Shohrux Mirzo

Shah Rukh Mirza was the fourth son of Amir Timur and was born on Thursday, August 20, 1377. According to the historian Khwandamir, Shah Rukh's mother, Tagoy Turkon Agha, was one of the Sahibqiran’s personal concubines, whom Amir Timur later took as his wife. Even so, Saray Mulk Khanum raised Shah Rukh to adulthood.

From a young age, Shah Rukh Mirza strictly followed the laws of Sharia and was interested in religious books. Until the age of 20, he remained at the side of his father, the Sahibqiran, and participated actively in military campaigns, including the Palestine campaign. After Amir Timur granted him the governorship of Khorasan, Sistan, and Mazandaran in 1397, he remained known as the ruler of Khorasan until 1405.

According to the writings of Fasih Khwafi, Shah Rukh Mirza governed Khorasan under the guidance of Herat's influential religious figures.

After the death of Amir Timur, Shah Rukh Mirza, among the contenders for the throne, formed an alliance with the crown prince Pir Muhammad Mirza and fought against the ruler of Samarkand, Khalil Sultan. After the tragic death of Pir Muhammad Mirza in 1407, he continued the struggle alone. After triumphing over Khalil Sultan in 1409 and seizing the throne, he gifted Transoxiana to his eldest son Ulugh Beg Mirza, Balkh to his second son Sultan Ibrahim Mirza, Hisor to Muhammad Jahangir Mirza (the son of the late Muhammad Sultan Mirza), and Fergana to Ahmad Mirza (the son of his late brother Umar Shaikh Mirza), and he himself returned to Herat.

Shah Rukh Mirza gradually brought the descendants of his brothers Jahangir, Umar Shaikh, and Miran Shah under his rule through various means, took control of a vast state consisting of Transoxiana, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Khorasan, and Northern Afghanistan, declared Herat as his capital, and began governing the empire as the "Great Khaqan."

While Shah Rukh Mirza spent much of his time in worship and reading books, his resolute and resourceful wife, Goharshad Begum, actively participated in governing the court and the state.

Out of devotion and piety, Shah Rukh Mirza showed favor to dervishes and ascetics and performed Friday prayers with the public at the Jame Mosque in Herat. During one of the Friday prayers (February 21, 1427), a person named Ahmad stabbed Shah Rukh Mirza inside the mosque. Ahmad was executed immediately. After treatment by dedicated physicians, the wound healed, and Shah Rukh Mirza recovered.

Until the end of his life, Shah Rukh Mirza hesitated to appoint an heir to his position.

In 1446, Shah Rukh Mirza launched a campaign against his grandson, Sultan Muhammad, the ruler of the provinces of Qazvin, Ray, and Qom, because Sultan Muhammad had rebelled against his grandfather, Shah Rukh Mirza, seized Hamadan and Isfahan, and besieged Shiraz. Shah Rukh Mirza's army did not encounter any resistance in western Iran, as Sultan Muhammad, having heard of his grandfather's approach, had lifted the siege of Shiraz and fled to the mountains. The culprits of the rebellion were punished severely.

While returning from this military campaign, Shah Rukh fell ill and died in the Ray province in 1447 at the age of 70.

During the time of Shah Rukh Mirza, Khorasan developed significantly in political, social, economic, and cultural terms, and many charitable deeds were accomplished. Mosques, madrasas, khanqahs, caravanserais, water reservoirs, and villages and forts were built, and these structures were provided with waqf assets. Shah Rukh Mirza's moderate domestic and foreign policy led to the stabilization of peace in Khorasan. During this period, trade, craftsmanship, and agriculture began to rise to a high level.

In particular, great attention was paid to craftsmanship, weaving, architecture, woodcarving, calligraphy, bookbinding, and paper production. Furthermore, metal processing, the preparation of construction tools, and the art of pottery grew. In addition to these, attention to jewelry making, embroidery, engraving, and the production of silk and other fabrics intensified.

In particular, fabrics such as banoras and atlas began to be produced from raw materials sourced locally and abroad. Skilled masters of these crafts emerged. In the 14th–15th centuries, the art of pottery in Khorasan was widely established, producing not only earthenware but also clay pipes used in water structures and large building constructions, as well as glazed ceramic tiles with various shapes and colors.

To ensure the future of the country, Shah Rukh Mirza attempted to improve diplomatic relations with the rulers of China and India. Ambassadors from these countries visited Samarkand and Herat, and in turn, ambassadors led by Ghiyath al-Din Naqqash visited China, while ambassadors led by Abdurazzaq Samarqandiy visited India. Shah Rukh Mirza built a Madrasa and khanqah on the south side of the Herat city fortress (1410–1411). During this time, cultural and domestic construction flourished in the capital Herat and in Khorasan in general.

There were several hospitals in Herat, and in addition to these, two more “Darushshifa” (houses of healing) were built. One of these hospitals was built by Shah Rukh's third wife, Mulkat Agha, and the second was built by Shah Rukh's grandson, Ala al-Dawla (1417). Like Goharshad Begum, Mulkat Agha also built a khanqah in Herat called “Darulhadis,” two baths, a caravanserai on the road to the Amu Darya 8 farsakhs from Herat, and a Madrasa in the city of Balkh.

One of the largest monuments built in Herat during the time of Shah Rukh is the huge Madrasa built by Queen Goharshad Begum and the khanqah erected next to it. Construction of these buildings began in 1417 and was completed in 1437. These buildings still exist today, and several members of the family, Goharshad Begum, and other Timurid princes and princesses were buried in the khanqah.

Officials, begs, and commanders serving in Shah Rukh Mirza's court built a series of cultural and public buildings to immortalize their names. For example, the Qurban Shaikh, Ferozshah, Chaqmoq Shah, and Alayh Kokaldosh madrasas were erected in the Khiyaban district of Herat. In these, alongside religious knowledge, sciences such as linguistics, literary history, geography, geometry, mathematics, and astronomy were taught. Furthermore, philosophy, logic, and the science of music were developed.

Herat has been considered a city rich in diverse religious and scientific books since ancient times. Shah Rukh Mirza himself was a book enthusiast, and he possessed a rich personal library, and his son Baysunghur Mirza also had a magnificent library. These libraries gained fame for their variety and wealth of valuable works. In general, after the death of the Sahibqiran Amir Timur, relatively peaceful times prevailed in Transoxiana and Khorasan during the reign of Shah Rukh Mirza. Consequently, the economic, social, and cultural life initiated by Amir Timur continued to develop.