POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE KHWARAZMIAN (ANUSHTEGINID) EMPIRE AND THE ABBASID CALIPHATE (A CASE STUDY OF ATSIZ’S LETTERS)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the interstate transformations in the Near and Middle East during the first half of the twelfth century, with a specific focus on the diplomatic relations between Khwarazmshah Atsiz and the Abbasid Caliphate, analyzed from the perspective of foreign policy source study. The dynastic struggles for the throne that emerged in the western territories of the Seljuk Empire during the reign of Sultan Sanjar severely impacted regional stability. Under these circumstances, in order to secure its independent political course, the Khwarazmian state sought to utilize the religious and legal authority of Baghdad as a strategic foreign policy instrument. The letters addressed by Atsiz to Caliph al-Muqtafi li-Amr Allah serve as a practical manifestation of these diplomatic maneuvers. The article provides an objective analysis of the content of this correspondence, the correlation between the diplomatic claims advanced within it and historical reality, as well as its role in the process of elevating the state’s prestige.