Tarmashirin

Who was Tarmashirin?

Tarmashirin Khan was the khan of the Chagatai Khanate following Duwa Timur.

Tarmashirin is famous for his campaign in India in 1327 before he was enthroned. He destroyed every army on his way to Delhi. The Delhi Sultan gave him a large tribute to spare his life. Also, he unsuccessfully invaded the Ilkhanate.

He was one of the notable rulers of the Chagatai Khanate to convert to Islam. He took the name Ala-ad-din after becoming a Muslim. His conversion to Islam did not go down well with his Mongol nobles, who were overwhelmingly Tengriist and Buddhist. He sent letters with tributes to the court of Yuan Dynasty. Because Tarmarshirin preferred to dwell in cities of Transoxiana, Tarmashirin was accused of abandoning the traditional Mongol code of conduct, Yassa, and was deposed in the horde's annual kurultai. He was killed by the Eastern Chagatayid princes later in flight near Samarkand.

Muslim sources have always portrayed Tarmashirin in a very favorable light owing to his seminal effort in bringing Islam into inner Asia. The famous Muslim traveler and writer Ibn Batuta had visited Tarmashirin during his travel through Tarmashirin's realms.