his arrangements for the siege; but Badîa-ez-Zemân Mirza having interposed as mediator, a peace was concluded; and, all prisoners made on both sides being mutually delivered up, the army retired. The elevation of Khosrou Shah, and all his subsequent doings, so much out of his sphere, were entirely owing to the two expeditions of Sultan Hussain Mirza to reduce him, and to the retreat of that monarch without effecting his purpose. bâd to his When Sultan Hussain Mirza reached Balkh, in order the better to watch the poten- Gives Balkh tates of Mâweralnaher, he gave Balkh to Badia-ez-Zemân Mirza, and the province of and AsteráAsterâbâd to Muzaffer Hussain Mirza; and made them both kneel at the same levee1 two sons. for the grant of these provinces. This arrangement gave great offence to Badîa-ezZemân, and was the original cause of his engaging in a long series of rebellions and revolts. Revolt of khâns in unpopular Mirza pro. Baiesan In the same month of Ramzân, the rebellion of the Terkhâns broke out in Sa- May or markand. It was occasioned by the conduct of Baiesanghar Mirza, who held much June, 1496. greater intercourse with the Begs and soldiers of Hissâr, and behaved towards them the Ter with much more confidence and familiarity, than he did towards those of Samarkand. Samarkand. Sheikh Abdulla Birlâs was a Beg of high rank, and prime minister; such was the in- Baiesantimacy and attachment subsisting between his sons and the prince, that they had all ghar Mirza the appearance of standing to each other in the relation of mistress and lover. This with them. gave great offence to the Terkhân Begs, and to several of the nobles of Samarkand, so that in the end Dervish Muhammed Terkhân leaving Bokhâra, brought Sultan Ali Sultan Ali Mirza from Karshi,3 proclaimed him king, and advanced along with him to Samarkand claimed to the New Garden, where Baiesanghar Mirza then resided. Having seized that king. prince by stratagem, they separated him from his servants and retainers, conducted ghar seized, him to the citadel, and put the two Mirzas in one place. About afternoon prayers they had a consultation, and came to the severe resolution of sending the Mirza to Gokserâi. Baiesanghar Mirza, under pretence of a necessary occasion, entered an edifice on the north-east of the palace gardens. The Terkhâns waited without at the door, while Muhammed Kuli Kochin and Hassan Sherbetchi entered along with him. In the back part of this house, into which the Mirza had gone under the pretence that but escapes. has been mentioned, there was a door through which there had formerly been a passage out, but which had been closed up by brick on edge. The young prince contrived to throw down some of the bricks, got out, effected his escape from the citadel on the Ghadfer side of the bastion, and, descending by the Aqueduct, threw himself over the dotihi3 or parapet wall. He betook himself to Khwâjeh Kafshîr, to the house of Khwâjehka Khwâjeh. Those who waited without, after a certain time, having entered to look after him, found that the Mirza had escaped. 1 This ceremony of kneeling, or rather bending the knee, to the prince on receiving a grant, was equivalent to an acknowledgment of vassalage. 2 Badîa-ez-Zemân insisted that his father had previously made a grant of Asterâbâd to Muhammed Momin Mirza, a son of Badîa-ez-Zemân, and the young Mirza was now in possession of it. The dotihi is a double wall that projects from fortifications in order to enclose and cover a road which generally leads down to water. Next morning the Terkhâns collected round the house of Khwâjehka Khwâjeh, demanding the prince; but the Khwâjeh refused to deliver him up; while they, on the other hand, dared not seize him by force, the Khwâjeh's influence being too great to permit them to make such an attempt. After one or two days, Khwâjeh Abul MakâThe inhabi- rim, Ahmed Hâji Beg, and some others of the Begs and soldiers, with a multitude of and expel the town's-people rising tumultuously, brought away the Mirza from the Khwâjeh's the Terhouse, and besieged Sultan Ali Mirza and the Terkhâns in the citadel, which they were unable to hold out for a single day. Muhammed Mazîd Terkhân escaping by the gate of