TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ... - Bilkent University

ecords that his disciples were so crowded that they could not find enough place in
Ardabil. 626
4.2.4.6. Ardabil Again: Completing the Circle
Junayd’s arrival excited Ca’fer and his supporters in the Tekke. Using his warm
relations with Cihanshah of Karakoyunlu, Ca’fer managed to force Junayd to desert the
city once more. 627 On the other hand Cihanshah became uneasy by the arrival of Junayd,
for, having established kinship with Uzun Hasan, his principal enemy, he posed further
danger. 628 However, Junayd was no more alone, but had a recognizable military power
as well as a great number of sufi adherents. Yet his power was still not enough to oppose
the coalition of Ca’fer and Cihanshah. Thus Junayd decided to leave Ardabil.
He dispatched orders for his adherents to congregate near Ardabil. In a short
while ten thousand armed men assembled. 629 Junayd promulgated holy-war (gazā) on
Georgia in the same year. 630 He passed through Shirvan which was ruled by Halil-Allah.
Furthermore the territory that Junayd was about to invade was the tributary of Halil-
Allah. Thus he strongly opposed Junayd’s movements and warned Junayd not to invade
his tributaries. 631 According to Hasan-ı Rumlu, Shirvanshah Halil first pursued a warm
626 APZ, p. 251.
627 HT, p. 153; Ahsenü’t-tevārih,IX, p. 395; Hinz, p. 34; Youssef-Jamālī, p. 24. HS again does not mention
Shaykh Ca’fer blaming only Cihanshah for forcing Junayd to desert the city. See HS, p. 561. AA repeats
the same account. See AA, p. 30.
628 HT, p. 153.
629 “Couriers were sent in all directions to gather disciples, and in a short while ten thousand fighting men
had joined Sultan Junayd’s train, determined to battle the enemies of sainthood.” See HS, p. 561; AA, p.
30. See also HT, p. 154; Ahsenü’t-tevārih,IX, p. 395; Hinz, p. 34; Yinanç, p. 244. The latters gives the
number of armed disciples twelve thousand.
630 Inskender Beg Munshi again sincerely indicates Junayd’s worldly concerns in this decision: “… Then,
in a bid of temporal power, he encouraged his men with promises of booty and the rewards of holy war,
and ten thousand Sufi gāzīs marched toward Sirvān with the intension of attacking the Circassians.” See
AA, p. 30.
631 HS, p. 561; APZ, p. 251; TA, p. 64; HT, p. 154.
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