The two armies met at Sar-e-Pul, where a decisive battle was fought which decided the fate of the Timurids and of the region, resulting in gradual conquest of Transoxiana, Khwarezm and Khorasan by the Uzbeks.

Compared with that, Samarkand recently suffered from misgovernment; from repeated revolutions and the ravages of hostile and of friendly armies.

Its resources depleted, much of its wealth destroyed or removed and time was required to repair its losses and restore the credit and confidence of its inhabitants.

As the military forces of the kingdom were at the moment very inadequate to its defense the young Babur sent ambassadors to all the neighboring princes to solicit assistance of which he received little.

Shaybani attempted a night surprise but found the camp too well fortified and guarded to carry out an attack and was forced to retire.

Perhaps this state of excitement working on his military ardor rendered him too impatient for he resolved to hazard an engagement, though reinforcements to the amount of two or three thousand men would have joined him in the course of two days.

This compelled him to change his position by throwing back his left; in doing which, his advance, which was posted in front of the center and composed of his best men and officers, was necessarily thrown to the right.