Seljuk Iqta System

Timeline

1. c. 1063–1092Isfahan · IranVizier Nizam al-Mulk systematically set out iqta principles in the Siyasatnama: the sultan granted revenue rights from a specified region to a military commander (iqta-holder), who was required to maintain a prescribed number of cavalry (usually ten or twenty riders) and uphold local order. At its height, the system effectively expanded state military strength without increasing direct central expenditure.
2. 1092–1105Iranian Plateau · Iranian PlateauAfter the deaths of Malik-Shah and Nizam al-Mulk, succession struggles gave iqta-holders greater bargaining power. Local military nobles could act independently and switch allegiances on the strength of fief revenues, and the iqta gradually evolved from a central instrument of control into a basis for regional separatism. Between 1092 and 1105, actual governing authority in several provinces fell into the hands of large iqta families.
3. 1105–1110Baghdad · IraqAfter 1105, Muhammad Tapar reassigned, revoked, or merged iqta holdings to reward the loyal and punish defectors, attempting to restore central control over the military nobility. Between 1101 and 1110, the right to appoint iqta in the provinces of Iraq and western Iran remained a core issue of contention between the Great Sultan and the vizier's faction.
4. 1101–1110Merv · TurkmenistanSanjar established an independent iqta allocation system in Khurasan, centered on Merv and extending toward Central Asia and Afghanistan. Between 1101 and 1110, eastern iqta-holders supplied Sanjar with his main cavalry, making him a military-financial entity on par with the Great Sultan. The coexistence of two iqta networks further solidified the empire's divided structure.