The Khwarazmian Empire was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire that ruled large parts of present-day Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran in the approximate period of 1077 to 1231. First as vassals of the Seljuk Empire and the Qara Khitai, they later ruled independently until their devastating conquest by the Mongols in the 13th century. A famous local legend speaks of the brave prince Jalal al-Din, who escaped the final Mongol encirclement by fearlessly plunging his horse off a high cliff into the roaring Indus River, a heroic feat that even won Genghis Khan's admiration.