{{short description|Battle between the Safavid Iran and the Shaybanid Uzbek Khanate}} {{Expand Persian|topic=bio|نبرد مرو|date=September 2025|top=bio}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Battle of Merv | partof = the Persian–Uzbek wars | image = Battle of Merv (1510), between Ismail I and Shaybani Khan. Chehel Sotoun, Isfahan, painted circa 1647.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = A fresco "Battle of Merv between Shah Ismail I (center) and the Uzbek khan Muhammad Shaybani in 1510" in Chehel Sotoun palace in Isfahan, painted circa 1647. | date = 2 December 1510{{sfn|Savory|1998|pp=628–636}} | place = Merv, Khorasan (now Turkmenistan) | result = Safavid victory{{sfn|Savory|2007|p=35}} | territory = Safavids regain control of Khorasan | combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Persia (1502-1524).svg}} Safavid Iran | combatant2 = {{flag icon|Khanate of Bukhara}} Khanate of Bukhara | commander1 = Shah Ismail I | commander2 = Muhammad Shaybani{{KIA}} | strength1 = 17,000<ref name="Ismail">[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/296081/Ismail-I Ismāʿīl I] at ''Encyclopædia Britannica''</ref> | strength2 = Unknown | casualties1 = Unknown | casualties2 = 10,000 killed{{sfn|Savory|2007|p=36}} | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Persian–Uzbek wars}}{{Campaignbox Campaigns of Shah Ismail I}}{{Campaignbox Shaybani}} }}
The '''Battle of Merv''' (Persian: نبرد مرو) occurred on 2 December 1510 as a result of Shah Ismail I's Safavid invasion of the Khorasan region of Uzbek. It ended with Safavid annexation of the Khorasan region.
==Battle== Shah Ismail reached Khorasan with great speed; Shaybani Khan retreated to Merv castle to await reinforcement from Uzbek tribes. The Safavid army then pretended to retreat, encouraging the Uzbeks to leave the castle in pursuit, only to be ambushed and destroyed by the Qizilbash ("Red Heads") troops of Shah Ismail once they were too far from the castle to regain its safety. The Safavid forces were reportedly heavily outnumbered by the army of Shaybani Khan, who was caught and killed trying to escape the battle. Shah Ismail had his body parts sent to various areas of the empire for display, while famously having his skull coated in gold and made into a jeweled drinking goblet.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6iQBAAAQBAJ&q=battle+of+marv+shaybanids&pg=PT97|title=Medieval Persia 1040-1797|isbn=9781317871392|access-date=1 January 2015|last1=Morgan|first1=David|date=19 September 2014}}</ref>
==See also== *Shi'a-Sunni relations *Battle of Ghazdewan
==References== {{reflist}}
== Sources == * {{cite encyclopedia | article = Esmāʿīl I Ṣafawī | last = Savory | first = Roger | author-link = Roger Savory | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/esmail-i-safawi | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. VIII, Fasc. 6 | pages = 628–636 | year = 1998 }} * {{cite book | title = Iran under the Safavids | year = 2007 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | last = Savory | first = Roger | pages = 1–288 | isbn = 978-0521042512 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=v4Yr4foWFFgC&q=false }}
{{Commons category|Battle of Marv}}
{{coord missing|Turkmenistan}}
{{Iran-hist-stub}}{{Uzbekistan-hist-stub}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Marv 1510}} Category:Conflicts in 1510 Category:Battles involving Safavid Iran Category:1510 in Asia Category:Military history of Turkmenistan Battle Category:Battles involving the Khanate of Bukhara