Abstract:

In the year 1071, the Seljuks, facing the Byzantine army along the plateau stretching to the southeast of Malazgirt (Manzikert), achieved a victory that deeply impacted both Turkish and world history. The Battle of Malazgirt, a cornerstone in the transformation of Anatolia into Turkish homeland, has been the subject of numerous academic studies in various languages up to this day. Nevertheless, it is difficult to say that the studies on this battle in the Russian literature are well known in Turkey. In this context, both the proximity of Russian historiography to the political and cultural legacy of Byzantium and the distance imposed by Soviet historiography on the same heritage have directly influenced the course of studies related to the Battle of Malazgirt and the Seljuk Turks in Russian literature. Similarly, historians from diverse nationalities coexisting under both the imperial and Soviet umbrellas have offered varied perspectives and in-depth analyses on the Battle of Malazgirt, but this situation also created certain tensions and disagreements that had political concerns behind them. This study examines the Battle of Malazgirt and the Seljuk Turks in the light of samples from Russian (and Soviet) historiography, and additionally delves into the debates surrounding the dating of the battle. Starting from an issue related to calendar format, an attempt has been made to pinpoint the exact day of the ultimate conflict. For this purpose, a methodology derived from the studies conducted within the framework of the Locating the Manzikert Battlefield: History and Archaeological Survey Project initiated for the first time in 2020, has been employed, Thus, it is aimed to make an original contribution to what is known about the localization and dating of the battle.

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