The heart of Asia - Francis Henry Skrine; Sir E. Denison Ross

After the battle of Ghujduvān, in A.H. 918 (1512), in accordance with their established custom, tūra and yasāk, the Shaybānī Sultans proceeded to elect their Khākān. Kuchunji Khān, as the eldest, was appointed to the high office; while Suyunjik was nominated Kālgha, or heir-apparent. The latter, however, died before Kuchunji, whereupon Jānībeg became the Kālgha; but he too predeceased Kuchunji, and the title of Kālgha passed to Abū Sa`īd Khān, who eventually became Khākān, A.H. 936 (1529). On his death he was succeeded by `Ubaydullah Khān, A.H. 939 (1533).

The various appanages of Transoxiana were thus apportioned in 918 by Jānībeg:—Kuchunji received Samarkand; Suyunjik, Tashkent; and `Ubaydullah, Karakul and Karshī, besides Bokhārā, which was his by inheritance. Jānībeg reserved for himself and his children all the country of Miyānkul, Soghd of Samarkand, and the town of Kerminé, which was his residence. Omitting the unimportant reigns of the seven following Khākās,[449] we will pass at once to a short account of the greatest of the Abū-l-Khayrides, `Abdullah II., the last but one of his dynasty; and for this purpose we cannot do better than summarise the account given by Professor Vambéry in his History of Bokhara[450].

In A.H. 964 (1556) he had put an end to the sub-dynasty of Bokhārā, and in A.H. 968 (1560) proclaimed his father in that town as “Khākān of the world”; in A.H. 986 (1578) he similarly abolished the sub-dynasty of Samarkand, which had sprung up during Iskandar’s reign at Bokhārā; and in A.H. 991 (1583), on his father’s death, he became Khākān.

“In imitation of Shaybānī Khān and `Ubaydullah, who, although practically sovereigns of the country, had left the actual seat of the Khānate to others, the more freely to pursue their military career, `Abdullah placed his father Iskandar on the throne, and put himself at the head of his army to re-conquer the original frontiers of Shaybānī’s empire. The greater part of his life was spent in this enterprise, but he was more fortunate in his conquests than any of his predecessors, and also contributed more to the restoration of prosperity to the countries of the Oxus and the Jaxartes.... Under him the frontiers of the Khānate of Bokhārā were pushed forward in the north far beyond the inhabited province of Turkestān. In the east, not only all Farghāna, but also Kāshghar and Khotan, were subdued by the Shaybānides. In the south, an aggressive policy had been pursued—on the one hand by the family of Bāber, and on the other by the Safavīs, who both coveted the possession of Balkh; but the power of the Uzbegs was even greater than in the time of the first Shaybānides. Balkh was fortified, Tokhāristān and Badakhshān were incorporated with Transoxiana, and once more the bright green waters of the Murghāb became the frontiers of Turania. In the west, the armies of `Abdullah were again victorious, in spite of the united opposition of the Iranians and Khwārazmians. Astarābād was surprised and taken; the Prince of Gilān, an ally of Sultan Murād III., had to take refuge at Constantinople, and the frontiers of the empire of the Shaybānides were extended in this direction farther than they had ever been before. For the moment `Abdullah ... got possession of a great part of Khorāsān, including the towns of Herāt, Meshed, Sarakhs, Merv, etc., all of which he retained very nearly to his death.”

Soon after `Abdullah’s death anarchy broke out in Transoxiana, and the way was prepared for a change of dynasty. The line of Shaybānī, after holding the government for nearly a century, gave place to the dynasty of Astrakhan.[451] During its tenure of power the Khāns of Bokhārā and Khwārazm were continually at variance. On the conquest of Transoxiana by Abū-l-Khayr and Shaybānī, both Khānates were simultaneously occupied by the invaders. Subsequently, when Shāh Isma`īl drove Shaybānī out of Khwārazm, he placed a Persian governor in charge of the province, but the Sunni people detested the Shi`ite Shāh, and expelled him in 921.[452] During the Khākānship of Kuchunji the Uzbegs founded an independent principality in Khwārazm;[453] Ilbars, son of a chief named Bereghe, being the first Khān of the new line.

THE UZBEG APPANGES.

A full account of the Uzbeg Khākāns, based on all available authorities, will be found in Part II. of Howorth’s Mongols. Space will not permit us to enter into details with regard to all these petty chiefs. The following is a list of Khākāns and the genealogy of Abū-l-Khayr’s descendants, with the locality of their respective appanages, where information on the point is available. The Khākāns are printed in capitals, and the numbers after their names represent the order in which they ruled.

DECORATIONS IN THE SHĀH ZINDA, SAMARKAND