Melike Mama Hatun
Encyclopedia
Melike Mama Hatun, or simply Mama Hatun, was a female ruler of the Saltukid dynasty, with its capital in Erzurum
, for an estimated nine years between 1191 to 1200. During her reign she had a caravanserai
, a mosque
, a bridge, and a hammam
built in the town of Tercan
, located midway between Erzincan
and Erzurum, which are still standing and are named after her.
Her tomb is also in Tercan. The town itself was called Mamahatun until recently, and is still referred to as such locally.
Mama Hatun also remains a vivacious figure in Turkish folk literature
to this day.
Erzurum
Erzurum is a city in Turkey. It is the largest city, the capital of Erzurum Province. The city is situated 1757 meters above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 361,235 in the 2000 census. .Erzurum, known as "The Rock" in NATO code, served as NATO's southeastern-most air force post during the...
, for an estimated nine years between 1191 to 1200. During her reign she had a caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, a bridge, and a hammam
Hammam
A Turkish bath is the Turkish variant of a steam bath, sauna or Russian Bath, distinguished by a focus on water, as distinct from ambient steam....
built in the town of Tercan
Tercan
Tercan is a town and district of Erzincan Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The district covers an area of and its total population is 20,072 in which 6,646 live in the town of Tercan....
, located midway between Erzincan
Erzincan
-Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used...
and Erzurum, which are still standing and are named after her.
Her tomb is also in Tercan. The town itself was called Mamahatun until recently, and is still referred to as such locally.
Mama Hatun also remains a vivacious figure in Turkish folk literature
Turkish folk literature
Turkish folk literature is an oral tradition deeply rooted, in its form, in Central Asian nomadic traditions. However, in its themes, Turkish folk literature reflects the problems peculiar to a settling people who have abandoned the nomadic lifestyle...
to this day.