[3] However, John E. Woods argues that this interpretation is doubtful since "leech" in modern Turkish is sülük, not yülük, which means cleanshaven or smooth.
[4]: 39 Uthman Beg was the son of Fakhr-ud-Din Qutlugh, likely by his Greek wife, Maria, sister of Alexios III of Trebizond.
[4]: 34 According to Byzantine and Aq Qoyunlu sources, he later married his maternal cousin,[5][page needed] a daughter of Alexios III and his consort Theodora Kantakouzene.
[3] When Timur invaded the Caucasus and eastern Anatolia, the Aq Qoyunlu sided with him in support and fought alongside the Timurids against the Ottomans.
In 1429, Mamluks plundered Urfa and its surrounding, and even captured one of Uthman's sons, Hâbil Beg, who died in the capital Cairo in 1430.
[8] This is exemplified in the occurrence where he urged his followers to respect the validating force of Oghuz heritage, quoting the yasak (a traditional body of unwritten laws) in the process.
[8] Uthman Beg also warned his followers not to adopt a sedentary city life, for he believed it would lead to the disappearance of "sovereignty, Turkishness and liberty".