the four roads,1 proceeded to Bokhâra; while Sultan Ali Mirza, with Dervish Muhammed Terkhân, fell into the hands of the assailants. tants rise khâns. Mirza sent to Gok-se ri; Baiesanghar Mirza was in Ahmed Hâji Beg's house when Dervish Muhammed Terkhân was brought in. One or two questions were put to him, to which he gave no satisfactory answer; and indeed the business in which he had been engaged was not such as admitted of it. He was ordered to be put to death. He showed a want of firmness, and clung to a pillar; but this did not save him, and he received his punishSultan Ali ment. Sultan Ali Mirza was ordered to be conducted to Gok-serâi, and to have the mîl or fire-pencil applied to his eyes. The Gok-serâi is one of the palaces which Taimur Beg built;3 it is situated in the citadel of Samarkand. It is remarkable on this account, that every prince of the race of Taimur who is elevated to the throne, mounts it at this place; and every one who loses his life for aspiring to the throne loses it here. Insomuch, that it has passed into a common expression, that such a prince has been conducted to the Gok-serâi, a hint which is perfectly well understood to mean, that he has been put to death. Sultan Ali Mirza was accordingly carried to Gok-serâi, and had the fire-pencil applied to his eyes; but whether it happened from the surgeon's want of skill, or from intention, no injury was done to them. Without disclosing this but escapes, circumstance, he went to Khwâjeh Yahîa's house, and, after two or three days, fled, and joined the Terkhâns at Bokhâra. From this period an énmity subsisted between the sons of the reverend Khwâjeh Abîd-ulla, for the elder became the spiritual guide of the elder prince, and the younger of the younger. In a few days Khwâjeh Yahîa followed him to Bokhâra. and defeats Baiesan Baiesanghar Mirza, having collected an army, advanced towards Bokhâra against ghar Mirza. Sultan Ali Mirza; but when he arrived in the vicinity of that city, Sultan Ali Mirza and the Terkhân Begs, having arrayed their force, marched out, and a trifling action ensued, which terminated in favour of Sultan Ali Mirza, Baiesanghar Mirza being 1 Derwázeh chehâr-râheh. 2 Probably with a reference to the usage of the Tartars and Arabs, with whom the pole that supports the tent is sacred and considered as a sanctuary; a reverence in some situations transferred to the pillar of a house. 3 It is curious that though Gok-serâi, the green palace, is here said to be one of the palaces built by Taimur Beg, we are told by Petis de la Croix, Hist. of Genghis Can, p. 171, that that conqueror put to death Gayer Khan, who made the brave defence of Otrar, in the palace of Gheucserai, and the same fact is repeated p. 227, and said to have taken place in Gheucserai, without the city of Samarkand. Perhaps Taimur Beg only rebuilt the palace, or the proverbial saying, applied by a later historian, may have produced the mistake. defeated. Ahmed Hâji Beg was taken prisoner, with a number of his best troops, the greater part of whom were put to death. The male and female servants and slaves of Dervish Muhammed Terkhân, under pretence of revenging the blood of their master, put Ahmed Hâji Beg to a miserable death. Sultan Ali Mirza pursued Baiesanghar Mirza as far as Samarkand. marches This intelligence reached me at Andejân in the month of Shawal,1 and in that same Baber month I too mounted and set out with my army to attempt the conquest of Samaragainst Sakand. As Sultan Hussain Mirza had retired from Hissâr and Kundez, and as Sultan markand. Masaûd Mirza and Khosrou Shah had recovered from their alarm, Sultan Masaûd Mirza now likewise, on his side, advanced by Shehrsebz,2 in order to assert his pretensions to Samarkand. Khosrou Shah sent his younger brother Wali to accompany invaded on the Mirza. For three or four months Samarkand was thus beleaguered on three sides; Samarkand when Khwâjeh Yahîa came to me from Sultan Ali Mirza, with proposals for an alliance three sides. and confederacy between us, and managed matters so successfully that a personal conference was agreed upon. I therefore moved with my army three or four farsangs, 3 on the Soghd side of Samarkand, and he also came from