The Langah Sultanate, also known as the Sultanate of Multan, was a
kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
which emerged after the decline of
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). in the
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
region. The capital of the Sultanate was the city of
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
in south
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
.
Origin
There are conflicting reports on the origin of the Langah tribe. Abd al-Haqq, in the 16th century, referred to the Langah as a
Baloch tribe, however, the tribe is also said to have
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
origins.
History
After invasion of Emir
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 Kür ...
in 1398, the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). became greatly weak and the city of
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
became independent of the Sultanate of Delhi. The inhabitants chose Shaikh Yousaf Qureshi, a descendent of the famous Sufi
Baha-ud-din Zakariya
Baha-ud-din Zakariya (Urdu and fa, بہاءُ الدین زکریا) (c.1170 – 1262), also spelled Bahauddin Zakariya, and also known as Baha-ul-Haq and Bahauddin Zakariya Multani, was a Sunni Muslim scholar saint and poet who establish ...
, as ruler in 1438. He was a mild and unexperienced ruler. In 1445, Rai Sahra, chief of the Langah attacked the city at night with the help of his tribesmen, arrested Sheikh Yousaf and proclaimed himself Sultan. In this way Multan passed to the Langah clan,
thus establishing the Langah Sultanate.
The reign of
Sultan Husayn I who ruled from 1469 to 1498 is considered to be the most illustrious of the Langah Sultans.
Multan experienced prosperity during this time, and a large number of Baloch settlers arrived in the city at the invitation of Shah Husayn.
Shah Husayn successfully repulsed attempted invasion by the Delhi Sultans led by Tatar Khan and
Barbak Shah.
He fought off attempts to reinstall Shiekh Yousaf who had taken refuge under Delhi Sultans. Eventually, he signed a peace treaty with
Sikander Lodhi
Sikandar Khan Lodi (died 21 November 1517), born Nizam Khan, was a Pashtun Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate between 1489 and 1517. He became ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death of his father Bahlul Khan Lodi in July 1489. The second and most s ...
and abducted in the favour of his son. His successor, Budhan Khan, who assumed the title Sultan Mahmud Shah I, inherited the Sultanate stretched encompassing the neighbouring regions, including the cities of
Chiniot
Chiniot (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and the administrative headquarter of Chiniot District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th largest city of Pakistan. It is also known for its intrica ...
and
Shorkot
Shorkot ( ur, , Basti starabad=), ( pa, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan.
It is also a capital city of Shorkot Tehsil in Jhang district. It is located at 30°30'N 72°24'E with an altitude of 131 metres (433 ft).
The city is famous ...
.
During the rule of the Langah, a large number of
Baloch tribes
The Baloch or Baluch ( bal, بلۏچ, Balòc) are an Iranian people who live mainly in the Balochistan region, located at the southeasternmost edge of the Iranian plateau, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There a ...
were allowed to settle in the Derajaat Border in turn for military service.
Decline
Sultan Husayn I being unable to hold his trans-Indus possessions, assigned the region around
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...
to Sardar
Malik Sohrab Dodai
Malik Sohrab Dodai was a son of Doda mercenary who moved to Multan (Punjab) in the late 15th century with his father Mir Doda Khan at the behest of the Langah dynasty. He was accompanied by his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fateh Khan, and Ismail Khan.
This ...
Baloch in 1469 or 1471 and appointed him as "Jagirdar".
During the reign of Mahmud Langah, his Vizier rebelled and declared himself independent ruler of Sorkot.
The city was invaded during the reign of Sultan Husseyn II by ruler Shah Husayn of the
Arghun dynasty, probably at
Babur
Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
's insistence.
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
fell in 1528 after an extended siege and Shah Husayn appointed his son Mirza Askari as governor of the city, assisted by Langar Khan, one of the powerful Amirs of Sultan Mahmud Langah I. Shortly after Shah Husayn departed Multan for
Thatta
Thatta ( sd, ٺٽو; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh. Thatta was the medieval capital of Sindh, and served as the seat of power for three successive dynasties. Thatta's historic significance has yielded several monuments in and ...
