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50-753: Lasting more than two centuries, the Golden Age came to a gradual end due to persistent invasions of nomads , such as Mongols , as well as the spread of Black Death by these same nomadic groups. Georgia further weakened after the Fall of Constantinople , which effectively marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire , Georgia's traditional ally. As a result of these processes, by the 15th century Georgia fractured and turned into an isolated enclave, largely cut off from Christian Europe and surrounded by hostile Islamic Turco-Iranic neighbors. For Georgia

100-691: A better time and was pure (see Golden Age ). The ancient Greek poet Hesiod introduced the term in his Works and Days , when referring to the period when the "Golden Race" of man lived. This was part of fivefold division of Ages of Man , starting with the Golden age, then the Silver Age , the Bronze Age, the Age of Heroes (including the Trojan War ), and finally, the current Iron Age. The concept

150-582: A centralized power with a strong military, with several decisive victories against the Muslims in Ganja , gates of which were captured by Demetrius and moved as a trophy to Gelati. A talented poet, Demetrius also continued his father's contributions to Georgia's religious polyphony . The most famous of his hymns is Thou Art a Vineyard , which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of Georgia, and

200-721: A friendly state in Georgia's immediate southwestern neighborhood, as well as by the dynastic solidarity to the dispossessed Comnenoi. The country's power had grown to such extent that in the later years of Tamar's rule, the Kingdom was primarily concerned with the protection of the Georgian monastic centers in the Holy Land , eight of which were listed in Jerusalem . Saladin 's biographer Bahā' ad-Dīn ibn Šaddād reports that, after

250-551: A metaphoric element. A few centuries after Hesiod, Plato pointed out that the "Golden race" were not made from gold as such, but that the term should be understood metaphorically. The classical idea of the "metal ages" as actual historical periods held sway throughout the Greek and Roman periods. While supplemented by St. Augustine 's " Six Ages of the World ", the classical ideas were never entirely eradicated, and it resurfaced to form

300-400: A new era of revival. To highlight his country's higher status, he became the first Georgian king to reject the highly respected titles bestowed by the Eastern Roman Empire , Georgia’s longtime ally, indicating that Georgia would deal with its powerful friend only on a parity basis. Due to close family ties between Georgian and Byzantine royalty - Princess Martha of Georgia , aunt of David IV,

350-457: A prominent Mongol commander Chormaqan led a massive army against Georgia and its vassals, forcing Queen Rusudan to flee to the west, leaving eastern Georgia in the hands of noblemen who eventually made peace with the Mongols and agreed to pay tribute; those who resisted were subject to complete annihilation. The Mongol armies chose not to cross the natural barrier of Likhi Range in pursuit of

400-724: A view to including the Tombstones of Ahlat the Urartian and Ottoman citadel on UNESCO 's World Heritage List , where they are currently listed tentatively. In recent years, Ahlat also came to be known for the quality of its potatoes , which carved themselves a sizable share in the Turkish agricultural products market. The touristic places in Ahlat are Çifte Kümbet (Twin Tombs), Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery , Ahlat Museum, Lake Nemrut and

450-547: Is a town in Turkey 's Bitlis Province in Eastern Anatolia Region . It is the seat of Ahlat District . The town had a population of 27,563 in 2021. The town of Ahlat is situated on the northwestern shore of Lake Van . The mayor is Abdulalim Mümtaz Çoban ( AKP ). Ahlat, known by its Armenian name of Khlat or Chliat in the ancient and medieval period, was once a part of the district of Bznunik' . The town

500-604: Is my supposition that this is why they named the town Akhlat. Their commercial transactions are carried out in puls (possibly ancient Roman and Greek coins), and their rotel (Armenian money) is equivalent to three hundred dirhems ." With the decline of the Seljuks, and the new political upheaval presented by the invasions of the Khwarezmian Empire and the Mongol Empire , Ahlat became briefly disputed between

