On the murder of the amirs and the end of Temür Sultan, son of Shujaʿ al-Din Ahmad Khan

This event has been explained as follows. Mirza Haydar Beg Churas was a powerful and bold man, and he had brothers and good supporters and he created a great following. Whichever region the Kirghiz would approach, Mirza Haydar Churas would stalk them and give them their just deserts.

The fact was, pride and arrogance took hold of his mind. The Sultan wished to go hunting, and the tovachis announced this to the people of Kashgar and Yangihissar. Great and small, highborn and common assembled in great crowd. With that, the Sultan headed off and made camp in Ajigh. They had pitched Mirza Ali Mardan Beg’s tent in a certain spot, and the beg had fallen asleep. Basay Bahadur, who was Haydar Beg’s darugha, was passing by Mirza Ali Mardan Beg’s tent, and his horse dragged one of the tent-ropes out of the ground. One of Mirza Ali Mardan’s men said ‘Who is this insulting us? Hit him!’ A well-built man who was holding a stick tending the fire in the fireplace ran and struck Basay Bahadur, breaking Basay Bahadur’s hand. When he told Mirza ʿAli Mardan Beg, ʿAli Mardan Beg summoned Basay Bahadur, gave him a cloak, and asked for forgiveness. Basay Bahadur kept all this secret, but a few intriguers and sycophants reported to Haydar Beg that Mirza Ali Mardan Beg’s men had hit and broken the darugha‘s hand. Haydar Beg grew agitated and took to speaking wildly, and he summoned Basay Bahadur for questioning. Basay Bahadur refused to go. Haydar Beg could not believe it, and sent word to [Temür] Sultan that “Mirza ʿAli Mardan had done these deeds against us. If you allow me, I will bring Mirza ʿAli Mardan to heal.’ Haydar Beg’s words were relayed to the Sultan. [Temür] Sultan sent Mirza Muhammad Dust Arlat, Masʿudi Bayrin, Shah Ghaznafar Shah, who was known as Qarlughach Shah (at that time Shah Qarlughach was hakim of Yangihissar), Mirza Latif Churas, and Mirza Sharif Bikchik (whose nickname was Tavaji) to accompany ʿAli Mardan Beg and ask for forgiveness from Haydar Beg.

These amirs assembled and went before Haydar Beg. Haydar Beg at that moment was sitting mounted on his horse. Mirza ʿAli Beg, his brother Shah Mansur Beg, Mirza Muhammad Dust Beg, Masʿudi Beg, Shah Ghaznafar Shah, Mirza Latif, Mirza Sharif consulted, got off their horses, and stood before Haydar Beg expressing their apologies. Haydar Beg rejected the amirs’ apology. He stepped out of rank to confront Mirza ʿAli, and was cursing him. The head of Haydar Beg’s horse knocked ʿAli Mardan Beg’s turban to the ground, and the horse’s saliva splattered on ʿAli Mardan Beg’s head. Haydar Beg had a brother whose name was Mirza Sultan Ali. He was a violent and quick-tempered man. He drew his sword and brought it towards Ali Mardan Beg’s head. His brother ʿAbd Vali Beg rebuked him and stopped him. Mirza Sharif Tavaji (the Sultan’s ishikagha) said “Hey princes, let’s leave them for now. When our Sultan becomes törä, then we’ll serve the Sultan.” Everyone immediately went back and came before the Sultan. They relayed to the Sultan what the Churas amirs had said and done, and this greatly affected the Sultan. He was determined to get Haydar Beg; he also stirred up the Shahs and sent them from Yarkand. The Sultan consulted with his amirs, and the decision was reached to summon the amirs one by one and finish them off that way. The Sultan was sitting in the harem, he had a chamber in the corridor, and his fighters laid an ambush in that room. He called for Haydar Beg to be admitted. When Haydar Beg entered the corridor the Sultan’s men came out of the room and killed him. After that they brought Ayyub Beg and ʿAbd Vali Beg and killed themt too. Mirza Sultan ʿAli fled to the Kirghiz, and the Kirghiz dispatched him to the realm of non-existence. Haydar Beg’s two other brothers fled from Kashgar and reached Yarkand. Their names were Mirza Latif and Mirza Muhammad. Shuja al-Din Ahmad Khan consoled Mirza Latif and Mirza Muhammad and calmed them down, and he appointed Mirza ʿAli Mardan Ordabegi to the government of Kashgar.

The fact was that Temür Sultan was a cruel man and a drunkard. The Sultan’s wife was the sister of Turdi Bakaval and Khoja Firuz Kerekyaragh. He had two sons. Temür Sultan’s eldest son was Sultan Ahmad Khan, known as Fulad Khan. His youngest son was Sultan Mahmud Khan, also known as Qilich Khan. Before he was born, the Sultan got drunk and mounted his horse, saying “my wife’s time is up”. The nobles and commoners came out to the edge of the Qizil River. What he thought was that when the Begim passed through the mill, her pregnancy would fail. Having found the mill, the Begim passed through it and returned to the orda. There was a young serving girl from the orda left behind. The Sultan found out about this and went back. That girl took fright at the Sultan and ran into the graveyard, and the Sultan set out after the girl. The Sultan’s horse fell into a grave, and Temür Sultan died right there and then. He ruled for one year after the murder of Haydar Sultan. God knows best.