Tamerlane was called "the ruler of the world." He was one of the greatest conquerors in world history. This man combined incredible ruthlessness and a subtle understanding of art and science.
IRON CHROMETZ
The great emir Timur, the founder of the Timurid empire, went down in history under the name “Timur-e Leng or Tamerlane, which translates as“iron lame”. According to legend, there was caked blood in the clenched fist of the newborn Tamerlane. The boy's father, the former warrior Taragay ("Lark"), immediately realized that the path of a great warrior awaited his son, and named the newborn Timur (the Turkic version of the Mongolian Temur - "Iron").
This name contains a deep sacred meaning and is rooted in the religious traditions of the Turkic peoples, for whom iron has always been a sacred matter. According to some Asian legends, there is an iron mountain in the center of the world, and the "eternal kingdom" in Mongolian mythology is called "like iron". In addition, it is important to consider that Timur was born in the Barlas tribe, where pagan beliefs were still preserved, and the name given at birth determined the further life path.
The nickname Leng (lame) stuck to Timur after the Persian campaign and was offensive in nature, indicating the warrior's injury - incorrectly fused bones of his right leg after one of the battles. Since then, the invincible emir was proudly called the derogatory name Tamerlane.
EDUCATED TIRANT
Promotional video:
Timur, despite his reputation as a "bloody barbarian," was a very educated ruler. According to the recollections of contemporaries, he was fluent in the spoken Turkic, Persian and Mongolian languages. According to other sources, he did not know literacy, but he loved arts and fine literature, attracted by convictions and by force brought scientists, artists, craftsmen and engineers to him, considering them the best prey.
It was under Timur that Samarkand became the "Shining Star of the East" - one of the main cultural centers in Asia. Surprisingly, Tamerlane loved his capital, despite the fact that he was from the steppe-normals, who preferred not to limit themselves to the city walls.
Biographers of the great emir say that the active construction he led in Samarkand was a way for him to forget everything that he destroyed and ravaged. Thanks to his efforts, a huge library, Koksaray Palace and many other sights of the city that have survived to this day appeared in Samarkand. As if confirming the unshakable power of its founder, the inscription on the door of Tamerlane's palace read: "If you doubt our power, look at our buildings."
THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER OF TAMERLAN
Tamerlane's thirst for knowledge did not appear from scratch. Even as a child, he was surrounded by wise mentors, among whom was the descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sufi sage Mir Said Barak. It was he who gave Tamerlane the symbols of power (a drum and a banner), predicting a great future for him.
The "Guru" was almost always close to the great emir, accompanying him even on military campaigns. He also blessed Timur for the decisive battle with Tokhtamysh. There is a legend that already during the battle, when the latter began to gain the upper hand over Timur, Said Barak poured sand in front of the Khan's army and he was defeated. They say that he also warned his student against the battle with Dmitry Donskoy, and, as you know, Timur deployed his troops and went to the Crimea, not going further into the territory of Russia.
Tamerlane deeply respected his teacher. He bequeathed to him his place of honor in the family mausoleum of Gur-Emir Said Barak, and commanded to bury himself at his feet, so that he stood up for him, a great sinner, at the Last Judgment.
BANNER OF TIMUR
The banner, a symbol of Tamerlane's power, was of great religious significance. In the Turkic tradition, they believed that this is the spirit of the army. Losing him meant losing the ability to resist the enemy.
The banner also served as a call for war. If the emir exhibited him at his wagon - there would be war, immediately his whole family was in a hurry to arm themselves, messengers flew to the allied auls.
Tamerlane's banner featured three rings arranged in the shape of an equilateral triangle. Their meaning is still not clear. Some historians believe that it could symbolize earth, water and sky. Perhaps the circles denote the three parts of the world (in that view, all parts of the world) that Tamerlane owns, that is, the banner meant that the whole world belongs to Tamerlane. This is evidenced by the Spanish diplomat and traveler Clavijo in the 16th century.
There is a legend that in the battle of Ankara with the Ottoman Sultan Bayazid, the latter exclaimed: “What the audacity to think that the whole world belongs to you!”, To which he received the answer: “Even more audacious to think that the moon belongs to you”.
There were also more mythological interpretations of this symbol. Nicholas Roerich saw in him a sign of "trinity", which is quite universal in many cultures: Turkic, Celtic, Indian and many others.
LOVELY WIFE
Tamerlane had eighteen wives - in the best traditions of the Muslim world. One of the favorites was Sarai-mulk khanim, which once belonged to Timur's closest ally, and then to his worst enemy - Emir Hussein. The woman became the prey of Tamerlane after the death of her first husband, but fell in love with the conqueror and soon became his main wife. She was by no means a quiet wife - at court her role was significant, she could, with her grace, save a person or kill him. For a while, only she could meet her husband from hiking, which was considered a great privilege. At the same time, she never gave birth to children to the great conqueror.
In many ways, it was the influence of Sarai-mulk khanim that ensured the "golden age" of culture in the era of Tamerlane. She was a true patroness of arts and sciences. It is Mulk-khanim who will bring up a wise ruler from the grandson of Tamerlane Timur Ulugbek. Under her, active construction will be carried out in Samarkand. The cathedral mosque Bibi-khanim is named after her, which means - "Madam Babushka" - one of the names of Sarai-mulk khanym.
Merciful executioner
If we dwell on the above, then a great ruler would appear before us, to whom everything smiles. He is wise, talented, and his deeds are always good. He created a peaceful, stable and prosperous and wealthy state. But this is an unfinished portrait of Tamerlane.
Sources brought to us many references to his bloody deeds, which, at one time, inspired Vereshchagin to create his famous painting "The Apotheosis of War". Once Timur decided to erect a monument to his own victories, ordering to build a ten-meter pyramid of severed heads. He became the executioner of the flourishing cities of the East: Isfahan, Delhi, Damascus, Baghdad, Astrakhan.
The cruelty with which Timur suppressed the uprising in Persia thundered all over the world: he destroyed several cities, killed the inhabitants, and ordered their heads to be walled up in towers. When taking the Egyptian city of Aleppo, Timur promised not to shed a single drop of Muslim blood. And he "kept his promise" - all Christians were cut, and Muslims were buried alive.
However, those close to Tamerlane said that the emir himself always suffered from his cruelty, justifying it by the fact that these are “mistakes, crimes and sins - ruthless and necessary sisters of my victories”. The conqueror did not like stories about the war, and when he realized the cruelty he had done, he repeated: "I did not want this!"
TAMERLAN'S LOOK
Until now, it is not completely known to which people Tamerlane belonged. According to the most common version, he belonged to the Turkic tribe of Barlas. But the few surviving descriptions of his appearance do not match his Mongol image. Thus, the historian Ibn Arabshah, foiled by the emir, reports that Timur was tall, had a large head, a high forehead, was very strong and brave, strong-built, with broad shoulders. The historian describes the color of the conqueror's skin as "white."
The anthropological reconstruction of the remains of Tamerlane, which was carried out by the famous Soviet anthropologist Gerasimov, concludes: “The discovered skeleton belonged to a strong man, too tall for an Asian (about 170 cm). The eyelid fold, the most characteristic feature of the Turkic face, is relatively weak. The nose is straight, small, slightly flattened; lips are thick, contemptuous. The hair is gray-red, with a predominance of dark brown or red. The face type is not Mongoloid. " The results of this paradoxical study were published in Gerasimov's article "Portrait of Tamerlane". We will not venture to judge how much this portrait corresponds to reality, one thing is clear - not all the secrets of the "iron lame" have yet been revealed.