Alp Arslan was the second sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire. He was born in 1029 in Khorasan region of Iran, but some historians say 1030 or 1032. His father was Cagri Bey.
After the struggle for throne that took place after the death of his uncle Tugrul Bey in 1063, Alp Arslan declared his rule in the city of Rey and ascended to the throne. One of his first actions was to appoint Nizam al-Mulk as a vizier. Together with his vizier, he expanded the borders of the Great Seljuk State with several conquests in Armenia and Georgia, thus he was given the title of Ebu Feth (Father of Conquests) by the Abbasid Caliph.
The raids on Anatolia that started during the period of Tugrul Bey continued during his rule as well. Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, who wanted to prevent these raids, took action against the Great Seljuk State. The two rulers and their armies came face to face on the Manzikert (Malazgirt) Plain on August 26, 1071. Although the Byzantine army was much superior in numbers, the Great Seljuk army under the command of Sultan Alp Arslan was victorious and emperor Romanos himself was captured in the battle. This date was an important turning point in Turkish political history, which opened the gates of Anatolia to the Turks. After this victory, the conquest of Anatolia was accelerated and a large part of this territory was conquered by the Seljuks and other Turkish Principalities established in Asia Minor.
Sultan Alp Arslan laid siege to the Barzem Castle in the east, on the banks of the Oxus river. The castle was taken over after a long defense. He was stabbed to death in 1072 while accepting the castle commander into his presence. After his death, Melik Shah, his 18-year-old son, ascended to the throne.