Izz al-Din (died September 29, 1382) was the

Mihrabanid The Mihrabanid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty that ruled Sistan (or Nimruz) from 1236 until the mid-16th century. It was the third indigenous Muslim dynasty of Sistan, having been preceded by the Saffarid and Nasrid dynasties. Overview Most of wh ...

malik of

Sistan Sistān ( fa, سیستان), known in ancient times as Sakastān ( fa, سَكاستان, "the land of the Saka"), is a historical and geographical region in present-day Eastern Iran ( Sistan and Baluchestan Province) and Southern Afghanistan ( ...

from 1352 until 1380. He was the son of

Rukn al-Din Mahmud The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree ...

Biography

Izz al-Din was appointed as malik by the notables of Sistan in 1352 after the death of

Jalal al-Din Mahmud Jalal al-Din Mahmud (died 1352) was the Mihrabanid malik of Sistan from 1350 until his death. He was the son of Rukn al-Din Mahmud. Biography Jalal al-Din came to power as the result of a conspiracy that unseated the malik Taj al-Din ibn Qutb al- ...

. Soon after his ascension, a conflict broke out between him and his cousin Muhammad ibn

Nusrat al-Din Muhammad Nusrat al-Din Muhammad (died 1330/1331) was the Mihrabanid malik of Sistan from 1318 until his death. He was the son of Nasir al-Din Muhammad. Biography During the 1310s Sistan had suffered from a civil war between Nasir al-Din and Nusrat al-Din's ...

, who was governor of the town of Uq and commanded a large degree of support in northern Sistan. Muhammad rebuilt several fortresses and seized

crown lands Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

in his locality. Civil war quickly erupted, during which the canals and agricultural fields of Sistan were damaged and famine became a serious problem. In the midst of this war 'Izz al-Din granted refuge in 1363/1364 to

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

Barlas, who had recently been expelled from

Transoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...

. In Izz al-Din's later years popular discontent began to grow against his vizier, Muhammad 'Ata'. The opposition was soon joined by Izz al-Din's son, Qutb al-Din. One day, while the malik was on a hunting trip, a Shahr-i Sistan mob overran the citadel and killed the vizier. Qutb al-Din and his supporters then battled Izz al-Din's forces and defeated them. The malik was captured and exiled. Izz al-Din, intent on recovering his throne, made his way to

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

and gained the support of the

Kartid The Kart dynasty, also known as the Kartids ( fa, آل کرت), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Tajik origin closely related to the Ghurids, that ruled over a large part of Khorasan during the 13th and 14th centuries. Ruling from their capital ...

malik Giyath al-Din Pir 'Ali. Together with the malik of Farah, Iksandar ibn Inaltigin, Izz al-Din and a Kartid force invaded Sistan in the spring of 1380. Qutb al-Din, seeing many of his supporters abandon him, decided to flee, enabling Izz al-Din to retake Shahr-i Sistan. Qutb al-Din, however, was invited by several nobles and military commanders to return; upon doing so he defeated Izz al-Din and Iksandar and forced them to leave Sistan. At this point Izz al-Din's desire to maintain his rule weakened; he returned to Sistan and renounced the throne in favor of his son. He died two years later, in 1382.

References

* Bosworth, C.E. ''The History of the Saffarids of Sistan and the Maliks of Nimruz (247/861 to 949/1542-3)''. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, 1994. Year of birth unknown 1382 deaths Mihrabanids 14th-century Iranian people {{Iran-royal-stub