Timurid Empire

The Timurid Empire was a late medieval Turco-Mongol, culturally Persianate, Muslim empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, and Turkey. The empire had a syncretic culture and combined Turkic, Mongolic, and Persian influences, with the last members of the dynasty being regarded as "ideal Perso-Islamic rulers". The empire was founded by Timur, also known as Tamerlane, a warlord belonging to the Turco-Mongol Barlas tribe, which was of Mongol origin but had become Turkicized in Central Asia. Timur established the empire in 1370 and ruled it until his death in 1405. He saw himself as the great restorer of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, regarded himself as his heir, and associated closely with the Borjigin. Timur continued to have strong trade relations with Ming China and the Golden Horde, with Chinese diplomats like Ma Huan and Chen Cheng traveling west to his capital, Samarkand. The empire led to the Timurid Renaissance, particularly during the reign of Shahrukh Mirza (1405–1447) and his astronomer and mathematician son Ulugh Begh (1447–1449). The ruling Timurid dynasty lost most of Persia to the Aq Qoyunlu confederation with the defeat and death of Abu Sa'id Mirza (1451–1469). However, members of the Timurid dynasty continued to rule smaller states, sometimes known as Timurid emirates, in Central Asia and Khorasan, with the reign of Husayn Bayqara (1469–1506) being regarded as the last flowering of the Timurid Renaissance in Herat. By 1507, Uzbeks under Shaybani Khan had conquered almost all of the surviving Timurid principalities, including Samarkand and Herat. In the 16th century, Babur, the Timurid prince of Ferghana (modern Uzbekistan), invaded Kabulistan (modern Afghanistan) and established a small kingdom there. After a final attempt to retake...