
The Seljuk dynasty’s rule in Khorasan came to an end in 1157, ushering in a period of shifting powers in Central Asia. The Turkic Khwarezmshahs, rulers of Khiva, extended their authority over present-day Turkmenistan. However, this dominance was short-lived as the Mongols, under the leadership of Genghis Khan, began their sweeping conquests across the region in 1221.
The Mongol invasion was catastrophic for Central Asia. The Khwarezmian Empire fell swiftly, and Merv, one of the region's most prominent cities, was razed to the ground. Genghis Khan ordered the massacre of Merv’s inhabitants and the systematic destruction of its irrigation systems and farms, which crippled urban and agricultural life in the area. The devastation marked the end of Iranian dominance in the region, as Turkmen groups who had survived the onslaught retreated northward to the Kazakh steppes or westward toward the Caspian Sea. Over time, these areas were repopulated by Turkmen tribes, who began to reshape the region’s demographic and cultural character.
After the Mongol Empire fragmented, present-day Turkmenistan was largely controlled by the Chagatai Khanate, with its southernmost regions falling under the Ilkhanate. The centralized authority of the Mongol successors waned by the 14th century, leading to the emergence of small, semi-independent states under tribal chiefs.
In the 1370s, Amir Timur (Tamerlane) swept through the region, consolidating the Turkmen territories into his vast Timurid Empire. Timur’s campaigns brought brief unification and significant influence to the region, but his empire collapsed shortly after his death in 1405. With Timur's demise, the Turkmen tribes regained independence, returning to their traditional tribal organization and continuing to shape the socio-political landscape of Central Asia.