Shah Malik was the head of the Oghuz

Oghuz Turks

The Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....

 Yabghus of Jand and Yengi-kent (two towns near the mouth of the Syr Darya

Syr Darya

The Syr Darya , also transliterated Syrdarya or Sirdaryo, is a river in Central Asia, sometimes known as the Jaxartes or Yaxartes from its Ancient Greek name . The Greek name is derived from Old Persian, Yakhsha Arta , a reference to the color of the river's water...

), and was also Khwarazm Shah (1041–1042).

Shah Malik held the title of Yabghu (the traditional leader of the Oghuz). In 1034 the Seljuks, who were enemies of the Yabghus, entered Khwarazm at the invitation of its Ghaznavid governor, Harun

Harun, Ghaznavid Governor of Khwarezm

Harun was the de facto ruler of Khwarazm from 1032 to 1035. He was the son of Altun Tash.Following his father's death in 1032, Harun was effectively made governor of Khwarazm by the Ghaznavid sultan Mas'ud...

. In a battle between Shah Malik and the Seljuks the latter were defeated and forced to seek refuge in Ghaznavid Khurasan

Greater Khorasan

Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...

.

In 1038 the Ghaznavid sultan Mas'ud

Mas'ud I of Ghazni

Mas'ud I seized the throne of the Ghaznavid Empire upon the death of his father Mahmud from his younger twin Mohammad who had been nominated as the heir upon the death of their father Mahmud of Ghazni. His twin was blinded and imprisoned...

 invested Shah Malik with the title of Khwarazm Shah. He did so in the hopes that Shah Malik would overthrow Harun's successor, Isma'il, who had become an enemy of the Ghaznavids. In the winter of 1040/1041 Shah Malik led his forces across the desert into Khwarazm. After fighting a long battle against Isma'il's troops he emerged victorious, forcing Isma'il to flee. He occupied the capital, Gurganj

Kunya Urgench

Konye-Urgench also known as Konya-Urgench, Old Urgench or Urganj, is a municipality of about 30,000 inhabitants in north-eastern Turkmenistan, just south from its border with Uzbekistan. It is the site of the ancient town of Ürgenç , which contains the unexcavated ruins of the 12th-century capital...

 and placed Mas'ud's name in the khutba

Khutba

Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...

, although by this time Mas'ud was dead.

The Seljuks, however, would not allow Shah Malik to remain in Khwarazm. The Seljuk ruler Toğrül

Togrül

Tughril, Toghril or Tugrul was the second ruler of the Seljuq dynasty...

 and his brother Chaghri descended upon Khwarazm in 1042 and forced him from the province. He chose to flee to Kerman

Kerman

- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...

 and then Makran

Makran

The present day Makran is a semi-desert coastal strip in the south of Sindh, Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan, along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The present day Makran derived its name from Maka, a satrap of Achaemenid Empire....

 (his territories of Jand and Yengi-kent may have been occupied by the Kipchaks

Kipchaks

Kipchaks were a Turkic tribal confederation...

, preventing him from returning there). He was eventually captured in Makran and turned over to Chaghri, who ended his life.