«Timur was tall and of good build, as if he belonged to the remnants of the Amalekites … mighty in strength and courage … sturdy in body, broad shouldered, with thick fingers, long legs, of perfect build …. He was not afraid of death, although he was almost seventy years old; he retained clarity of mind, strength and endurance of body, courage and fearlessness like a sturdy rock … A friend of brave soldiers, himself full of courage, he knew how to make himself respected and obeyed.»
Ahmad ibn Arabshah.
Tamerlane and his father Taragai
These words are worth a lot because they were said by a person who does not at all pursue the goal of glorifying the great commander. On the contrary, Ibn Arabshah sincerely hated him. In his youth he witnessed the devastation of his native city of Damascus by Tamerlane’s army. And then he was taken into captivity, where he had a chance to see this ruler in person.
Is it worth saying that the book he wrote, “The Wonders of Fate of Timur’s History”, is full of insults? Nevertheless, Arabshah was objective. And, despite his deep rejection of Emir Timur’s activities, he still paid tribute to him and did not deny that he was a great warrior, an experienced commander and skillful administrator.
The youth of our hero is covered with mystery. It is difficult to say whether his father was an ordinary servant man or the leader of his tribe. But it can not be denied that Timur received a proper military education. That is, he knew everything that Turkic warriors knew at that time: to ride a horse, to shoot from a bow, to act both with a saber and a spear. Arabshah specifies that he knew horses very well and could identify a good horse at a glance.
For the first time on the pages of history Tamerlane appears when he was a little more than twenty years old. At that time, the Chagatai Khanate disintegrated and his native Maverannahr gained independence. The rulers of Moghulistan wished to reconquer these lands, and the young warrior initially appeared on their side. But then he broke away from the foreign khans and tried to seize power for himself.
Not always his career developed successfully. And at its worst moment, Timur was not a commander, but a simple soldier. At some time, his wife and son-in-law Hussein were his entire entourage. Then he was forced to take up any cause to survive: he was a brigand, a caravan robber, a mercenary.
All sources note that he was a tall and strong warrior — he could reach the bowstring to his ear, while other archers could only reach his chest. In 1362 he was ambushed and attacked by nomadic Turkmen somewhere in Sistan and during the skirmish he received several arrows. As a result, he was left with a lifelong limp on his right leg and lost several fingers on his right hand.
Tamerlane’s Wound
Nevertheless, he continued to personally participate in battles. In 1380, at the age of slightly over forty, he besieged Urgench, whose ruler was his vassal, but rebelled. Yusuf Sufi knew he had fewer men and offered to settle the matter in a duel.
Timur rode up to the enemy walls in defiance of his generals, challenging Yusuf to a fight. But the latter refused to come out, although he was strong and young — perhaps that is why he was soon overthrown, and the townspeople opened the gates. This suggests that Tamerlane was still a formidable fighter.
He continued to participate in battles even during the great war with Tokhtamysh, despite injuries and advanced age for those times. Thus, during one of the battles he fought until he wasted arrows and broke his spear, and at that time he was already over fifty. However, everyone who was acquainted with him, noted that Timur maintained good health even in his last years.
So, there is no doubt that he was a good warrior.