| Gurju Khatun | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coin of SultanKaykhusraw II. The sun is thought to represent Gurju Khatun and the lion the sultan. (see alsoLion and Sun) | |||||
| Consort ofSultanate of Rum | |||||
| Tenure | 1237–1246 | ||||
| Born | Tamar c.1220 Kingdom of Georgia | ||||
| Died | c.1286 (aged 65-66) | ||||
| Spouse | Kaykhusraw II Pervâne | ||||
| Issue | Kayqubad II | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Bagrationi dynasty | ||||
| Father | Ghias ad-Din | ||||
| Mother | Rusudan of Georgia | ||||
| Religion | Georgian Orthodox Church, later Islam | ||||
Tamar Gurju Khatun (Georgian:გურჯი-ხათუნი,romanized:gurji-khatuni; alsoGürgü Hatun,fl. 1237-1286) was aGeorgian royal princess fromBagrationi dynasty and principal consort ofSultanate of Rum being favorite wife of sultanKaykhusraw II, whom she married after the death ofMuhammad II of Khwarazm in 1237.[1][2] After his death in 1246 she married theAnatolian strongmanMu'in al-Din Parwana. She was the mother of sultanKayqubad II and patron toRumi.
Her titleGurju Khatun means "Georgian Lady" inTurkic languages.
She was born asTamar (Georgian:თამარი,Tamari) and had a biblical name popular inKingdom of Georgia and was named after her grandmotherTamar the Great.[3]
Gurju Khatun was the daughter of QueenRusudan of Georgia and theSeljuk princeGhias ad-Din, a grandson ofKilij Arslan II.
She was a sister of KingDavid VI of Georgia.
Like most Georgians, Tamar initially remained anEastern Orthodox Christian but is known to have converted toIslam at a later point, after unproven accusations (by her own mother) of a secret affair between her and her cousinDavid Ulu, which put an end to previously harmonious relationship with her husband. She was reportedly beaten by him and ordered to leave her previous faith. He only let her choose which denomination of Islam she wanted to convert to. Gurju Khatun choseSufism. It is said that the sun on the Seljuk coins of that time symbolizes Tamar, while the lion stands for the sultan himself. This emblem, known asshir-u hurshid (Lion and Sun), later became widespread in the Islamic world (though its origins date back to much earlier times). After the death of Kaykhusraw in 1246, the government of the sultanate was seized by theMu'in al-Din Parwana who married Gurju Khatun.
She is known to have patronized science and art, and to have been on friendly terms with the famousSufi poetRumi in particular. She also sponsored the construction of thepoet’s tomb inKonya.[4]
Gurju Khatun had married in 1237 hisSeljuk cousinKaykhusraw II,Sultan of Rum, she had a son from this marriage:
She subsequently married theMu'in al-Din Parwana, she had another son from this marriage:
