Aydoğan | 31From a broader perspective, the frontier zones discussed here are a mov-
ing zone between the Turco-Muslim polities of late medieval Anatolia and the
Byzantine Empire. In his pioneering work on the role of the frontier in the con-
struction of the Ottoman state, Paul Wittek analyzes the Anatolian frontier re-
gions in relation to the Arabic thughur, the area separating the dar al-Islam (t he
abode of Islam) and the dar al-harb (the abode of war, the territories of the “infi-
dels”). Wittek traces the establishment of the Anatolian thughur stretching from
the Taurus to the upper Euphrates back to as early as the seventh century, after
the first wave of Arab conquests. These areas, like the Turco-Byzantine frontiers,
were different in character from the lands beyond them and soon became periph-
eralized, creating a unique frontier subculture that had more in common with
Christian neighbors than with the settled hinterland and urbanized centers.
The Turkish Warrior Epics of Late Medieval Anatolia
The Turkish warrior epics that originated in the frontier areas of late medieval
Anatolia were based on earlier layers of frontier traditions, both Arab and Byzan-
tine. As newcomers in the area, the Muslim Turks translated the existing frontier
lore and incorporated it into their orally transmitted traditions. Incorporating
this lore into writing after centuries of oral recitation added yet another layer
to these narratives. As a result, the warrior epics in their written form provide
us with invaluable information about the worldviews and ideals of the frontier
society, and as authored or heavily edited texts, they also reflect the ideologies of
certain segments of the central government that patronized their compilation.
In terms of content, narrative style, and structure, the Battalname,Daniş-
mendname, and Saltukname constitute different cycles of what came to be called
the warrior epic genre in medieval Anatolia, whose central theme was gazas
against the Byzantine infidels. The Battalname, or the Book of Seyyid Battal,
concerns a legendary Arab warrior from the late Umayyad period whose cult was
primarily associated with Malatya (Byzantine Melitene). Although the oral roots
of the Battalname can be traced back to the arrival of the Danişmendid Turks in
Malatya in the late eleventh century, the text was first patronized by the Seljukid
ruler Alaeddin Keykubad (r. 1220–1237), and the earliest surviving manuscript is
dated 1436–1437.
Even though they were newcomers, the Danişmendid Turks did not hesitate
to connect their activities to a prestigious past and appropriate the heroic figures
of the golden era of Malatya by claiming lineage to Seyyid Battal through his
sister in the Danişmendname, the heroic epic devoted to their founder, Melik
Danişmend. The manuscript that survives today is a copy of another version by
Arif Ali, the governor of Tokat. According to his own account, in 1360–1361 Arif
Ali discovered the earlier composition (now lost) by Mevlana Ibn Ala for the
Seljukid sultan Izzeddin (Keykavus II, d. 1279), and adorned it with verses.