Tamerlane
Timur (Tamerlane) lived between 1336 and 1405.
He was the ruler of Samarkand from 1369 – and carved out for himself an empire which stretched across Central Asia as far as the Crimea . He also launched campaigns into China and India , sacking Delhi and the Savvid Dynasty on the throne in 1398. He entertained envoys from all over the known world – even from Spain . (Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo was the ambassador of the king of Spain to the court of Tamerlane and his written account provides a snap-shot view of Central Asia in 1405.)
His armies were as ruthless as those of Genghiz Khan (from whom he claimed to be descended – and some people often confuse the two) but whereas those of his predecessor engaged in acts of brutality to serve a purpose, his marauding armies seem to have done so simply for the sake of it. Tamerlane once had a grisly pyramid built out of 70,000 human skulls.
He is famed for plundering the vanquished cities and civilizations and carrying off treasures and artisans to enrich his capital at Samarkand and his birthplace, Shakhrisabz. Hence he is sometimes as a cultured man, but also as a “tyrant's tyrant”.
He died at Otrar (in present day Kazakhstan – which, incidentally was the starting point for the invasion led by Genghiz Khan) whilst preparing an invasion of China . His wooden coffin is preserved in a museum in Samarkand .
He has been hailed by modern Uzbekistan as one of the founders of the nation –his statue, on horseback, has replaced that of Lenin in Tashkent and his image adorns the Sum – the national currency.
Lake Issyk Kul is said to have been used by Tamerlane as his “summer camp” and there is a particularly poignant site which is said to be connected to him at San Tash. According to legend, Tamerlane, who was taking his army to attack the eastern part of the country, ordered that every soldier pick up a stone on the bank of Lake Issyk Kul and set it on the pass, which they did, creating a huge pile. On their return from the campaign, each survivor took away one stone and Tamerlane was able to count how many men he had lost in battle. So heavy were his losses that more stones were left than removed. The army had built its own memorial.
According to the medieval historian Ibn Arab Shakh, he built a small prison on an island on the lake for noble prisoners. As there are no islands to be found in the lake today, this is a sign of the variations in the water level that have occurred over the years. |
