagne and a recurring character in the Arabian Nights fables. Al Mu’tasim created a private army of Turkish mercenaries and slaves, and formed them into a Turkish Guard that helped him secure the caliphate in 833. Using Turks helped al Mu’tasim in the short term, but turned into a long-term problem for his successors.
