Abstract
Significance of the Kelkit Valley in Terms of the Early Saljukid Raids onto Anatolia
The Kelkit Valley, covering most of Nothern Anatolia, is one of the important and permanent ways, which the Seljukids used in the process of conquering Anatolia. This area has a strategic feature regarding to establishing quick ties with the Black Sea coast and the Western Anatolia. Entering Anatolia by way of Caucasus, beginning with early XIth century, the Seljukids grasped the strategic importance of the area, and used the region as a base during the raids they set until the Battle of Manzikert. In this paper, the importance of the Kelkit Valley for the Seljukids in regard with the political events, in the light of several sources of the area.
Keywords
Kelkit Valley, Seljukids, Byzantine Empire, Eastern Anatolia, Caucasia.