Nasir Al-Din Muhammad - Struggle To Gain Control of Sistan

Struggle To Gain Control of Sistan

Nasir al-Din's uncle Shams al-Din 'Ali ibn Mas'ud had been the first of the Mihrabanid maliks. When Shams al-Din 'Ali was murdered in 1255, the Kartid malik Shams ud-Din occupied Shahr-i Sistan. Shams ud-Din went before Hulagu Khan and claimed that his seizure of Sistan was legitimate, as he had a grant (yarligh) that had been given to him by the Great Khan Möngke for the province.

Nasir al-Din, meanwhile, asserted his own claim to the throne, attempting to gain Hulagu's support and sending his great-uncle Shuja' al-Din Nasr ibn Khalaf to take control of Sistan after the Kartid malik had departed. Despite these diplomatic attempts, Nasir al-Din did not receive a yarligh for six years and was further hampered by a second invasion by the Kartids. It was only in the spring of 1261 that he received official sanction from Hulagu to rule Sistan. Upon Nasr al-Din's return to Shahr-i Sistan, Kartid representatives were expelled and a purge of individuals deemed to be supportive of the Kartids or who had collaborated with the murderers of Shams al-Din 'Ali was initiated. Despite this, when Shams ud-Din invaded again and attacked Shahr-i Sistan in October 1263, several groups hostile to Nasr al-Din supported the Kartid.