| Biographical detail : | He was a great Seljuki King of Iran.
In Turkish Alp Arsalan meant the valiant lion. He succeeded in 1063. He defeated the Emperor of Greece in 1068 and made him captive. He asked his captive what he would have done if fortune had reversed their lot. 'I would have given thee many a stripe', was the reply. Alp Arsalan nobly released his prisoner.
Alp Arsalan was the first Muslim monarch to gain a permanent footing in "the land of the Romans". His conquests in western Asia revived the fading glory of Muslim might. Saljuq power reached its meridian under his rule. |
