Gauhar Shad (c. 1378–1459)

views updated

Gauhar Shad (c. 1378–1459)

Persian-Afghan queen. Born c. 1378 in Afghanistan; executed in 1459 in Afghanistan; m. Shah Rukh (son and successor of Tamburlaine), 1391 (king of Persia-Afghan, r. 1404–47); children: 2 sons.

Timurid queen, married to Shah Rukh, helped establish the court as the center of a cultural and scientific renaissance; built mosques in Meshed and Herat in northwest Afghanistan; exerted influence even after husband's death until she was executed for supporting her great-grandson against an opposing prince, Abu Sa'id. Her mausoleum is still extant.