550-456: Is still sung in Georgia's churches 900 years after its creation. Demetrius was succeeded by his son George in 1156, beginning a stage of more offensive foreign policy. The same year he ascended to the throne, George launched a successful campaign against the Seljuq sultanate of Ahlat . He freed the important Armenian town of Dvin from Turkish vassalage and was thus welcomed as a liberator in

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600-753: The Ayyubids , the Kingdom of Georgia and the Sultanate of Rum (the Anatolian branch of the Seljuq dynasty ). In the 12th century, Ahlat and its adjacent territory was conquered and vassalized by the Kingdom of Georgia. In this period Georgians called city by name Khlati , modified native Armenian name Khlat . Following the Battle of Köse Dağ (1243) and the fall of Baghdad (1258), Ahlat, "together with eastern Anatolia and upper Mesopotamia ", became part of

650-672: The Committee of Union and Progress . It was already noted in 1846 by Ottoman officials that the town could be used to control the Kurds with an iron fist since it was located 'in the heart of Kurdistan'. Ahlat and its surroundings are known for a large number of historic tombstones left by the Ahlatshah dynasty, also known as the Shah-Armen, Shah-i-Arman, or Ahlat-Shah dynasty. Efforts are presently being made by local authorities with

700-532: The Fifth Crusade and concentrated on fighting the invaders, but the Mongol onslaught was too strong to overcome. Georgians suffered heavy losses in the war and the king himself was severely wounded. As a result, George became handicapped and died prematurely at the age of 31. George's sister Rusudan assumed the throne but she was too inexperienced and her country too weakened to push out the nomads. In 1236

750-662: The Gelati Monastery , a UNESCO World Heritage Site , which became an important center of scholarship in the Eastern Orthodox Christian world of that time. David also played a personal role in reviving Georgian religious hymnography, composing the Hymns of Repentance ( Georgian : გალობანი სინანულისანი , galobani sinanulisani ), a sequence of eight free-verse psalms. In this emotional repentance of his sins, David sees himself as reincarnating

800-589: The Georgian Orthodox Church and gained free passage for Georgian pilgrims to the Holy Land . The widespread use of the Jerusalem cross in Medieval Georgia - an inspiration for the modern national flag of Georgia - is thought to date to the reign of George V. The death of George V, the last of great kings of unified Georgia, precipitated an irreversible decline of the Kingdom. The following decades were marked by Black Death , which

850-585: The Lord's Sepulchre , they march into the Holy City...without paying tribute to anyone, for the Saracens dare in no wise molest them... With flourishing commercial centers now under Georgia's control, industry and commerce brought new wealth to the country and Tamar's court. Tribute extracted from the neighbors and war booty added to the royal treasury, giving rise to the saying that "the peasants were like nobles,

900-707: The Ottoman–Safavid War of 1532–1555 , Ahlat was taken by the Ottoman army led by Grand Vizier Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha . In 1548, Ahlat was recaptured by the Safavids, who then sacked it. During Suleiman the Magnificent 's reign (1520-1566), Ahlat eventually became a solid part of the Ottoman Empire. However, "in practise", Ahlat remained de facto under the control of various local Kurdish chiefs until

950-821: The Qays tribe". In the early eighth century, Arab tribes settled in the region, and Ahlat became part of the Arab Kaysite principality. Ibn Hawqal (died ca. 978) mentioned Ahlat as an important stopover point on the Urmia - Mayyafariqin trade route. In about 983, Ahlat was controlled by a Kurdish chief named Bāḏ (in Armenian spelled as "Bat"); thereafter, Ahlat was associated with the Kurdish Marwanids (centered in Diyar Bakr ), which sprang from Bāḏ. In

1000-546: The hunter-gatherer tribal societies of the Mesolithic , but only as a metaphor. A society's Golden Age marks that period in its history having a heightened output of art, science, literature, and philosophy. A golden age is often ascribed to the years immediately following a technological innovation that allows new forms of expression and new ideas. Examples include: At least one technology had its "Golden Age" in its latter years: A cultural "golden age" can feature in

