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CHAPTER VII
KÁBUL
1504-1505
'Then it came into my mind,' writes Bábar, 'that it would be better to depart out of Farghana, any whither, rather than go on staying thus without a foothold.' The last attempt to recover his kingdom had begun well, but ended in utter failure. The Uzbegs were now masters of the country; they had followed up the defeat of the Kháns by the execution of Tambal, and were about to drive Khusrau Shah out of Hisár and Kunduz. Mawarannahr was no longer the place for any son of Timur. Northern Persia was still in the hands of Sultan Husain, who had throughout treated Babar's overtures with unnatural coldness. There remained one chance. UlughBeg, Babar's uncle, the King of Kabul, had died in1501; his young son, 'Abd-ar-Razzák, had been deposed by a revolution; anarchy had followed, and & usurper, Mukim Beg, an Arghun Mongol from Kandahar, had seized the throne. A strong man of the royal blood might perhaps be able to assert the rights of the family. After some hesitation, Babar resolved to try.