The great conqueror Tamerlane built pyramids of the skulls of the people he killed after his victories. The tallest of them had 70,000 skulls.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 fine understanding of art and science.
Iron Hammer
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 chromed». According to legend, in the clenched fist of the newborn Tamerlane was gelled blood. The boy’s father, the former warrior Taragai (“Lark”), immediately realized that his son is waiting for the way of a great warrior, and named the newborn Timur (Turkic variant of Mongolian Temur — “Iron”).
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 fine understanding of art and science.
This name contains a deep sacred meaning and is rooted in the religious traditions of the Turkic peoples, for whom iron has always been sacred matter. According to some Asian legends, there is an iron mountain at the center of the world, and the “eternal kingdom” in Mongolian mythology is called “like iron”. In addition, it is important to take into account that Timur was born in the tribe of Barlas, where pagan beliefs were still preserved, and the name given at birth determined the future path of life. The nickname Leng (lame) stuck to Timur after the Persian campaign and was offensive in nature, indicating the warrior’s injury — improperly fused bones of the right leg after one of the battles. Since then, the invincible emir was proudly called by the pejorative name Tamerlan.
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 fine understanding of art and science.
An educated tyrant
Timur, despite his reputation as a “bloody barbarian”, was a very educated ruler. According to the memories of contemporaries, he was fluent in spoken Turkic, Persian and Mongolian languages. According to other sources, he did not know literacy, but he loved arts and fine literature, attracted scientists, artists, craftsmen and engineers by persuasion and force, 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 of the Norse steppe people who preferred not to be restricted
Tamerlan “Timur.”
Tamerlane’s spiritual teacher
Tamerlan’s thirst for knowledge did not come from nothing. Even in his childhood he was surrounded by wise mentors, among whom was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sufi sage Mir Said Barak. It was he who handed Tamerlan the symbols of power (drum and banner), predicting him a great future. “Guru” was almost always near the great emir, accompanied him even in military campaigns. He also blessed Timur for the decisive battle with Tokhtamysh. There is a legend that during the battle, when the latter began to gain the upper hand over Timur, Said Barak spilled sand in front of the Khan’s army and the latter was defeated. It is said that he also warned his pupil against the battle with Dmitry Donskoy, and, as is known, Timur turned his troops and went to the Crimea, without going further into the territory of Russia.
Tamerlane deeply respected his teacher. He bequeathed him his place of honor in the family mausoleum Gur-Emir Said Baraka, and ordered himself to be buried at his feet, so that he would intercede for him, a great sinner, at the Last Judgment.
Timur’s banner
The banner, the symbol of Tamerlane’s power, had great religious significance. In Turkic tradition, it was believed to be the spirit of the army. To lose it meant to lose the ability to resist the enemy.
The banner also served as a call to war. If the emir displayed it at his kibitka — to be war, immediately his whole clan hurried to arm themselves, messengers flew to the allied auls. On the banner of Tamerlane were depicted three rings, arranged in the form 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 (according to those representations — all parts of the world), which Tamerlane owns, that is, the banner meant that Tamerlane owns the whole world. The Spanish diplomat and traveler Clavijo testifies about it in the XVI century.
There is a legend that in the battle of Ankara with the Ottoman Sultan Bayazid, the latter exclaimed: “What insolence to think that you own the whole world!”, to which he received the reply, “Even greater insolence to think that you own the moon”. There were also more mythological interpretations of this symbol. Nicholas Roerich saw it as a sign of “triunity”, which is quite universal in many Turkic cultures
Favorite wife
Tamerlane had eighteen wives — in the best traditions of the Muslim world. One of his favorite was Sarai-mulk Khanim, who once belonged to Timur’s closest associate, and then his worst enemy — Emir Hussein. The woman became Tamerlane’s prey 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 save a man by her mercy or kill him. For some time only she could meet her husband from the campaigns, which was considered a great privilege. However, she never bore children to the great conqueror.