The conquest of Christian Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century has, somehow, escaped the historical consciousness of the West, despite its significant role in motivating Pope Urban II’s notorious March 1095 call for war in response to Alexios I Komnenos’ plea for aid against the depredations of the mujahedeen. Yet, as an account of a city siege recorded in Aristakes Lastivertsi’s History reveals, this continuous campaign of jihad al-talab wa’l-ibtida’i carried out by adherents of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah (Sunnism) — what the mu’minin today might call tahrir (“liberation” of land from the rule of tawagheet to the rule of Shari’ah) — was accomplished with great bloodshed and torture, in accordance with that sahih hadith which justifies indiscriminate massacre of kuffaar using the rationale that “they are from them.” [Muslim 19:43231] In no way do I mean to imply that such brutality as a function of traditional warfare was especially unique for its time, but here it had a unique intensely-and-comprehensively-theological component (designed to be in complete force until Yawm al-Qiyama) which with we are all too familiar, on which the fulfillment of izhaar al-deen (complete global authority of Islam in the dunya) and ultimate salvation in Jannat al-Ferdaws depended; furthermore, to deny the heightened sanguinity which characterized the futuhat of fervently-pious nomadic Muslims waged against settled civilized mushrikeen, and the massive cultural and economic disruption and ultimately extermination that came about as a result, would be to downplay one of the great tragedies of history — the annihilation of Hellenism in Anatolia and its replacement by a new theocratic and relentlessly-expansionist paradigm, one which would physically threaten Europe all the way to Regensburg in Bavaria, under that most successful Seljuk successor state, the sons of Osman Ghazi (i.e., the Ottomans.)
The infidels came to the Karin district, to a village called Blurs, Since the residents of that place had enclosed the hill with a wall whose foundations they had laid on the soil (as in the Lord’s proverb), when the infidels came like a raging torrent and struck against that wall, it did not withstand even for a moment, but quickly collapsed. Its collapse was heard throughout the world, and shall be remembered for all time. For those who thought [the city] would be a place of salvation and refuge, it became a pit of ruin. For all the villages and religious establishments on this side of the Euphrates, as well as many people from the Arcn awan had assembled there. As soon as the enemy attacked, [the city’s] fortifications collapsed, and they rushed in. The flashing of swords and the whizzing of bowstrings made everyone tremble with dread as if bound with chains. Since there was no prince nor leader there who, by threats and encouragement, might urge them to resist the enemy, urging them to be brave martyrs, as is meet for all warriors, the lordless citizens became horror-stricken at the mere sight [of the Saljuqs]. They lost their senses, they gave up hope and went crazy. And they commenced hiding from one another. Some descended the walls at nighttime and fled, others voluntarily surrendered. Those who remained inside, abandoning all thought of resistance, dug caverns and hid underground. When the enemy attacked, they cut [the citizens] down, not after the fashion of a war, but as though they were slaughtering sheep penned up in a yard. Some [the Saljuqs] seized, brought forward and beheaded with the sword. They died a double death. More bitter than death was the scintillating of swords above them, then the death verdict. Swords in hand they came upon some, fell upon them like beasts, pierced their hearts and killed them instantly. As for the stout and corpulent, they were made to go down on their knees, and their hands were secured down by stakes. Then the skin together with the nails was pulled up on both sides over the forearm and shoulder as far as the tips of the second hand, forcibly removed, and [the Saljuqs] fashioned bowstrings out of them. Oh how bitter this narration is!
As for the presbyters and clerics, what ear could bear the unique tortures to which they were subjected? Their skin was flayed from the breast upward, over the face, and then twisted around the head. And only after so torturing them did [the Saljuqs] kill them. Who has heard of more bitter, unbelievable tortures? We have not encountered any in the martyrdoms of the saints.
By such deeds did they kill everyone. They even hunted after those survivors who were buried [in hidden chambers], killing them after wickedly stabbing them through. The mountains all resounded with the screams of the tortured. When [most] of the people had been executed, [the Saljuqs] then split open the sides of the slain, drained the bile into pans, and made the slave women take that along. So ended that bad fortune. So were we betrayed into the hands of wicked, merciless men. Nor did the Lord visit us, since we did not heed him when we dwelled in peace. He beseeched us through His prophets, saying: “Come, heed Me, and you shall dwell in goodness, and if you hear Me with joy, you shall enjoy the good things of the land [Isaiah 1.18-19].” We neglected His words. Consequently He did not hear us in our time of need. No, He turned His face away from us. And we were betrayed into the hand of our enemies, and straitened by those who hated us. Their arrows drank our blood, and their swords ate the flesh of our fallen wounded fighting men. In such triumph they went off to their own land. It is said that seven thousand [men and women] were killed or captured, and sixty clerics.
