Some men are born to rule, while others attempt to rule time itself. Ala al-Din Timurtash, viceroy of Rum under the Mongol Ilkhanate, dared to claim both. Calling himself “Sahib-e-Zaman” (Lord of the Age) and Shāh-i-Islam (King of Islam), he even declared himself the hidden Mahdi, destined to heal a fractured world.
Yet history remembers him not as a savior, but as a cautionary tale — a ruler whose ambition and faith collided, leaving him isolated and ultimately dead far from the land he sought to command.
The Rise of a Viceroy (1314–1320)
In 1314, Anatolia was fractured. The Seljuk Sultanate was gone, Turkoman beyliks fought for territory, and the Mongol Ilkhanate ruled a fading empire. Into this chaos arrived Timurtash, son of the powerful Emir Chupan, sent as Viceroy of Rum by Ilkhan Abu Saʿīd.
Timurtash quickly established control:
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Subduing rebellious tribes.
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Extending Mongol authority over Anatolia.
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Securing cities and beyliks under Chupanid dominance.
By 1320, the Karamanids in Konya — heirs of the Seljuks — faced his armies, and the city fell. For the first time, Timurtash tasted independence, seeing Rum not as a province, but as his own dominion.
A Dangerous Alliance (1321–1322)
Ambition drove Timurtash to the unthinkable: he allied with his masters’ sworn enemy, the Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasr Muhammad of Egypt. Together, they subdued Armenians and western Turkoman beyliks.
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The viceroy now played both sides: loyal to the Ilkhan yet independent.
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His power grew, and Anatolia began to bend to his will.
By 1322, he took his ambition even further, minting coins proclaiming himself:
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Sahib-e-Zaman (Lord of the Age)
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Shāh-i-Islam (King of Islam)
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The Mahdi — the divinely chosen guide
A viceroy had become a messiah.
The Fall of Timurtash (1324–1328)
Timurtash’s rise alarmed the Ilkhan Abu Saʿīd. His father, Amir Chupan, initially intervened to protect him, leveraging his own immense power.
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In 1324, Timurtash surrendered to his father’s authority and was miraculously pardoned.
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Yet his ambition burned on. He returned to Rum, executing rebellious rulers and consolidating his control.
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Trusted commanders like Ala al-Din Eretna acted as extensions of his power.
But fate turned against him:
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In 1327, political intrigue in the Ilkhanate led to the death of his brother Demasq Kaja.
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Timurtash’s protection vanished, forcing him to retreat from Rum.
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By 1328, he fled to the Mamluks in Egypt, only to be executed on 12 August, his head sent to the Ilkhan as a warning.
His dream of divine kingship ended in blood and exile.
Timurtash’s Legacy: Chaos and Change
Timurtash was more than a failed Mahdi. He was a symptom of a fractured Anatolia:
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Seljuks gone.
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Mongol authority fading.
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Beyliks rising.
His rebellion illustrated the vulnerability of Mongol governors and the volatile mix of politics and religion.
From his ashes rose new powers:
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Eretna would establish his own dynasty.
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The Ottomans would eventually unify Anatolia centuries later.
Timurtash’s ambition, audacity, and ultimate failure serve as a stark reminder: even men who claim divine right are not immune to history’s tides.
Conclusion: Visionary, Tyrant, or Madman?
Ala al-Din Timurtash was all of these:
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A visionary who sought to rule not just land, but destiny.
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A tyrant who crushed rivals to assert power.
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A dreamer who gambled with God’s titles and lost.
His story is a testament to the fragile balance of power in medieval Anatolia, a world where governors became kings, and kings feared their own servants.
Timurtash failed, but his era shaped the world that followed — including the rise of new dynasties and eventually the Ottomans.