the opposite direction with his army towards the same place. Sultan Ali Mirza then advancing on his side with four or five persons, and I on mine with the same number, we had an interview on Baber's inhorseback in the midst of the river Kohik; and after a short conference, he returned Sultan Ali towards his own side and I to mine. On that occasion I saw Mulla Binâi and Mu- Mirza. hammed Saleh, who were with the Khwâjeh. Muhammed Saleh I never saw except on this occasion; but Mulla Binâi1 was afterwards for some time in my service. terview with After this conference with Sultan Ali Mirza, as the winter season was fast approaching, and great scarcity prevailed in the country of Samarkand, I returned to Andejân, and Sultan Ali Mirza to Bokhâra. Sultan Masaûd Mirza being deeply enamoured of the daughter of Shiekh Abdulla Birlas, married her; and renouncing his schemes of ambition, returned to Hissâr. Nay, this was his only object in advancing against Sa- The inva markand. About this time Mehedi Sultan fled from the territory of Shirâz and Kanbâi and went to Samarkand; and Khamzeh Sultan, having received my permission, also went from Ramîn and repaired to the same place. 1 The month of Shawal A. H. 901, begins 13th June 1496. 2 Or Kesh, S. E. of Samarkand. 3 About fourteen miles; the Persian has sharaa (kos), which would be probably six or seven miles. A particular account of Mulla Binâi is afterwards given in describing the eminent men of Sultan Hussain Mirza's Court. He was distinguished as a man of letters and a wit. ders all retire. Mehedi Sultan de. Kerîm. THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE YEAR 902.1 DURING this winter the affairs of Baiesanghar Mirza had attained their most prosperous situation. Abdal Kerîm Ashret having advanced on the part of Sultan Ali Mirza to Kôfin and its environs, Mehedi Sultan issued from Samarkand with Baiesanfeats Abdal ghar Mirza's light troops, and attacked him by surprise. Abdal Kerîm Ashret and Mehedi Sultan having met face to face, engaged each other with their scymitars. Abdal Kerîm's horse fell with him, and, as he was in the act of rising, Mehedi Sultan struck a blow that severed his wrist; after which he took him prisoner and completely defeated the invaders. These Sultans, however, perceiving that the affairs of Samarkand and the court of the Mirzas were in complete disorder, availed themselves of their foresight and went off to join Sheibâni Khan. ful attempt to surprise Bokhara. Elated by the issue of this skirmish, the men of Samarkand assembled and marched out in array to meet Sultan Ali Mirza. Baiesanghar Mirza advanced to Sirepûl, and Unsuccess- Sultan Ali Mirza to Khwâjeh Kardzin. At this same time, Khwâjeh Abul Makârim, with Weis Laghari, Muhammed Bâkir, and Mîr Kâsim Dûldâi, who were of the Begs of Andejân, acting on the advice of Khwâjeh Murâd, set out one night with a party of the household and retainers of Baiesanghar Mirza, intending to surprise Bokhâra. Before they reached the city, however, the people of Bokhâra were alarmed, and the attempt failed; so that they were obliged to return back without effecting anything. Baber marches against Sa. In my conference with Sultan Ali Mirza, it had been settled, that, in the summer, he should advance from Bokhâra, and I from Andejân, to form the siege of Samarmarkand. kand. According to this agreement, in the month of Ramzân, I mounted, and proMay 1497. ceeded from Andejân to Yar-Ilâk, where, having received information that the Mirzas were lying front to front, I dispatched Tûlûn Khwâjeh Moghul, with two or three hundred skirmishers, to advance on them with all expedition. By the time that they got near, Baiesanghar Mirza being apprized of our approach, broke up and retreated in great disorder. The detachment, that same night, having overtaken their rear, killed a number of men with their arrows, took a great many prisoners, and acquired much booty. In two days I arrived at the fortress of Shirâz, which at that time belonged to Kâsim Dûldâi. The commandant whom he had left in the place not being able to maintain it, delivered up the fortress, which I committed to the charge of Ibrahîm Saru. Next morning, after having performed the prayers of the Idi-Fitr, I proceeded towards Samarkand, and halted in the fields of Abyâr. The same day, Kasim 2d June 1497. 