Tarmashirin

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Tarmashirin Khan (Ruled 1326 AD - 1334 AD) was the Khan of the Chagatai Khanate following Duwa Timur. He was the second ruler of Chagatai Ulus to convert to Islam, Mubarak Shah being the first. He took the name Ala-ad-din after becoming a Muslim. However his conversion to Islam did not go down well with his Mongol nobles, who were overwhelmingly Shamanist/Buddhist. (Buddhist traces can be detected in Tarmashirin's own name itself, which is a corruption of Sanskrit word Dharmashri). Tarmashirin was accused of abandoning the traditional Mongol code of conduct Yasa, and was deposed in the horde's annual Kuriltai. He was killed 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. Famous Muslim traveler and writer Ibn Batuta had visited Tarmashirin during his travel through Tarmashirin's realms.


Preceded by:
Duwa Temür
Khan of Chagatai Khanate
1334–1335
Followed by:
Buzan