ost
celebrated and flourishing districts of central Asia. It was called
Sughd, and contained the two great cities of Samarkand and Bokhara, of
which the former was generally the seat of government, while the latter
had a high reputation as a seat of religion and learning. During the
early middle ages this legion was also known as Ma wara 'l Nahr or
Ma-vera-un-nahr, the meaning of which is given in the alternative
classical title of Transoxiana. Malik Shah, third of the Seljuk dynasty
of Persia, passed the Oxus about the end of the 11th century, and
subdued the whole country watered by that river and the Jaxartes. In
1216 Bokhara was again subdued by Mahommed Shah Khwarizm, but his
conquest was wrested from him by Jenghiz Khan in 1220. The country was
wasted by the fury of this savage conqueror, but recovered something of
its former prosperity under Ogdai Khan, his son, whose disposition was
humane and benevolent. His posterity kept possession till 1369, when
Timur or Tamerlane bore down everything before him, and established his
capital at Samarkand, which with Bokhara regained for a time its former
splendour. Babar, the fifth in descent from Timur, was originally prince
of Ferghana, but conquered Samarkand and northern India, where he
founded the Mogul (Mughal) empire. His descendants ruled in the country
until about 1500, when it was overrun by the Uzbeg Tatars, under
Abulkhair or Ebulkheir Khan, the founder of the Shaibani dynasty, with
which the history of Bokhara properly commences. The most remarkable
representative of this family was Abdullah Khan (1556-1598), who greatly
extended the limits of his kingdom by the conquest of Badakshan, Herat
and Meshhed, and increased its prosperity by the public works which he
authorized. Before the close of the century, however, the dynasty was
extinct, and Bokhara was at once desolated by a Kirghiz invasion and
distracted by a disputed succession. At length, in 1598, Baki Mehemet
Khan, of the Astrakhan branch of the Timur family, mounted the throne,
and thus introduced the dynasty of the Ashtarkhanides. The principal
event of his reign was the defeat he inflicted on Shah Abbas of Persia
in the neighbourhood of Balkh. His brother Vali Mehemet, who succeeded
in 1605, soon alienated his subjects, and was supplanted by his nephew
Imamkuli. After a highly prosperous reign this prince resigned in favour
of his brother, Nazr Mehemet, under whom the country was greatly
troubled by the