Taj al-Din Shah-i Shahan Abu'l Fath or Shah-i-Shahan of Sistan
(Shāhshāhān-i Sīstanī
) (c. 1349 – February or March 1403) 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 (N ...
from 1383 until his death. He was the son of Mas'ud Shihna.
Biography
In the early 1380s Shah-i Shahan was sent by the malik
Qutb al-Din as an hostage to the camp of
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 ...
. He was sent with tribute to establish the malik's submission to Timur. Upon his arrival, he apparently made a good impression on Timur and was soon allowed to return to
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 (N ...
.
In 1383 Timur invaded Sistan, surrounded
Shahr-i Sistan and imprisoned Qutb al-Din. Remembering his meeting with Shah-i Shahan a few years before, he decided to appoint the latter governor of Sistan on the condition that he would convince the defenders of the
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
of Shah-i Shahan (which had not yet fallen) to surrender. Shah-i Shahan agreed and the defenders soon ended their resistance, but instead of being spared like Timur had promised, the city was subjected to a three-day massacre. Shahr-i Sistan was plundered and its notables deported, before the army burned the city. Timur's army proceeded to ravage the rest of Sistan, except for Shah-i Shahan's estates. It then destroyed the fortress of Taq and several dams and irrigation canals before making its way to
Bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
and ravaging it, which led to the abandonment of the old city (the location of which is marked by Qala-e-Bost).
Shah-i Shahan therefore had become the governor of an extremely devastated Sistan. He cleared Shahr-i Sistan of corpses and allowed the surviving people of the rural portions of the province to resettle on his own undamaged estates. In the meantime, the governorship of Isfizar had been given to two other Mihrabanids, Shah Giyath al-Din ibn Shah Abu'l-Fath and Shah Jalal al-Din; a year after Shah-i Shahan's coming to power they invaded Sistan and attempted to take control of the province. Shah-i Shahan appealed to Timur for help; he sent an army which forced the rival Mihrabanids out of Sistan.
While in Sistan Shah-i Shahan continued to restore the province, rebuilding some of the dams and irrigation canals that had been destroyed by Timur's army. He also arranged a series of marriage alliances with the line of 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 ...
, which was the only other surviving line of the Mirhabanids.
Shah-i Shahan spent a significant amount of time accompanying Timur on the latter's campaigns. He participated in the capture of
Aleppo
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in 1400 and was present during Timur's
campaign against the Ottoman Turks. While away from Sistan, Shah-i Shahan would have his brother-in-law Shams al-Din Shah 'Ali govern in his stead; when Shams al-Din Shah 'Ali died his son
Qutb al-Din Muhammad
Qutb al-Din Muhammad (died 1346) was the Mihrabanid malik of Sistan from 1330 until his death. He was the son of Rukn al-Din Mahmud.
Biography
Qutb al-Din was appointed malik in December 1330 by the notables of Sistan following the death of his u ...
was given that responsibility.
In 1403, while on the return trip after the Ottoman campaign, Shah-i Shahan died. Qutb al-Din Muhammad, who had also participated in the campaign against the Ottomans, was then appointed as the malik's successor by Timur.
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.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taj al-Din Shah-i Shahan Abul Fath
Mihrabanids
1340s births
1403 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
14th-century Iranian people
15th-century Iranian people