HUNTING PRACTISE OF SELJUKS

Hunting that was performed as a kind of sports and in order to get ready for a battle by Turks, was considered as halal for the rulers. For that reason, it was one of the important activities during the period of Seljuks. Not only do we have information on that Tughril Beg, the first Sultan of Seljuks, went hunting but also we know that Sultan Malik-shah (1073-1092) had the strongest interest in hunting. He also had minarets built up with the nails of gazelles and wild asses that he hunted. On the other hand, Malik-shah’s son Sultan Muhammad Tapar (1105-1118) was attentive to choose hounds and leopards that were used for hunting, and Sultan Sanjar was one of the rulers going hunting. Hunting interests of the members of the Seljuk Dynasty also went on during the period of the Sultans of the Iraq Seljuks. The rumour has it that he had 400 (four hundred) golden collared dogs. The Sultans of the Sultanate of Rum established away from the Iranian geography also went on hunting practises