1 The year A. H. 902 begins on the 9th September 1496. ? The Shirâz here spoken of lies about 25 miles north of Samarkand. 2 The Id-al-fitr is the festival of the first new moon in Shawal, when the long fast of Ramzân finishes. The first appearance of the new moon is watched for as the end of the fast, and is instantly announced, as the signal of joy, from the minarets of the mosques. • Fields of Abyâr, the Kurûgh of Abyâr. These Kurûgh are retired fields, in which the Prince in the summer months encamps to enjoy the season, taking the females of his family with him. The outskirts of them are carefully guarded by patroles, to keep off intruders. Duldâi, Weis Laghari, Hassan Nabîreh, Sultan Muhammed Sighel, and Sultan Muhammed Weis, with three or four hundred men, came and entered into my service. Their story was, that, as soon as Baiesanghar Mirza began his retreat, they had left him, and come to offer their services to the King. I afterwards discovered, however, that, at the time of parting from Baiesanghar Mirza, they had undertaken to defend the fortress of Shirâz, and had set out with that intention; but that, on discovering how things stood with regard to Shirâz, they found that there was nothing left for it but to come and join me. puts some death. When I halted at Kara-bûlâk, many straggling Moghuls, who had been guilty of Kâsim Beg great excesses in different villages through which they had passed, were seized and Moghuls to brought in. Kâsim Beg ordered two or three of them to be cut to pieces, as an example. Four or five years afterwards, during my difficulties, when I went from Masîha to the Khan, Kâsim Beg found it necessary to separate from me on account of this very transaction,' and went to Hissâr. camps at Marching from Kara-bûlâk, I crossed the river, and halted near Yâm. The same Baber enday, some of my principal Begs attacked a body of Baiesanghar Mirza's troops on Yam. the Khiabân2 (or public pleasure-ground) of the city. In this skirmish, Sultan Ahmed Tambol was wounded in the neck with a spear, but did not fall from his horse. Khwâjehka Mullai, the Sadder (or chief judge), who was the elder brother of Khwâjeh Kilân, also received an arrow in the neck, and, on the spot, departed to the mercy of God. He was a man of worth. My father had shown him marks of regard, and appointed him keeper of the seal. He was a man of learning, and had great knowledge of language. He excelled in falconry, and was acquainted with magic.3 While we were in the vicinity of Yâm, a number of persons, both traders and others, came from the town to the camp-bazar, and began to traffic, and to buy and sell. One day, about afternoon prayers, there was suddenly a general hubbub, and the whole of those Musulmans were plundered. But such was the discipline of my army, that, on my' issuing an order that no person should presume to detain any part of the effects or property that had been so seized, but that the whole should be restored without reserve, before the first watch of the next day was over, there was not a bit of thread or a broken needle that was not restored to the owner. Yuret Marching thence, I halted at Yuret-Khân,+ about three kos to the east of Samar- Moves to kand. I remained forty or fifty days on this station; and during our stay there many Khan. sharp skirmishes took place on the Khiabân (or pleasure-ground of the city), between our people and the townsmen. In one of these actions, Ibrâhim Begchick received a 1 From an apprehension that the relations of the Moghuls so punished would prosecute the revenge of blood. 2 The Khiabân so often mentioned, is a large avenue, planted with several parallel rows of trees, and spreading over a considerable extent of ground, where the townspeople come out in the evening, or on holidays, to divert themselves. The dressed walks of a garden inclosed by low shrubs often receive the same name. 3 Yedehgeri is properly the art of bringing on rain and snow by means of enchantment and sorcery. 4 Yuret-Khân means in Tûrki the Khan's mansion or station. Three kos may be about five miles. F |