Battle of Ghazdewan
Encyclopedia
After the defeat of Babur
at the Battle of Kul Malek he applied for assistance to Biram Khan Karamanlu who commanded for the Safavid Persian
Shah Ismail I
at Balkh
and who sent a detachment to support him, on the arrival of which the Uzbeks
withdrew from the country of Hissar. But Babur
after the signal defeat which he had suffered at Kul Malek had sent directly to Shah Ismail I
himself to solicit an effective force by which he might be enabled to expel the Uzbeks
finally from Mawarannahr (Transoxiana
). The Shah accordingly gave instructions to Amir Najm Sani his minister of finance whom he had entrusted with the settlement of Khurasan
to render assistance to Babur in recovering the dominions he had lately possessed. On reaching Balkh
, Amir Najm resolved to march in person into Mawarannahr and taking with him the governor of Herat
the Amirs of Khurasan
and Biram Khan of Balkh
he passed the Amu Darya
and was soon joined by Babur when the combined army is said to have amounted to 60,000 men.
which had been strongly fortified and garrisoned by Sultan
Ubaydullah Khan the chief of Bukhara
who was in reality at the head of the Uzbeks though Kuchum was the nominal khan. It was proposed to leave it behind as had been done with success in the preceding campaign but Amir Najm saying that it was Sultan
Ubaydullah Khan's lair declared that it must be taken. It was accordingly besieged and carried by storm when Sheikhein Mirza the governor with all in the place whether Uzbeks
or inhabitants to the number of 15,000 were put to the sword without respect to age or sex or sanctity. The circumstances of this massacre disgusted Babur
who found that he was condemned to play a subordinate part in an army professedly acting under his authority. He had ardently desired to save the inhabitants who were Chaghatai
Turks
of his own race and sect and he had earnestly besought Najm Sani to comply with his wishes. But the unrelenting Persian
, deaf to his entreaties, had let loose all the fury of war on the devoted city Maulana Binai the poet, one of the most eminent minds of his time who happened to be in the town when it fell in the indiscriminate slaughter with many Syed
s and holy men and from that time forward, Amir Najm prospered in none of his undertakings.
The Uzbek
chiefs after the massacre at Karshi
appear for some time to have retired and fortified themselves in their strongholds. Amir Najm seems to have passed on to attack Ghazdewan on the border of the desert without having taken Bukhara
. The Uzbek sultans had now had time to assemble and under the command of Ubaydullah Khan who was joined by Timur Sultan from Samarkand
; they threw themselves into the fort the very night that Babur
and Amir Najm had taken their ground before it and were preparing their engines and ladders for an assault. The Uzbeks
in the morning drew out their army which took up a position among the houses and gardens in the suburbs of the town. The confederates advanced to meet them. The Uzbeks who were protected by the broken ground and by the walls of the enclosures and houses had posted in every corner archers on foot who poured a shower of arrows on the Qizilbashes as they approached Biram Khan who had the chief military command of their troops wounded and fallen from his horse, the main body of the army fell into disorder. In the course of an hour the invaders were routed and most of them fell in the field and the arrows of Ghazdewan revenged the saber of Karshi
. Babur
routed and discomfited fled back to Hissar. It is said that the Qizilbash chiefs disgusted with the haughtiness and insolence of Amir Najm did not use their utmost endeavors to assist him so that he was taken prisoner and put to death. Many of the Persian
chiefs who fled from the battle crossed the Amu Darya
at Kirki and entered Khurasan
.
now not only recovered the country which they had lost in Transoxiana
but made incursions into Khurasan
ravaging the northern part of the province Shah Ismail I
on hearing of this disaster resolved to return On his approach the Uzbeks
retreated in alarm. He caused several of the officers who had escaped from the battle to be seized and some of them to be capitally punished for deserting their commander. Certain inhabitants of the province being accused of having shown attachment to the Uzbeks
and their creed and of having vexed the Shias were consumed in the fire of his wrath. The fatal battle of Ghazdewan, the destruction of Babur's Persian allies and the numbers and power of the Uzbeks
seemed to leave him no hopes of again ascending the throne of Samarkand
and Bukhara
. Babur
had now resigned all hopes of recovering Fergana
, and although he dreaded an invasion from the Uzbeks
to his West
, his attention increasingly turned towards India
and its lands in the East
.
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
at the Battle of Kul Malek he applied for assistance to Biram Khan Karamanlu who commanded for the Safavid Persian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
Shah Ismail I
Ismail I
Ismail I , known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil , was a Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i militant religious order and unified all of Iran...
at Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
and who sent a detachment to support him, on the arrival of which the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
withdrew from the country of Hissar. But Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
after the signal defeat which he had suffered at Kul Malek had sent directly to Shah Ismail I
Ismail I
Ismail I , known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil , was a Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i militant religious order and unified all of Iran...
himself to solicit an effective force by which he might be enabled to expel the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
finally from Mawarannahr (Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
). The Shah accordingly gave instructions to Amir Najm Sani his minister of finance whom he had entrusted with the settlement of Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
to render assistance to Babur in recovering the dominions he had lately possessed. On reaching Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
, Amir Najm resolved to march in person into Mawarannahr and taking with him the governor of Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
the Amirs of Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
and Biram Khan of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
he passed the Amu Darya
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya , also called Oxus and Amu River, is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers...
and was soon joined by Babur when the combined army is said to have amounted to 60,000 men.
