The Muslims were religiously and politically fragmented during the mid-tenth and eleventh centuries. However, these conditions witnessed profound changes when the Seljuks came onto the scene. The emergence of the Seljuks as the new ruling elite was often called the period of Sunni revival. Sunni Islam became a leading player again after it overthrew the Buyyid Shi’i dynasty in Baghdad and parts of Iran. Moreover, they sponsored Sunni religious institutions and religious scholars until it reached extraordinary heights.