Timurid dynasty
| Timurid dynasty Persian: تیموریان Gurkānī (Persian: گوركانى) | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Timurid Dynasty. | |
| Country | Timurid Empire, Mughal Empire |
| Founded | 1370 |
| Founder | Timur (Tamerlane) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Dissolution | 1507 (Central Asia), 1857 (Mughal branch) |
The Timurid dynasty (Persian: تیموریان) or the Timurids, who called themselves Gurkānī [1][2][3] (Persian: گوركانى), were a Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turco-Mongol lineage that rose to power in the late 14th century. Founded by Timur (Tamerlane), the dynasty ruled a vast empire across Iran, Transoxiana, Afghanistan, and parts of the Middle East.
Although of Turco-Mongol origin, the Timurids became heavily Persianized. The Persian language was the official and administrative language of the state, and Persian culture shaped the dynasty’s court, literature, architecture, and identity.[4] Cities like Samarkand and Herat became major centers of Islamic art and learning, attracting poets, scientists, and architects. The dynasty’s rulers, especially Shahrukh Mirza and Sultan Husayn Bayqara, were known for their patronage of Persianate culture and for fostering a synthesis of nomadic and sedentary traditions.[5]
The Timurids established two major imperial legacies. The first was the Timurid Empire in Iran and Central Asia, which flourished in the 15th century. The second was the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, founded by Babur, a direct descendant of Timur. The Mughal dynasty continued many Timurid cultural and political traditions, making the Timurids one of the most influential dynasties in the Islamic world.[6][7]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Zahir ud-Din Mohammad (2002-09-10). Thackston, Wheeler M. (ed.). The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor. Modern Library Classics. ISBN 0375761373.
Note: Gurkānī is the Persianized form of the Mongolian word "qürügän" ("son-in-law"), the title given to the dynasty's founder after his marriage into Genghis Khan's family.
- ↑ Note: Gurgān, Gurkhān, or Kurkhān; The meaning of Kurkhan is given in Clements Markham's publication of the reports of the contemporary witness Ruy González de Clavijo Archived 2007-10-13 at the Wayback Machine as "of the lineage of sovereign princes".
- ↑ Edward Balfour, The Encyclopaedia Asiatica, Comprising North India, Eastern and Southern Asia, Cosmo Publications, 1976, pp. 460, 488, 897.
- ↑ Subtelny, Maria (2007). Timurids in Transition: Turko-Persian Politics and Acculturation in Medieval Iran. Brill. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9789004158495.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - ↑ Roemer, H. R. (1986). Peter Jackson and Laurence Lockhart (ed.). The Successors of Timur. Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–304.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|booktitle=ignored (help) - ↑ Woods, John E. (1990). The Timurid Dynasty. Indiana University, Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies. pp. 1–61.
- ↑ Melville, Charles (2020). The Timurid Century: The Idea of Iran, Volume 9. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 1–20.