Battle
Early in the autumn the army advanced to Khozar which was taken. It next proceeded on to KarshiQarshi
Qarshi is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Province and has a population of 197,600 . It is about 520 km south-southwest of Tashkent, and about 335 km north of Uzbekistan's border with Afghanistan. It is located at latitude 38° 51' 48N; longitude 65° 47'...
which had been strongly fortified and garrisoned by Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Ubaydullah Khan the chief of Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
who was in reality at the head of the Uzbeks though Kuchum was the nominal khan. It was proposed to leave it behind as had been done with success in the preceding campaign but Amir Najm saying that it was Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Ubaydullah Khan's lair declared that it must be taken. It was accordingly besieged and carried by storm when Sheikhein Mirza the governor with all in the place whether Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
or inhabitants to the number of 15,000 were put to the sword without respect to age or sex or sanctity. The circumstances of this massacre disgusted Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
who found that he was condemned to play a subordinate part in an army professedly acting under his authority. He had ardently desired to save the inhabitants who were Chaghatai
Chagatai people
The Chagatai are one of the Tajik peoples of Uzbekistan. The Chagatai live in the Surxondaryo Province in south-east Uzbekistan and in southern Tajikistan. They numbered 63,500 in 1924-25. Together with the Kharduri, the Chagatai are one of the ethnographic groups of Tajiks who maintain a...
Turks
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
of his own race and sect and he had earnestly besought Najm Sani to comply with his wishes. But the unrelenting Persian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, deaf to his entreaties, had let loose all the fury of war on the devoted city Maulana Binai the poet, one of the most eminent minds of his time who happened to be in the town when it fell in the indiscriminate slaughter with many Syed
Syed
Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...
s and holy men and from that time forward, Amir Najm prospered in none of his undertakings.
The Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
chiefs after the massacre at Karshi
Qarshi
Qarshi is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Province and has a population of 197,600 . It is about 520 km south-southwest of Tashkent, and about 335 km north of Uzbekistan's border with Afghanistan. It is located at latitude 38° 51' 48N; longitude 65° 47'...
appear for some time to have retired and fortified themselves in their strongholds. Amir Najm seems to have passed on to attack Ghazdewan on the border of the desert without having taken Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. The Uzbek sultans had now had time to assemble and under the command of Ubaydullah Khan who was joined by Timur Sultan from Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
; they threw themselves into the fort the very night that Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
and Amir Najm had taken their ground before it and were preparing their engines and ladders for an assault. The Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
in the morning drew out their army which took up a position among the houses and gardens in the suburbs of the town. The confederates advanced to meet them. The Uzbeks who were protected by the broken ground and by the walls of the enclosures and houses had posted in every corner archers on foot who poured a shower of arrows on the Qizilbashes as they approached Biram Khan who had the chief military command of their troops wounded and fallen from his horse, the main body of the army fell into disorder. In the course of an hour the invaders were routed and most of them fell in the field and the arrows of Ghazdewan revenged the saber of Karshi
Qarshi
Qarshi is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Province and has a population of 197,600 . It is about 520 km south-southwest of Tashkent, and about 335 km north of Uzbekistan's border with Afghanistan. It is located at latitude 38° 51' 48N; longitude 65° 47'...
. Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
routed and discomfited fled back to Hissar. It is said that the Qizilbash chiefs disgusted with the haughtiness and insolence of Amir Najm did not use their utmost endeavors to assist him so that he was taken prisoner and put to death. Many of the Persian
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
chiefs who fled from the battle crossed the Amu Darya
Amu Darya
The Amu Darya , also called Oxus and Amu River, is a major river in Central Asia. It is formed by the junction of the Vakhsh and Panj rivers...
at Kirki and entered Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
.
Aftermath
The UzbeksUzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
now not only recovered the country which they had lost in Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
but made incursions into Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
ravaging the northern part of the province Shah Ismail I
Ismail I
Ismail I , known in Persian as Shāh Ismāʿil , was a Shah of Iran and the founder of the Safavid dynasty which survived until 1736. Isma'il started his campaign in Azerbaijan in 1500 as the leader of the Safaviyya, an extremist heterodox Twelver Shi'i militant religious order and unified all of Iran...
on hearing of this disaster resolved to return On his approach the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
retreated in alarm. He caused several of the officers who had escaped from the battle to be seized and some of them to be capitally punished for deserting their commander. Certain inhabitants of the province being accused of having shown attachment to the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
and their creed and of having vexed the Shias were consumed in the fire of his wrath. The fatal battle of Ghazdewan, the destruction of Babur's Persian allies and the numbers and power of the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
seemed to leave him no hopes of again ascending the throne of Samarkand
Samarkand
Although a Persian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran most of the times between the disintegration of the Seleucid Empire and the Arab conquest . In the 6th century it was within the domain of the Turkic kingdom of the Göktürks.At the start of the 8th century Samarkand came...
and Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
. Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
had now resigned all hopes of recovering Fergana
Fergana
Fergana is a city , the capital of Fergana Province in eastern Uzbekistan, at the southern edge of the Fergana Valley in southern Central Asia, cutting across the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
, and although he dreaded an invasion from the Uzbeks
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
to his West
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
, his attention increasingly turned towards India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and its lands in the East
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
.