At the turn of the XV–XVI centuries, Mavearannahr and Khorasan witnessed important military and political events. The events brought radical changes to the political, ethnic, and confessional landscapes of Maverannahr and Khorasan. Uzbek nomadic tribes began a systematic seizure of the lands belonging to the Timurid State which by that time began weakening. The nomads’ devastating raids severely affected the local civilian population. The first period of the development of the political situation in the region ended with the establishment of a new nomadic Shaybanid dynasty. The second stage of that process began with the emergence of a new military-political force called the Safavids who first appeared in Khorasan and then in Maverannahr. The political confrontation over the Timurid political heritage between the two forces acquired a religious tint after the Safavids declared Shia Islam the state religion. Despite a grueling war between them, there were no significant changes in the political map of the region. This Shiite-Sunni conflict gradually led to a great split in Islam. This article aims at examining the military-political and social situation of the regions under scrutiny during the invasion of the Uzbek nomadic tribes, on the one hand, and the Safavids, on the other hand. The author set to study the role of Islam in the unfolding political events. The relevance of the selected topic is as follows. The emerging socio-political situation in the region again gave rise to the idea of an “Islamic caliphate”. Thus, this idea will again excite the minds and moods of certain categories of people when favorable historical conditions arise and with successful organizational and ideological activities. This is evidenced by recent events in Syria and Iraq.

Ismoilov Lutfullo Eshonovich, Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Department of Oriental, African and Islamic Studies, Kazan Federal University, 1/55, Pushkin st., Kazan, 420008, Russian Federation, е-mail: ismoilov-62@mail.ru

Ismoilov L.E. The Military-Political Confrontation of the Safavids and Sheibanids in Maverannahr at the Beginning of the 16th Century. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series History, 2020, vol. 33, pp. 70-79. https://doi.org/10.26516/2222-9124.2020.33.70 (in Russian)

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