The founding of the centralized state

In spring 1370 Amir Temur marched against Amir Husayn, ruler of Balkh; on the way the sayyid Baraka gave him a drum and a banner, which were accepted as signs of authority. In April 1370 Balkh surrendered, Husayn was executed, and at a kurultai Temur was recognised as amir of Transoxiana. At a kurultai in Samarkand in summer 1370 the creation of a central state and army was discussed and Samarkand was declared the capital. Temur acted as heir to the Chagatai Ulus: he added Tashkent, Fergana and the lower Syr Darya basin, campaigned against Khwarazm five times from 1372 and subdued it in 1388. In 1381 Herat was taken, and in the following years Sistan and Mazandaran were also subdued. Thus Transoxiana, Khorasan and Khwarazm were united and a centralized state arose. Temur called himself “Sahibqiran”; he kept the title amir and kept puppet khans of the Genghisid line on the throne. Although the campaigns brought order, many of the wars were linked with great losses and many deaths.