Islam Museum Islam Museum islam.museum
Search ⌕ ARENUR
Accessibility
Text size 100%

Saved on this device only — nothing is sent anywhere.

Investiture of Tughril as King of the East and West by Caliph al-Qa'im

تقليد الخليفة القائم طغربك ملك المشرق والمغرب

January 1058 CE · Dhu al-Qa'da 449 AH

Baghdad

In Dhu'l-Qa'da 449, the full investiture of Sultan Tughril by the caliph al-Qa'im: the caliph seated on a seven-cubit silk couch with the Prophet ﷺ's mantle on his shoulder and the staff in his hand, Tughril kissing the ground at each approach, mounted on a lower couch, addressed 'O Ali' through the ra'is al-ru'asa' — 'Amir al-Mu'minin has invested you with all the lands God gave him: fear God, spread justice, restrain wrong.' Seven robes in one rite, a sword girded by the caliph's own hand, the style 'king of East and West', three standards with the liwa' al-hamd bound by the caliph himself, the investiture-patent read over him — and Tughril twice kissing the outstretched hand and laying it on his eyes 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
Region
Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

105010601070
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

In space

Baghdad

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Politics, governance and authority

Summary

In Dhu al-Qaʿda 449 AH Sultan Tughrilbak met the caliph al-Qaʾim bi-Amr Allah in a formal audience, arranged after consultations. He entered to find the caliph seated on a high silk throne, wearing the Prophet's mantle (burda) and holding a staff, and the sultan kissed the ground several times. 1.

The scene

The Commander of the Faithful said to him, through the chief of chiefs: «O ʿAli, the Commander of the Faithful thanks you for your effort and acknowledges your merit. He has entrusted you with all that God has entrusted to him of His lands, and has returned to you the care of His servants. So fear God in what He has entrusted to you, strive to build up the land and set right its people, spread justice and restrain wrongdoing.» Amid al-Mulk explained the words. The sultan rose, kissed the ground and said: «I am the servant and slave of the Commander of the Faithful, and I carry out his command and prohibition.» He was dressed in seven robes of one design. The caliph girded him with a sword with his own hand, addressed him as «King of the East and the West», tied on him the banner of praise with his own hand from among three banners, and had the investiture document read to him. He asked to shake the noble hand; the caliph gave him his hand twice, and he kissed it and placed it on his eyes. 1

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at
Baghdad
Had participant
طغرل بك· al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah Abd Allah ibn al-Qadir· أبو القاسم علي بن المسلمة· Amid al-Mulk al-Kunduri

People and things also explored

The return of al-Qa'im from Haditha to Baghdad· The battle of al-Basasiri and the sermon for the Ubaydi al-Mustansir in Baghdad· The marriage of al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah to Tughril Beg's sister· Tughril Beg's Entry into Baghdad· The diwan manifesto impugning the Ubaydid genealogy· Death of Abu Kalijar and investiture of al-Malik al-Rahim· The death of al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah and the accession of al-Muqtadi· The death of al-Qadir and the accession of al-Qa'im bi-amr Allah, 422

Sources

  1. al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa'l-Umam — Ibn al-Jawzi , j.8 p.523-525
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Investiture of Tughril as King of the East and West by Caliph al-Qa'im”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/tughril-investiture-449/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Time

Eras, timelines, this day in history, any year in the Islamic world. Related

The return of al-Qa'im from Haditha to Baghdad

The caliph al-Qa'im's restoration after a full year of al-Basasiri's rule: Mihrash the 'Uqaylid of Haditha refused to surrender him, Tughril sent Amid al-Mulk with three hundred ghilman, fourteen Bactrian camels of tents and furnishings and a gold-plated litter; at the Nahrwan pavilion the sultan dismounted, walked, and kissed the ground seven times, while the caliph brought out the Buyid mountain of red yaqut and twelve large pearls. Tughril begged pardon for his delay — 'my jealous brother Ibrahim; I strangled him with his own bowstring' — and the caliph girded on him the only sword saved from his flight. The caliph entered Monday 25 Dhu'l-Qa'da 451, Tughril seated on the gatekeeper's bench at Bab al-Nubi until the procession passed; only the chief qadi and three witnesses were left in Baghdad to receive him.