The First Perso-Turkic War, fought during 588-589 between the Sassanid Persians and Hephthalite principalities and its suzerain, the Göktürks, starts with the invasion of the Persian Empire by the Turks and ends with a decisive Sassanid victory and the conquest of the Eastern Turks.

Internal rebellion had begun to be widespread throughout the Sassanid Persian empire, concurrent with its war against the Romans, following the ascension of Hormizd IV, the son and successor of Khosrau I, in 579.

Turkic invaders have overrun most of Khorasan, but, by the mid 580s, Persian general Bahram Chobin has regained much of the lost territory.

Hormizd tyrannizes the Jews, forcing many to flee, including the leaders of the academies.

However, when the Zoroastrian priests demand a similar persecution of the Christians, Hormizd refuses for the reason that the throne and government can be safe only with the goodwill of both religions.

Although negotiations for peace had begun with the emperor Maurice, Hormizd declines to cede any of his father's conquests.

Khosrau I, Shah of Sassanid Persia, had in 558 allied with the Göktürks to defeat the Hephthalites.

The campaign was successful and the region north of the Oxus had gone to the Turks and the south had come under Sassanid rule.

However, in the 580's, the Turks had once again commenced their raids on the Silk Road and in 588, the Hephthalites, who are now part of the Western Turkic Khaganate, invade the empire once more.

Bahram Chobin, descended from the House of Mihran, one of the Seven Parthian clans, is chosen to lead an army against them.

According to Shahbazi, Bahram's army consisted of twelve thousand hand picked Savaran, Persia's elite soldiers.

His army ambushes a large army of Turks and Hephthalites in April 588, at the battle of Hyrcanian rock in Herat in 589, over a large Göktürk army reported to have outnumbered his troops five to one.

Relying on the discipline and superior training of his Persian cataphract cavalry, Bahram traps and defeats the Turks.

Bahram Chobin defeats the Turks and Hephthalites again in 589, capturing Balkh.

He proceeds to cross the Oxus River and manages to repulse the Turkic Invasion and take over Hephthalite territory that had been occupied by the Turks.

It is reported that an arrow shot by Bahram killed the Eastern Turkic Khagan, Bagha Qaghan, known as Ch'u-lo-hou by the Chinese.