Belek Ghazi
Nur al-Dawla Belek bin Bahram Ghazi was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century.
Early life
His father was Behram and his grandfather was Artuk Bey, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term governor of Suruç. The city was captured during the First Crusade in 1098. He took part in the Seljuk expedition to Antioch which was recently lost to Crusaders, but the campaign ended in failure. He was also present during the Crusade of 1101 which resulted in Seljuk victory.Beylik in Harput
In 1112, Belek captured Harput from Mengüceks. He founded a beylik. This beylik is now known as the Harput branch of the Artukids. Next year he married Ayşe Hatun, widow of Anatolian Seljuk sultan Kilij Arslan. By this prestigious marriage, he formed family ties with the Seljuk family.In 1120, Belek together with Danishmends defeated a coalition of Mengüceks and Constantine Gabras of the Byzantine Empire. Two years later, after the death of Ilghazi, Belek became the leader of the Artukids. In 1122, he defeated the forces of the County of Edessa and took Joscelin I as captive. The next year, Baldwin II of Jerusalem too was captured by Belek. These two victories gained Belek fame both in Muslim countries and in Europe. From 1123 to 1124, Belek served as emir of Aleppo.