1050-670: The Ayyubid conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, Tamar sent envoys to the sultan to request that the confiscated possessions of the Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem be returned. Saladin's response is not recorded, but the queen's efforts seem to have been successful. Ibn Šaddād furthermore claims that Tamar outbid the Byzantine emperor in her efforts to obtain the relics of the True Cross , offering 200,000 gold pieces to Saladin who had taken

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1100-518: The Biblical David , with a similar relationship to God and his people. His hymns also share the idealistic zeal of the contemporaneous European crusaders to whom David was a natural ally in his struggle against the Seljuks . The kingdom continued to flourish under Demetrius I , the son of David. Although his reign saw a disruptive family conflict related to royal succession, Georgia remained

1150-548: The Georgian Queen, sparing western Georgia of the widespread rampages. Later, Rusudan attempted to gain support from Pope Gregory IX , but without any success. In 1243, Georgia was finally forced to acknowledge the Great Khan as its overlord. Perhaps no Mongol invasion devastated Georgia as much as the decades of anti-Mongol struggle that took place in the country. The first anti-Mongol uprising started in 1259 under

1200-515: The Georgian court. According to Tamar's historian, the aim of the Georgian expedition to Trebizond was to punish the Byzantine emperor Alexius IV Angelus for his confiscation of a shipment of money from the Georgian queen to the monasteries of Antioch and Mount Athos . Tamar's Pontic endeavor can also be explained by her desire to take advantage of the Western European Fourth Crusade against Constantinople to set up

1250-515: The Georgian state reached the zenith of power and prestige in the Middle Ages. She not only shielded much of her Empire from further Turkish onslaught but successfully pacified internal tensions, including a coup organized by her Russian husband Yury Bogolyubsky , prince of Novgorod . Additionally, she pursued policies that were considered very enlightened for her time period, such as abolishing state-sanctioned death penalty and torture. Among

1300-511: The Golden Age forms an important part of its status as a once-powerful and ancient nation that maintained relations with Greece and Rome . The Golden Age began with the reign of David IV ("the builder" or "the great"), the son of George II and Queen Helena, who assumed the throne at the age of 16 in a period of Great Turkish Invasions . As he came of age under the guidance of his court minister, George of Chqondidi , David IV suppressed

1350-938: The Mongol Empire. The Mongols added Ahlat to the Ilkhanate division, and in the ensuing period, the Ilkhanid rulers minted coins in Ahlat. According to Hamdallah Mustawfi (died 1349), the revenues provided by Ahlat under the Ilkhanids, amounted up to 51,500 dinars . After the Ilkhanate, Ahlat became part of the Jalayirids and then the Ak Koyunlu . In the early 16th century, the Ottomans expanded into Eastern Anatolia ( Western Armenia ), taking control of

1400-563: The Mongols, restored the pre-1220 state borders of Georgia, and returned the Empire of Trebizond into Georgia's sphere of influence. Under him, Georgia established close international commercial ties, mainly with the Byzantine Empire - to which George V had family ties - but also with the great European maritime republics , Genoa and Venice . George V also achieved the restoration of several Georgian monasteries in Jerusalem to

1450-586: The Panther's Skin ( Vepkhistq'aosani ). Revered in Georgia as the greatest achievement of native literature, the poem celebrates the Medieval humanistic ideals of chivalry , friendship and courtly love . Around the time when Mongols invaded the Slavic northeast of Europe , the nomadic armies simultaneously pushed down south to Georgia. George IV , son of Queen Tamar, put aside his preparations in support of

1500-511: The area. George also continued the process of intermingling Georgian royalty with the highest ranks of the Eastern Roman Empire, a testament of which is the marriage of his daughter Rusudan to Manuel Komnenos , the son of Emperor Andronikos I Komnenos . The successes of her predecessors were built upon by Queen Tamar , daughter of George III, who became the first female ruler of Georgia in her own right and under whose leadership

