Muhammad Shaybani Khan

Ruler who led the Uzbeks south, took Samarkand, and drove out the Timurid monarchs.

Life

Descendant of Jochi

Shaybani was a descendant of Jochi, Genghis Khan's eldest son. His grandfather Abu'l-Khayr Khan had united the Uzbek tribes of the eastern Kipchak Steppe. After his grandfather's death the tribesmen scattered, and the young Shaybani spent a time as a wanderer.

Took Samarkand

In 1500 he led the Uzbeks south and took Samarkand, repeatedly defeating the Timurid Babur and forcing him to retreat to Kabul. He then took Bukhara, Fergana, and Khwarazm, and in 1507 captured Herat, ending Timurid rule in Central Asia.

Battle of Merv

He came into conflict with the rising Safavid dynasty and in 1510 was defeated and killed at Merv by Shah Ismail. The Shaybanid dynasty he founded ruled Transoxiana for nearly a century.

Legacy

Muhammad Shaybani Khan began the era of Uzbek rule in Transoxiana, and the name of today's Uzbekistan derives from this tribal confederation.

Did you know? Ismail is said to have had his skull gilded and made into a drinking cup.

Key dates

• 1500Took Samarkand
• 1505Takes Khwarazm
• 1507Captures Herat
• 1510Killed after defeat at Merv