Suri Empire د سوریانو ټولواکمني
← 1540–1557   →
Territory of Sur Empire in green
Capital	Delhi
Language(s)	Persian
Religion	Sunni Islam
Government	Sultanate
History
- Established	May 17, 1540
- Disestablished	1557

The Suri Empire (Pashto: د سوریانو ټولواکمني) was established by a Muslim dynasty of Afghan origin who ruled a vast territory in the Indian subcontinent^[1] between 1540 to 1557, with Delhi serving as its capital.^[2] It was founded by Sher Shah Suri, an ethnic Pashtun (Pathan) of the house of Sur^[1], who supplanted the Mughal dynasty as rulers of North India during the reign of the relatively ineffectual second Mughal emperor Humayun. Sher Shah defeated Humayun in the Battle of Chausa (June 26, 1539) and again in the Battle of Bilgram (May 17, 1540).^[3]

The Sur dynasty held control of nearly all the Mughal territories, between what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan to the Bengals in the east in what is now Bangladesh. The Mughals retreated west to Persia, while most of what is now eastern Afghanistan, all of Pakistan and northern India formed the Suri Empire.^{[citation needed]}

During the almost 17 year rule of the Sur dynasty, the region of the Indian subcontinent witnessed much economic development and administrative reforms. A systematized relationship was created between the people and the ruler, minimizing corruption and the oppression of the public.

Their rule came to an end by a defeat that led to restoration of the Mughal Empire. Today, the Sur are part of the Pashtun tribal system and belong to the sub-groups of the Ghilzais.

It was at the time of this bounty of Sultán Bahlol, that the grandfather of Sher Sháh, by name Ibráhím Khán Súr,*[The Súr represent themselves as descendants of Muhammad Súr, one of the princes of the house of the Ghorian, who left his native country, and married a daughter of one of the Afghán chiefs of Roh.] with his son Hasan Khán, the father of Sher Sháh, came to Hindu-stán from Afghánistán, from a place which is called in the Afghán tongue “Shargarí,”* but in the Multán tongue “Rohrí.” It is a ridge, a spur of the Sulaimán Mountains, about six or seven kos in length, situated on the banks of the Gumal. They entered into the service of Muhabbat Khán Súr, Dáúd Sáhú-khail, to whom Sultán Bahlol had given in jágír the parganas of Hariána and Bahkála, etc., in the Panjáb, and they settled in the pargana of Bajwára.^[4]

—Abbas Khan Sarwani, 1580

List of Sur dynasty rulers[link]

The 178 grams silver coin, Rupiya released by Sher Shah Suri, 1540–1545 CE, was the first Rupee^[5][6]

Name	Picture	Reign started	Reign ended
Sher Shah Suri Sultan		May 17, 1540[7]	May 22, 1545[7]
Islam Shah Suri Sultan		May 26, 1545[8]	November 22, 1554[8]
Firuz Shah Suri Sultan		1554[9]
Muhammad Adil Shah Sultan		1554[9]	1555[10]
Ibrahim Shah Suri Sultan		1555[10]
Sikandar Shah Suri Sultan		1555[10]	June 22, 1555[10]
Adil Shah Suri Sultan		June 22, 1555[10]	1556[10]

See also[link]

• Sur (Pashtun)
• Delhi Sultanate
• List of Sunni Muslim dynasties

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Suri Empire

• Sher Shah "Suri" and the Afghan Revival
• Sher Shah Suri
• Sher Shah Suri