| Qaraja Beg | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beg of Dulkadir | |||||
| Reign | 1337–1353 | ||||
| Coronation | 1337 | ||||
| Predecessor | Position established | ||||
| Successor | Ghars al-Din Khalil | ||||
| Born | c. 1279[c] | ||||
| Died | 11 December 1353 Cairo, Mamluk Sultanate | ||||
| Issue |
| ||||
| |||||
| House | Dulkadir | ||||
| Father | Dulkadir | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Zayn al-Din Qaraja Beg (Turkish: Zeyneddin Karaca Bey; c. 1279[c] – 11 December 1353) was a Turkoman chieftain who founded the Dulkadirid principality in southern Anatolia and northern Syria, ruling from 1337 to 1353. Before his ascendance, Qaraja competed with Taraqlu, another local Turkoman warlord, over the administration of the northern frontier of the Mamluks. After gaining recognition from the Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad, he became the head of a client state on their Anatolian extremity. During his rule, Qaraja grew more ambitious and clashed with various Mamluk governors who were against his expanding influence. Qaraja took advantage of the political turmoil within the Mamluks and declared independence in 1348. However, this led to his imprisonment and subsequent execution in 1353.
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