Atlas of Battles

siege, medieval

Siege of Samarkand

Siege of Samarkand was a siege conducted in April 1497 at Samarkand, in what is now Uzbekistan. It was part of the Timurid Wars of Succession, which ran from 1405 to 1507. The recorded result: Victory of Babur.

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Babur’s army storming Samarkand (1497) (Paras).,Opaque watercolour. Mughal style; Mughal/Akbar style.
Babur’s army storming Samarkand (1497) (Paras).,Opaque watercolour. Mughal style; Mughal/Akbar style.. 1590 artist, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtApril 1497
WhereSamarkand, Uzbekistan39.654N, 66.960E
OutcomeVictory of Babur
BelligerentsTimurids of Ferghana; Timurids of BukharaagainstKhanate of Bukhara; Timurids of Samarkand
Part ofTimurid Wars of Succession1405 to 1507

Where it sits in the Timurid Wars of Succession

Siege of Balkh, 1447Battle of Damghan, 1447Battle of Nishapur, 1447Battle of Tarnab, 1448Siege of Herat, 1448Babur Mirza's Invasion of Khorasan, 1448Battle of Farhadgerd, 1449Battle of Sarakhs, 1459Siege of Shahrukhiya, 1461Siege of Shahrukhiya, 1462Siege of Samarkand, 1494Siege of Samarkand, 1497Battle of Akhsi, 150314471503Siege of Samarkand, 1497
13 placed engagements of the Timurid Wars of Succession in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateApril 1497 (month precision)
PlaceSamarkand, Uzbekistan
39.654N, 66.960E
KindSiege, medieval
Commanders
  • Babur
  • Sultan Ali bin Mahmud Mirza
Siege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandSiege of SamarkandBattle of QatwanSiege of SamarkandBattle of QatwanDushanbeShahrisabzQarshiJizzaxNavoiUroteppaKattaqorgonUrgut100 km39.654N, 66.960E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 5 times between 1220 and 1868.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1497

Siege of Samarkand is one of 743 engagements of the 15th century in the atlas and one of 41 in present-day Uzbekistan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q7510367, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Samarkand (1497), revision 1370744965, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.