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Battle of Merv (1510)

Type Event Region Central Asia Time 1510

In 1510, Safavid Shah Ismail I led an eastern campaign and engaged in a decisive battle near Merv in Khorasan against the Uzbek forces led by Muhamma…

Timeline

  1. 1510Khorasan · KhorasanAfter consolidating control over Persia, Ismail I turned his military forces toward the Uzbek powers occupying Khorasan and Transoxiana. The Safavid army, with Qizilbash elites at its core, advanced eastward from Mashhad and confronted Shaybani's forces along the frontier.
  2. 1510Ghazdavan · Bukhara RegionThe two armies clashed on the plains of Merv. The Safavid army broke through the Uzbek lines with concentrated charges and firepower superiority; Muhammad Shaybani was killed in battle and his head was sent to Ismail. The Uzbek army routed, and Khorasan's defensive system collapsed instantly.
  3. 1510–1512Samarkand · SamarkandThe Safavid army capitalized on its victory to occupy Samarkand and Herat, installing former Shaybani subordinates as puppets. However, the Uzbek nobles quickly rallied, launching a counteroffensive with the support of Shaybani's nephew Ubayd Allah, and by around 1512 drove Safavid forces out of Transoxiana, establishing a long-term Safavid–Uzbek standoff.

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