Shah Malik was the head of the Oghuz Yabghus of Jand and Yengi-kent (two towns near the mouth of the

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

), and was also

Khwarazm Khwarazm (; ; , ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the east by the Kyzylkum Desert, on the south by th ...

Shah (1041–1042).

Life

''Shah Malik'' held the title of Yabgu (the traditional leader of the Oghuz). In 1034, the

Seljuks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persian culture. The founder of th ...

, representatives of the Qiniq tribe of the

Oghuz Turks The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...

who earlier we part of the Oghuz Yabgu State, split from the Yabghus and moved into

at the invitation of its

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

governor, Harun. In a battle between Shah Malik and the Seljuks, the latter were defeated and forced to seek refuge in

Khurasan KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...

. In 1038, the Ghaznavid sultan Mas'ud invested Shah Malik with the title of Khwarazm Shah. He did so in the hopes that Shah Malik would overthrow Harun's successor, Isma'il, who had become an enemy of the Ghaznavids. In the winter of 1040/1041, Shah Malik led his forces across the desert into Khwarazm. After fighting a long battle against Isma'il's troops he emerged victorious, forcing Isma'il to flee. He occupied the capital,

Gurganj Konye-Urgench (, ; , ), also known as Old Urgench or Urganj, was a city in north Turkmenistan, just south from its border with Uzbekistan. It is the site of the ancient town of Gurgānj, which contains the ruins of the capital of Khwarazm. Its in ...

and placed Mas'ud's name in the khutba, although by this time Mas'ud was dead.

Death

The Seljuks, however, would not allow Shah Malik to remain in Khwarazm. The Seljuk ruler

Tughril Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il (), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril / Tughrul), was a Turkoman"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is ...

and his brother Chaghri descended upon Khwarazm in 1042 and forced him from the province. He chose to flee to

Kerman Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. History Kerman was founded as a def ...

and then

Makran Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...

(his territories of Jand and Yengi-kent may have been occupied by the

Kipchaks The Kipchaks, also spelled Qipchaqs, known as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Russian annals, were Turkic nomads and then a confederation that existed in the Middle Ages inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the eighth cent ...

, preventing him from returning there). He was eventually captured in Makran and turned over to Chaghri Beg, who ended his life. Shah Malik's wife Altun Jan Khatun married Tughril around 1043, and their son Anoushirvan remained with her after her marriage.

Bibliography

*"Altuntas." ''Encyclopædia Iranica.'' 15 November 2006.

References

Rulers of Khwarazm 11th-century deaths 11th-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown 11th-century rulers {{Asia-royal-stub