On a warm summer morning, I looked out of the window and could just see the cage with birds standing in the morning sun. It had been a cold and short rest, we talked all night. The body of my father hadn’t cooled or we were talking of changing the destiny of our lands, the lands vested upon us by Muhammed the profet. I was his heir, I Tuggurt ibn al Muhammed. It was therefore that we talked so long.
I could still remember the days that all seemed lost, the mongol hordes ravaged our lands, raped our women and smoked our waterpipes. I still feel the pain, the sorrow and the failure. It was on my sixth birthday and my father always told me it was destined to happen on that day. It was the day Muhammed heared Allah speak to him. I was destined for great things.
All I can think of is whether I can live up to those expectations. I have the tools, most of the arabs living at our borders are discontent, divided and dreaming of the empires of earlier times.
I heared a knock on my door. “Who is there?”, an anxious voice answered “It is me, my lord, Abdullah, your humble servant and general of the army of Bagdad.”. I took a deep breath and thought of my father for a moment. Would it be the right thing to do? Would it be wise, what could we gain of it? Those would be the questions he’d ask me. I waved at my servant who was still quietly standing in the corner of the room. When the door opened, I heard Abdullah falling to his knees. “My lord, you are not wearing your robes, forgive me for my timing.” I turned and looked at a kneeling Abdullah. “I will not be wearing my robes today Abdullah, sent one of your men with my cuirass. We march today if Allah wishes it so.”
Abdullah didn’t move. “What was it you wanted to see me for Abdullah?” He looked up and spoke in a soft voice, “my lord, the Turks of the Qara-Koyunlu have started builing a fortress near Kirkuk and there are indications that they are doing the same at Baku in Adzerbaijan.” Thousands of thoughts ran through my mind, will we be in time? Is it over now? Were they alarmed? We had no time to lose.
While I walked to the stables where the finest horse in all of Arabia stood, I couldn’t stop myself wondering whether this would still be here next month, when the Mongol hordes find out of my treason. Next to the stable door, the emissary I send to Sháh Rúkh Khan of the hordes of Timur Lenk was waiting for me. “My lord” he kneeled “I have good news, the Khan has accepted your offer and is going to war with the Qara-Kuyunlu”. This was what I needed and so soon, perhaps we were still in time. “Then tell general Abdullah to ready his men, I want all of the cavalry to Kirkuk and my infantry off to Adzerbaijan.” With his eyes wide open and a smile on his face, the emissary nodded, “It will all be done as you wish, my lord.”.
Only a month later, I sat on my horse and overlooked the plains of Kirkuk, the fertile plains of Kirkuk. Quartered all over the city where my men and their horses, we met with no opposition as it had gone according to plan. The army of the Qara-Kuyunlu had tried to defend Tabriz and pulled all its men out of Kirkuk and Adzerbaijan. We were just in time to capture the fort they were building here and I got a message from Abdullah that they did the same in Baku. My men were preparing my bed in the palace where only two weeks ago, Qara Yúsuf Emir of the Qara-Koyunlu had slept, confident that the only threat came from the north, from the Ak-Koyunlu. How wrong he was.
My chambers where nice, not as nice as those in the palace of Bagdad, but still nice. For days now, I had enjoyed the company of my new harem when a servant informed me of the arrival of two of my emissaries, one from the Timurid horde and one from the Ak-Koyunlu. I hurried to the throne room. As I took my place on the pillows, I saw my servant taking his place by the entrance. “Show them in.” I said. The servant clapped his hands and two men came in through the entrance, a bell shaped entrance. The two men walked until they were at about four meters away from me, there they kneeled. I spoke slowly “Yes?”, one of the men looked up “My lord, I bring a message from the Khan, he has been angered by your refusal to withdraw your troops from Kirkuk and Adzerdaijan and wonders where his scutage is, you have not paid the Khan for two months.” He looked down again and the other raised his head. “My lord, the Emir of the Ak-Koyunlu has accepted your gifts and sent his daughter to confirm the alliance between our two nations.” The second man also lowered his head and the two men left my throne room. I couldn’t help to smile. I looked at my servant “Send a man to Adzerbaijan to bring Abdullah to me, we will have to discuss our new move.” As the servant left the room, I looked up at the flags hanging from the walls. Four flags, and a lot of space to use. Now all there was to do was to think of a way of keeping the Mongols off.
