Tamerlane

Tamerlane, commonly known in the West as Timur or Timur Lang (Timur the Lame), was a Turko-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid Empire. Born in 1336 near Shahrisabz in Transoxiana, he rose to power among the Turko-Margan factions and established a large, multiethnic realm that at its height covered much of Central Asia, Iran, the Caucasus, and parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Timur’s expansion was marked by extensive military campaigns across Central Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. He conquered key cities such as Merv, Ray, Baghdad, and Samarkand, and he sacked Delhi in 1398. In 1402, he defeated Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara, temporarily halting Ottoman westward expansion. His campaigns were driven by a combination of personal ambition, rivalries among Muslim polities, and a self-idealized role as a defender of Islam.

Administratively, Timur sought to centralize authority and promote Islamic scholarship and architecture. He transformed Samarkand and Herat into major cultural centers, patronizing artisans and builders. The resulting Timurid architectural and artistic style would influence the region for generations and later dynasties, including the Mughal rulers of India who claimed Timurid heritage.

Timur died in 1405 while campaigning in the east, at Otrar in present-day southern Kazakhstan, on the return from a campaign against the Ming dynasty. After his death, the empire fragmented into rival Timurid states, though his dynasty continued to influence Central Asian and Iranian politics. His lineage also inspired the later rise of the Mughal Empire in India.