1092: A Murderous Year

The article provides an analysis of the year 485/1092, a momentous one in Islamic history. It witnessed the deaths in quick succession of the two most famous men in the eastern Islamic world, in the great Seljuq empire. Those two men were the great vizier, Niẓām al-Mulk and the Seljuq sultan himself Malikšāh. With the removal of these two key figures, the Seljuq empire fell into disarray and was never again to enjoy the unity and prosperity of the two decades of Malikšāh’s rule. The article attempts to disantangle  answer the question: Who killed Niẓām al-Mulk and Malikšāh? The article tries to disentangle these murders from the established narrative.