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Secondary sourceDocument1405-1409

Timurid Genealogy Showing Descent from Genghis Khan

1405-1409

A Timurid manuscript chart from Samarkand tracing the ruling family's descent back to Genghis Khan through Khalil Sultan's parents.

This chart uses Genghis Khan as the ancestral root to legitimize a later Timurid ruler's claim to power.

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Composite chart titled Timurid Genealogy (1405-1409, Topkapi H.2152). Left side: a descent diagram of medallion portraits linking Dobun Mergen, Alan Tuan, Genghis Khan, Ogedei, Batu, Timur, and Khalil Sultan. Right side: pages of the original manuscript genealogy with circular portraits and connecting lines.
Timurid genealogy, Samarkand, 1405-1409. Topkapi Sarayi Müzesi, H2152, Istanbul.

About this source

What it is

This genealogy manuscript was made in Samarkand between 1405 and 1409, commissioned by the Timurid ruler Khalil Sultan. It uses medallion portraits connected by lines to show his ancestry, tracing it back through legendary Mongol figures to Genghis Khan. It is kept today in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.

Why it matters

Khalil Sultan appears twice in this chart: once as a descendant of Timur through his father, and once as a descendant of Genghis Khan through his mother. By linking himself to Genghis Khan, Khalil Sultan tried to prove his right to rule. This shows how powerful the memory of Genghis Khan remained nearly two centuries after his death, and how later rulers used his name to support their own authority.

Look closer

  • Why would a ruler want to show two different lines of descent?
  • What does this tell us about how rulers used ancestry to claim legitimacy?
  • Who do you think this document was made to persuade?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Genghis Khan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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