Known as the great female warrior and the queen of the Sakas, Tomris Hatun is estimated to have lived in the 6th century. She won a magnificent victory in her struggle against the Persians and defeated the Persian leader Cyrus.
Who is Tomris Hatun?
Tomris, who is thought to have lived in the 6th century BC, embarked on a struggle with the Achaemenid Empire that ruled in Persia and Media in ancient times.
Known as the old Turkish female ruler and warrior, Tomris literally means 'temir', i.e. 'iron'.
He engaged in a great struggle with the Achaemenid Empire, which ruled in Persia and Media in ancient times. Tomris gave importance to a peaceful but defensive structure, and the Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great, who saw this as a weakness, raided the Saka lands without stopping. When the Persians entered the territory of Saka, they could find nothing but burned fields. Because the Saka were retreating and waiting for a suitable position and moment for war, otherwise they would not go to war. Tired of chasing the goons, Cyrus the Great had to return to Persia. After a while, he promised that he would not deal with Tomris Hatun if she was submissive to him and agreed to marry him. Tomris Hatun knew it was a game and refused the offer.
Angered at this, Cyrus the Great gathered a large army and re-entered the territory of Saka. There were also hundreds of dogs trained for war in this army. Tomris realizes that escaping will no longer help, and he chooses a suitable area and begins to wait for the army of Cyrus the Great. The two armies are positioned a few kilometers apart. They did not fight because the sun had set, but at night Cyrus the Great thought of a trick and had a tent set up between the two armies, and Tomris' son Spargapises and his accompanying forces, who suddenly attacked the tent with beautiful girls and food and wine, killed a few Persians inside and dived into the fun. However, a few hours later, Persian forces raided the tent and killed the Sakas, including Tomris' son. Tomris grieves over the death of his beloved son. He swears and says: Bloodthirsty Cyrus! You killed my son not with valor, but with the wine you went crazy with as he drank. But I swear to the sun I will feed you with blood!
The two armies took battle formation near the Seyhun river in 529 BC. Arranging his cavalry on the flanks, his pikemen in the front lines, and his archers behind them, Emperor Cyrus is at the center with his personal guard, the legendary Immortals. In the war, which Herodotus describes as "the bloodiest war outside of the Greek lands", the Sakas win the war thanks to their hook-spined arrows, powerful bows, and horses that they use with saddles and stirrups. Sakalar, who are adept at shooting arrows and wielding chariots with great skill, defeat the Persians despite their war dogs. Emperor Cyrus lost most of his men and some fled from the battlefield. Remaining with only the Immortals, Cyrus was surrounded by the Sakas, and the Emperor was encircled. While Cyrus was fighting to break through the circle with one last move and escape, he was knocked off his horse and killed. Cyrus, the first great ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, first lost his army and then his life in the lands he wanted to seize.
Tomris fulfills the vow he made the night before at his son's body. Throwing the head of Cyrus the Great into a barrel full of blood, he said, “You have never had enough of drinking blood in your life, now I am filling you with blood!” says.
At the end of the war, in which great losses were incurred for both sides, the country of Saka was freed from the Persian threat for a while.
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