, however, the governor was thrown out of the city. The rebels under Sultan Mahmud II administered Multan for a time independently but in 1541,
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری)
(1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان)
, was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...
captured Multan, and the Sultanate ended.
Culture
The position of
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
as trans-regional mercantile centre for trade with the Islamic world remained dominant during the Sultanate era. During their reign, Multan became the principle caravan route between
Qandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...
and
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. The extent of Multan's influence is also reflected in the construction of the
Multani Caravanserai
The Multani Caravanserai is a caravanserai located in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was established in the 14th century and is located opposite to the Bukhara Caravanserai.
The caravanserai was built to house merchants from the medieval city of Multa ...
in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
— which was built in the 15th century to house Multani merchants visiting the city.
Legal records from the Uzbek city of
Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
note that Multani merchants settled and owned land in the city in the late 1550s.
[{{cite news, last1=Levi, first1=Scott, title=Caravans: Punjabi Khatri Merchants on the Silk Road, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-uviBQAAQBAJ&q=multan&pg=PT7, access-date=12 April 2017, agency=Penguin UK, date=2016, isbn=9789351189169]
![Ghazi khan tomb DG khan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Ghazi_khan_tomb_DG_khan.jpg)
Another important feature of this era was migration of
Baloch tribes and their settling in South Punjab.
They soon became core of the military
and held political positions in regions like
Derajat
Derajat ( Punjabi/Urdu: ), the plural of the word 'dera', is a cultural region of central Pakistan, located in the region where the provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan meet. Derajat is bound by the Indus River to the east, and ...
.
Ministers
Following is the list of known ministers of Langah Sultante:
* Imadul Mulk (1469 -1499), he was Vizier of
Husseyn Langah I
Husseyn Langah I (reigned 1456–1502) was the second ruler of Langah Sultanate. He undertook military campaigns in Punjab and captured Chiniot and Shorkot. He was a Jat
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community ...
. He rebelled against him and was imprisoned.
* Jam Bayzid (1499 - 1503), he was Vizier of Mahmud Langah I. Due to his strained relations with the Sultan, he rebelled and declared himself independent ruler of Sorkot.
[Ferishta, II, p,329; Nahawandi, I, p.278.]
* Shuja Bukhari (1503 - 1518), He was Vizier of Mahmud Langah.
* Langar Khan (1518 -1526), He was last Vizier of Sultanate. He assisted
Shah Hussain Arghun to conquer Multan.
Rulers
* Sultan Qutbudin (Rai Sahra Langah) (1445–1469)
* Sultan
Husseyn Langah I
Husseyn Langah I (reigned 1456–1502) was the second ruler of Langah Sultanate. He undertook military campaigns in Punjab and captured Chiniot and Shorkot. He was a Jat
The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community ...
(1469–1498)
* Sultan Mahmud I (1498–1518)
* Sultan Husseyn II (1518–1526)
* Sultan Mahmud Langah II (1526-1540)
See also
*
History of Multan
Multan in Punjab province of Pakistan is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, though its exact age has yet to be determined. Multan is known for its ancient heritage and historic landmarks, it has remained the capital of Punjab region in ancient ...
*
History of Punjab
The History of Punjab refers to the past human history of Punjab region which is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent, comprising eastern Pakistan and Punjab state in India. It is believe ...
*
Emirate of Multan
Emirate of Multan (855 – 1010) was a medieval kingdom in Punjab that was centred around city of Multan, present-day Punjab, Pakistan. It was initially ruled by the tribe of ''Banu Munabbih''. In 959 CE, Ismaili Qarmatians under '' Banu Lawi'' g ...
References
States and territories established in 1445
States and territories disestablished in 1540
History of Pakistan
History of Punjab, Pakistan