Ruler of the Karamanids (B.? - D.
Mut /
When Mehmed Bey came to power in the
clan upon the death of his father (1261), he made collaboration with Hatiroğlu
Şerafeddin Bey, who was the emir of Niğde and who revolted against Seljuks, and
he sent his brother Ali Bey for helping him. He also put away Emir-i Sevahil
Hoca Yunus after defeating completely the Seljukian and Mongolian forces set
upon him in the mountain pass of Göksu. After that, the entered to
Thereafter, Mehmed Bey, who brought Gıyaseddin
Siyavuş to power, the son of the Seljukian Sultan Kaykaus II, became himself a
vizier. He enlarged his area of sovereignty from Karaman, Mut and Ermenek until
the
As the first thing he did, Karamanid
Mehmed Bey created an army by bringing together all the Turkmen tribes living in
the
With many Turkmen tribes such as
Candar, Saruhan, Eshrefids, Hatiroğlu gathering next to him, Karamanid Mehmed
Bey, who succeeded to instigate Anatolia where the Mongolian invasion brought a
big disorder, put his signature on an important success in our civilization
history by protecting the native language of Turks and by declaring the Turkish
language, which was shifted from its orbit, as the official state language:
Until the middle of the XIII. century in
He published the following enactment: “Şimden
gerü hiç kimesne divanda, dergâhta, bergâhta ve dahi her yerde Türk dilinden
özge söz söylemeye” (13th May 1277). The meaning of this
expression in current Turkish means: “Starting from today, a language other than
Turkish shall not be spoken in the council, the dervish convent, the mosque,
the assembly and the open space”.
Karamanid Mehmed Bey, who was a knowledgeable statesman in addition to his military successes, gathered the scientists and artists in his entourage, he gave big importance to them and he provided support to them. His name was given to the university founded in Karaman and to other educational institutions.
REFERENCE: Feyzi Halıcı / Mevlâna-Yunus Emre - Nasrettin Hoca - Karamanoğlu Mehmet ve Türk Dili (1977), Büyük Larousse Sözlük ve Ansiklopedisi (1986, s. 7930-7931), TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (c.28, s. 445, 2003), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Devlet Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, c. 1, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (C. 12, 2017).