The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids (/ˈsɛltʃʊk/ SEL-chuuk; Persian: سلجوقیان Saljuqian, alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans or the Saljuqids , was a Oghuz Turkic Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to the Turco-Persian tradition in the medieval Middle East and Central Asia. The Seljuks established the Seljuk Empire (1037-1194), the Sultanate of Kermân (1041-1186) and the Sultanate of Rum (1074-1308), which at their heights stretched from Iran to Anatolia, and were the prime targets of the First Crusade.