Cite
MLA
“Siege of Multan (1398).” Hindu History, 2026, https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/pir-muhammad-siege-of-multan-1398/. Accessed .
APA
Hindu History. (2026). Siege of Multan (1398). Retrieved , from https://www.hinduhistory.in/battles/pir-muhammad-siege-of-multan-1398/
After a siege of about six months Multan surrendered to Pir Muhammad.
01The siege
The Zafarnama of Sharaf al-Din Yazdi, the official history of Timur, records that Pir Muhammad, governor of Kabul, crossed the Indus in 1397, took Uch and laid siege to Multan, held by Sarang Khan, brother of the powerful Delhi noble Mallu Iqbal. The siege dragged on into the hot season, and the garrison surrendered when its food ran out. Pir Muhammad’s own army suffered heavily, losing many of its horses, and could not move on until Timur arrived.
02A divided Sultanate
Multan’s isolation showed how far the Delhi Sultanate had fallen since Firuz Shah’s death in 1388. Two rival sultans claimed the throne, real power in Delhi lay with Mallu Iqbal, and the provinces had gone their own way. No army came from Delhi to relieve Multan. In September 1398 Timur himself crossed the Indus and joined his grandson, and the march on Delhi began. Multan became the base from which the Timurids governed the Punjab after Timur left.
It opened the Punjab to Timur’s invasion.
