Seljuk bronze vase with battle scene with King Kilij Arslan I

Seljuk bronze vase of squat globular form with incised scene depicting King Kilij Arslan I Sultan of Rum (1092- 1107), defeating the Crusaders of the 1st Crusade 1101 AD. Kilij Arslan (meaning “Sword Lion”) (?1079 – 1107) was the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the attack of the crusaders. He also re-established the Sultanate of Rum after the death of Malik Shah I and defeated the Crusaders in three battles during the Crusade of 1101. After the crusades he moved towards the east taking Harran and Diyarbakr. In 1107 he conquered Mosul, but he was defeated by Mehmed I of Great Seljuq supported by the Ortoqids and Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan of Aleppo at the battle of Khabur river. Having lost the battle, Kilij Arslan died trying to escape across the river. – (CB.71)