On January 20, 1029, Seljuk Sultan Alparslan was born….

On January 20, 1029, Seljuk Sultan Alparslan was born.

Alp Arslan, born Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to the south and northwest, and his victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert, in 1071, ushered in the Turkmen settlement of Anatolia.

Portrait of Alp Arslan, Sultan of Seljuk Empire