Belek Ghazi

Ghazi Belek
Governor of Suruç
In office 1095 (?) – 1098
Bey of Artukids
In office 1112–1124
Personal details
Born	unknown
Died	6 May 1124 Tyre, Lebanon
Nationality	Turk
Military service
Allegiance	Seljuq Empire
Battles/wars	Conquest of Harput Battle against Mengüceks Battle against countship of Edessa

Belek Ghazi (Nuruddevle Belek or Balak) was a Turkish bey in the early 12th century.

His father was Behram and his grand father was Artuk, an important figure of the Seljuk Empire in the 11th century. He was a short-term governor of Suruç (now a district center in Şanlıurfa Province of Turkey). During the First Crusade, the crusaders captured the city in 1098. He took part in the Seljuk expedition to Antakya which was recently lost to Crusaders. But the campaign ended in failure.

In 1112 Belek captured Harput (an ancient city near to present day Elâzığ in Turkey) from Mengüceks. He founded a beylik. This beylik is now known as the Harput branch of the Artukids (the other two being the Hasankeyf branch of Sökmen and Mardin branch of Ilghazi). Next year he married to Ayşe Hatun, widow of Anatolian Seljuk sultan Kılıç Arslan I. 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 Countship of Edessa and took Joscelin I as captive. Next year Baldwin II of Jerusalem too was enslaved by Belek. These two victories gained Belek fame both in Muslim countries and in Europe.

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