Battle of Tashkent (1603)

At the very beginning of the 17th century, in 1601, a change of ruling dynasty took place in the Khanate of Bukhara. Power shifted from the Shaybanids, who had ruled Central Asia for about a century, to the Ashtarkhanid dynasty.^{[citation needed]}

The name of the dynasty is linked to the origin of its founder, Jani Muhammad Sultan, who descended from the Jochids of Astrakhan (Haji-Tarkhan). He was a descendant of Tokai-Timur, the thirteenth son of Jochi.^{[citation needed]} For this reason, some researchers also refer to the Ashtarkhanids as the Janid dynasty, after Jani Muhammad Khan. The first ruler of this dynasty to ascend the khan's throne was Baki-Muhammad, the second son of Jani Muhammad Sultan.^{[citation needed]}

In the early 17th century, relations between the Bukhara Khanate and the Kazakh Khanate remained tense.^{[citation needed]} Despite the treaty, the rulers of Bukhara sought to reclaim control over Tashkent, which had been under Kazakh rule since the late 16th century. In the autumn of 1603, as reported by Mahmud ibn Wali in Bahr al-Asrar, Baki-Muhammad Khan attempted to seize the city.^[2] However, his forces were defeated by the army of the Kazakh ruler of Tashkent, Keldi-Muhammad Khan. Pursuing the retreating Ashtarkhanids, the combined Kazakh–Kyrgyz army reached Samarkand, but the siege of the city was unsuccessful. As a result, Keldi-Muhammad Khan was forced to retreat back to Tashkent.^[3]