Đ          ! "#!$%&#           ∗ Cengiz Ekiz ∗ ∗ ∗∗ ∗ ∗ ’ The lack of “historical” perspective in public administration is a wellknown fact in Turkey. It is the duty of social scientists in general and scholars of the science of public administration in particular to historically investigate social and economic organizing and to discuss it with factual reality. Hence, the art of history will not be the study area of merely histo rians, similarly public administration will not only be the realm of special ists of that discipline. Thus, establishing an interdisciplinary framework in social sciences will be enabled. To this end, this article aims to discuss to what extent the impact of “Siyasatnama”, written by Nizam alMulk, a Sel juk administrator, on the 11 th century Anatolian Seljuk administrative tradi tion manifested itself in the Turkish states founded later. The political pow er apparatus is evaluated not just as an extension of the organization of the state, but also both as an outcome and a product of the social and political conditions of that era. Each type of power corresponds to an epoch, capa bility, culture, social fabric, climate and reality reinforced by political pow er. Undoubtedly, the study concludes based on this supposition. () *: Siyasatnama, Nizam alMulk, the Great Seljuk Empire, Idea of Administration, POSDCoRB “The function of the historian is neither to love the past nor to emancipate himself from the past, but to master and understand it as the key to the un derstanding of the present.” Edward Hallet Carr ∗ This study is based on the working paper titled “State Understanding in The Great Seljuk Empire: The Problematic of Administration in Siyasetnama” presented at KAY& FOR&V (Public Administration Forum) held in Kocaeli University between 18&20 Oc& tober 2007. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to my research guide Birgül Ayman Güler and my dear friend Aydın Ördek for their contributions, suggestions and encouragement throughout the study. ∗∗ Asst. Prof.Dr., Abant Đzzet Baysal University, ekiz_c@ibu.edu.tr