Sur Empire: Map & History
The Sur Empire was an empire ruled by the Afghan-origin Sur dynasty in northern India for nearly 16 or 18 years, between 1538/1540 and 1556, with Sasaram serving as its capital.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The Sur Empire was an empire ruled by the Afghan-origin Sur dynasty in northern India for nearly 16 or 18 years, between 1538/1540 and 1556, with Sasaram serving as its capital. It was founded by Sher Shah Suri.
Modern Countries Once Part of Sur Empire
At its mapped extent, Sur Empire covered territory in 3 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Sur Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Sur Empire in Depth
Government and administration
The system of tri-metalism which came to characterize Mughal coinage was introduced by Sher Shah. While the term rūpya had previously been used as a generic term for any silver coin, during his rule the term rūpee came to be used as the name for a silver coin of a standard weight of 178 grains, which was the precursor of the modern rupee. The Rupee is today used as the national currency in India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka. Gold coins called the Mohur weighing 169 grains and copper coins called Paisa were also minted during his reign.
Legacy
The Sur dynasty held control of nearly all the Mughal territories, from Balochistan in the west to modern-day Bangladesh in the east.
Despite its short reign, the Sur Empire significantly influenced Mughal administrative reforms when they returned to power, most notably under Mughal Emperor Akbar.
It was at the time of this bounty of Sultán Bahlul [Lodi], 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".
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sur Empire (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sur Empire: Key Facts
| Capital | Delhi |
|---|---|
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Form of government | sultan |
| Founded | 1540 |
| Dissolved | 1556 |
Facts from Wikidata Q373650 (CC0).
Sur Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 1,254,263 km² in 1549 CE.
Sur Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Sur Empire exist?
The Sur Empire is dated to 1540 CE – 1594 CE, in the Early Modern & Age of Discovery era.
What was the capital of the Sur Empire?
The capital of the Sur Empire was Sasaram Delhi.
How large was the Sur Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 1549 the Sur Empire covered about 1,254,263 km².
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi