Husayn Bayqarah

Sultan Husayn Bayqara Mirza ( / Husayn Bāyqarā; June/July 1438 – 4 May 1506) was the Timurid ruler of Herat from 1469 until May 4, 1506, with a brief interruption in 1470. A skilled statesman, Sultan Husayn Bayqara was best known for his interest in the arts and was renowned as a benefactor and patron of learning in his kingdom, with his reign being heralded as the second Timurid Renaissance. He has been described as "the quintessential Timurid ruler of the later period in Transoxiana" and his sophisticated court and generous artistic patronage was a source of admiration, particularly from his cousin, the Mughal emperor Babur. Sultan Husayn Bayqara was the last Timurid ruler of consequence in Khorasan. Early life and lineage Born in Herat in June or July 1438, Husayn Bayqara's parents were Ghiyas ud-din Mansur Mirza of the Turco-Mongol Barlas tribe and his wife, Firuza Sultan Begum. His parents had four other children; a son, Bayqara Mirza II, as well as three daughters, Aka Biki, Badi al-Jamal and Urun Sultan Khanum. Husayn's father was a great-grandson of the Central Asian conqueror Timur. His mother was the daughter of Sultan Husayn of the powerful Tayichiud tribe, for whom he was named. Firuza was also herself a great-granddaughter of Timur twice over. Both his parents were also descendants of the Mongol Emperor, Genghis Khan. In addition to this, he claimed descent in the ninth generation from Khwaja Abdullah Ansari of Herat, also known as Pir-e-Herat (Sage of Herat).