Central Asia - Uzbekistan - Amir Timur

It’s impossible to talk about Uzbekistan without mentioning Amir Timur (also known as Tamerlane), officially recognized as Uzbekistan’s national hero as he conquered Western, South, and Central Asia during the 14th century.

Amir Timur, was a Turk who ruled a nomadic empire throughout Asia, India, and parts of Russia during the latter 14th century. By 1400, his armies had advanced southwards to Persia and the River Euphrates. He also invaded and pillaged much of Eurasia, including the Sultanate of Delhi and the Mongolian territories around the Volga and Black Seas.

Timur is a controversial figure as he sacked and destroyed many cities during his reign. But for Uzbekistan, he is a national hero - a unifying figure of strength and courage.

Timur sits proudly on his horse, in the city’s central square, which now carries his name, replacing statues of Soviet hero’s Lenin, Stalin and Karl Marx.

We visited the Amir Timur Museum in Tashkent which houses maps of his campaigns and various paintings and artefacts. The showpiece is the central foyer, depicting a large mural of Timur and his court with a huge chandelier hanging from the gold painted domed ceiling.

If you would like to know more about the history of Timur's reign the following 10 min video provides a good summary.

Timur was born of modest means in Samarkand - a city I will feature soon. The video mentions Timur's son Ulugh Beg, more about him soon too.