I could still remember the days that all seemed lost, the mongol hordes ravaged our lands, raped our women and smoked our waterpipes. I still feel the pain, the sorrow and the failure. It was on my sixth birthday and my father always told me it was destined to happen on that day. It was the day Muhammed heared Allah speak to him. I was destined for great things.
All I can think of is whether I can live up to those expectations. I have the tools, most of the arabs living at our borders are discontent, divided and dreaming of the empires of earlier times.
I heared a knock on my door. “Who is there?”, an anxious voice answered “It is me, my lord, Abdullah, your humble servant and general of the army of Bagdad.”. I took a deep breath and thought of my father for a moment. Would it be the right thing to do? Would it be wise, what could we gain of it? Those would be the questions he’d ask me. I waved at my servant who was still quietly standing in the corner of the room. When the door opened, I heard Abdullah falling to his knees. “My lord, you are not wearing your robes, forgive me for my timing.” I turned and looked at a kneeling Abdullah. “I will not be wearing my robes today Abdullah, sent one of your men with my cuirass. We march today if Allah wishes it so.”
Abdullah didn’t move. “What was it you wanted to see me for Abdullah?” He looked up and spoke in a soft voice, “my lord, the Turks of the Qara-Koyunlu have started builing a fortress near Kirkuk and there are indications that they are doing the same at Baku in Adzerbaijan.” Thousands of thoughts ran through my mind, will we be in time? Is it over now? Were they alarmed? We had no time to lose.
While I walked to the stables where the finest horse in all of Arabia stood, I couldn’t stop myself wondering whether this would still be here next month, when the Mongol hordes find out of my treason. Next to the stable door, the emissary I send to Sháh Rúkh Khan of the hordes of Timur Lenk was waiting for me. “My lord” he kneeled “I have good news, the Khan has accepted your offer and is going to war with the Qara-Kuyunlu”. This was what I needed and so soon, perhaps we were still in time. “Then tell general Abdullah to ready his men, I want all of the cavalry to Kirkuk and my infantry off to Adzerbaijan.” With his eyes wide open and a smile on his face, the emissary nodded, “It will all be done as you wish, my lord.”.
Only a month later, I sat on my horse and overlooked the plains of Kirkuk, the fertile plains of Kirkuk. Quartered all over the city where my men and their horses, we met with no opposition as it had gone according to plan. The army of the Qara-Kuyunlu had tried to defend Tabriz and pulled all its men out of Kirkuk and Adzerbaijan. We were just in time to capture the fort they were building here and I got a message from Abdullah that they did the same in Baku. My men were preparing my bed in the palace where only two weeks ago, Qara Yúsuf Emir of the Qara-Koyunlu had slept, confident that the only threat came from the north, from the Ak-Koyunlu. How wrong he was.
My chambers where nice, not as nice as those in the palace of Bagdad, but still nice. For days now, I had enjoyed the company of my new harem when a servant informed me of the arrival of two of my emissaries, one from the Timurid horde and one from the Ak-Koyunlu. I hurried to the throne room. As I took my place on the pillows, I saw my servant taking his place by the entrance. “Show them in.” I said. The servant clapped his hands and two men came in through the entrance, a bell shaped entrance. The two men walked until they were at about four meters away from me, there they kneeled. I spoke slowly “Yes?”, one of the men looked up “My lord, I bring a message from the Khan, he has been angered by your refusal to withdraw your troops from Kirkuk and Adzerdaijan and wonders where his scutage is, you have not paid the Khan for two months.” He looked down again and the other raised his head. “My lord, the Emir of the Ak-Koyunlu has accepted your gifts and sent his daughter to confirm the alliance between our two nations.” The second man also lowered his head and the two men left my throne room. I couldn’t help to smile. I looked at my servant “Send a man to Adzerbaijan to bring Abdullah to me, we will have to discuss our new move.” As the servant left the room, I looked up at the flags hanging from the walls. Four flags, and a lot of space to use. Now all there was to do was to think of a way of keeping the Mongols off.