1550-420: The basis of division of time in early archaeology . At the birth of modern archaeology in the 18th century, the "Golden age" was associated with a pre-agricultural society. However, already in the 16th century, the term "Golden age" was replaced by " Stone Age " in the three-age system . Still, Rousseau used the term for a loosely defined historical period characterized by the " State of nature " as late as

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1600-490: The construction of a national myth . Technology and creativity spawn new genres or new surges in the production of literature and the arts. The onset (or dominance or heyday) of a new genre/movement, in popular parlance, becomes its "Golden Age". For example: Some companies use "Golden Age" as a marketing euphemism for " senior citizen ", itself a euphemism for "old person". Ahlat Ahlat ( Kurdish : Xelat ; Armenian : Խլաթ , romanized :  Khlat )

1650-404: The dissent of feudal lords and centralized the power in his hands to effectively deal with foreign threats. In 1121, he decisively defeated much larger Turkish armies during the Battle of Didgori , with fleeing Seljuq Turks being run down by pursuing Georgian cavalry for several days. A huge amount of booty and prisoners were captured by David's army, which had also secured Tbilisi and inaugurated

1700-442: The excerpt goes as follows: "From there ( Harran ) we arrived in the city of Akhlat on the 18th of Jumada al-Awwal [November 20 CE]. This city is the border town between the Muslims and Armenians, and from Bekri it is nineteen leagues. The Prince, Nasruddawla, was over a hundred years old and had many sons, to each of whom he had given a district. In the city of Akhlat they speak three languages: Arabic , Persian , and Armenian . It

1750-506: The justice and peace that defined the Golden Age. He described it as a time before man learned the art of navigation, and as a pre-agricultural society. The idea of a Golden age lingered in literature and historical understanding throughout the Greek and Roman periods. It was partly replaced by the Christian Six Ages of the World based on the biblical chronology in the early Middle Ages . The term "Golden age" has always had

1800-416: The late 18th century. While the concept of an Iron and Bronze Age are still used by historians and archaeologists, the "Golden age" of Hesiod was a purely mythical period, and has come to signify any period in history where the state of affairs for a specific phenomenon appear to have been on their height, better than in the periods preceding it and following the "Golden Age". It is sometimes still employed for

1850-559: The leadership of David VI and lasted for almost thirty years. The anti-Mongol strife continued without much success under Kings Demetrius the Self-Sacrificer , who was executed by the Mongols, and David VIII . Georgia finally saw a period of revival unknown since the Mongol invasions under King George V the Brilliant . A far-sighted monarch, George V managed to play on the decline of the Ilkhanate , stopped paying tribute to

1900-481: The mid-19th century, when the central Ottoman government in Constantinople imposed direct rule on the town. Vital Cuinet estimated the population of Ahlat at end of the 19th century at 23,700. According to Cuinet, seventy percent were Muslims, whereas the rest were Christians, mostly Armenians . When Cuinet passed through the city during this time period, ancient Ahlat was considered to be "abandoned", and

1950-401: The nation's origins and instead portrayed it as a vulnerable, feminine "orient" in need of imperial protection. Golden age (metaphor) A golden age is a period considered the peak in the history of a country or people, a time period when the greatest achievements were made. The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets, who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in

2000-462: The nobles like princes, and the princes like kings." Tamar's reign also marked the continuation of artistic development in the country commenced by her predecessors. While her contemporary Georgian chronicles continued to enshrine Christian morality, the religious theme started to lose its earlier dominant position to the highly original secular literature. This trend culminated in an epic written by Georgia's national poet Rustaveli - The Knight in

2050-600: The relics as booty at the battle of Hattin  – to no avail, however. Jacques de Vitry , the Patriarch of Jerusalem at that time wrote: There is also in the East another Christian people, who are very warlike and valiant in battle, being strong in body and powerful in the countless numbers of their warriors...Being entirely surrounded by infidel nations...these men are called Georgians, because they especially revere and worship St. George...Whenever they come on pilgrimage to

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2100-461: The remarkable events of Tamar's reign was the foundation of the empire of Trebizond on the Black Sea in 1204. This state was established in the northeast of the crumbling Byzantine Empire with the help of the Georgian armies, which supported Alexios I of Trebizond and his brother, David Komnenos , both of whom were Tamar's relatives. Alexios and David were fugitive Byzantine princes raised at

2150-480: The town for the first time under Sultan Selim I ( r.   1512-1520). Nevertheless, Ahlat remained only loosely under Ottoman control at the time, for it was considered to be a border district between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Empire . In 1526, during the reign of king ( shah ) Tahmasp I ( r.   1524-1576), Ahlat was in Safavid hands, and its governor was Delu Montasha Ustajlu. In 1533, during

2200-720: The town. The Seljuks then gave control over the town to the Turkmen slave commander Sökmen el-Kutbî (or al-Qutbi). Sökmen and his successors were known as the Shah-Armens (or Ahlat-Shahs) and made Ahlat their capital. In the 11th century accounts of Nasir Khusraw (in his Safarnama ) the town of "Akhlat" ( Persian : اخلاط , Axlāt ) is mentioned. According to the Institute of Ismaili Studies (who cite Thackston, W. Wheeler McIntosh, ed. trans., Nasir-i Khusraw’s Book of Travels (Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 2010), 8.),

2250-615: The winter of 998, the Curopalates David III of Tao besieged Khlat but was unable to capture it, partly because of his contemptuous treatment towards its Armenian population. In 1057, Herve Phrangopoulos retreated here with 300 Norman knights after breaking with Michael VI but was betrayed by Aponosar (Abu Nasr), the emir of the city. After the Battle of Manzikert (1071), the Seljuk army, led personally by Sultan Alp Arslan ( r.   1063-1072), took possession of

2300-492: Was further refined by Ovid , in his Metamorphoses , into the four "metal ages" (golden, silver, bronze, and iron). The Golden age as described by Hesiod was an age where all humans were created directly by the Olympian gods. They lived long lives in peace and harmony, and were oblivious of death. The "Golden race" were however mortals, but would die peacefully and in their sleep unmarked by sickness and age. Ovid emphasizes

2350-401: Was once a Byzantine Empress Consort - by the 11th century as many as 16 Georgian ruling princes and kings had held Byzantine titles, David becoming the last one to do so. David IV made particular emphasis on removing the vestiges of unwanted Eastern influences, which the Georgians considered forced, in favor of the traditional Christian and Byzantine overtones. As part of this effort, he founded

2400-464: Was referred to as Kharab Şehir , i.e. "the ruined town". Later, a new town, which had a population of 5,018 in 1961, grew some two kilometers to the east on the shore of Lake Van. During the Circassian genocide , several Circassian refugees from the North Caucasus were settled in Ahlat district and established a few villages. As part of the deportations of Kurds from 1916 to 1934, Kurds from Ahlat were deported to Diyarbakır for being disloyal to

2450-478: Was spread by the nomads, as well as numerous invasions under the leadership of Tamerlane , who devastated the country's economy, population, and urban centers. After the fall of Byzantium , Georgia definitively turned into an isolated, fractured Christian enclave, a relic of the faded East Roman epoch surrounded by hostile Turco-Iranic neighbors. Georgia's decline resulted in "emasculation" of its image in Russian Imperial perceptions, which systematically overlooked

2500-433: Was taken by the Arabs during the reign of Caliph Uthman ( r.   644–656); in 645, Uthman instructed the governor of Syria, Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan , to send Habib ibn Maslama al-Fihri in an expedition to Byzantine -controlled Armenia —although some sources insist that the Caliph commissioned Habib directly. During the next four centuries, Ahlat was ruled by "Arab governors, Armenian princes, and Arab emirs of

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