Timur the Lame

He came into the world during the 1330s in the Chaghatayid Khanate, once part of the vast Mongol Empire in Central Asia. In the harsh steppe, he emerged from humble origins as a sheep thief to become one of history's most renowned conquerors, uniting vast territories encompassing Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran under his rule.

However, the question remains: Was he a visionary state builder or a bloodthirsty tyrant? Order! Order! Who stands before us today? Tamer...lane? Your Honor, that was not his name. The great Timur—meaning "iron"—earned the epithet "Timur the lame" due to injuries that left him with a crippled leg and arm. Detractors bestowed this name upon him, mocking the lasting scars he sustained while raiding a rival tribe's sheep herd. They claimed he was a thief and a scoundrel from the outset. But let us not forget that raiding rivals was customary within the nomadic lifestyle of that era.

Timur did not hail from a ruling family, thus he had to prove his worth through daring exploits and exceptional horsemanship. While he was not a commoner, his family belonged to the minor nobility, and his uncle and brother-in-law held high-ranking positions. When entrusted on a diplomatic mission, he defected to a rival khan—a strategic maneuver. He later reconciled with his uncle and brother-in-law, but it was merely a temporary alliance to consolidate his own power. Eventually, he engaged in a battle against his supposed closest ally, his brother-in-law. The brother-in-law was assassinated, and Timur seized power. Although they may have been friends, he was a corrupt man who alienated many. Thus, Timur's ousting of him was justified. Subsequently, Timur successfully reunited most of the khanate's territories, putting an end to decades of relentless internal conflicts.

So, where do we find ourselves now? In 1370, Your Honor. And is he now the khan? Not quite. Timur was not a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, which prevented him from claiming the title. Instead, he appointed figurehead khans while referring to himself as amir, meaning "commander." Later, after marrying a woman descended from Genghis Khan, he adopted the title güregen, or "son-in-law." He proclaimed himself a divinely ordained protector of the Mongol and Muslim worlds, yet his continuous warfare against neighboring powers weakened both Mongol and Muslim influence. Paradoxically, Christian Europe idealized him as an ally due to the weakening of these rival empires.

It is often asserted that his campaigns resulted in the deaths of up to 17 million people! Yet, such figures were deliberately exaggerated in Timur's official biographies to deter rebellions. Like the Mongols, Timur offered cities the opportunity to surrender peacefully, resorting to massacres only in the event of revolts. He reconstructed irrigation canals to support agriculture and regularly distributed food to the impoverished. In his hometown of Kesh alone, he funded the provision of meat from 20 sheep to be given to the poor each day. Although his campaigns were brutal, his unification of Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran contributed to the revival of the Silk Road. The reinvigoration of long-distance trade benefited Eurasia, and cities such as Samarkand and Herat in Central Asia thrived as bustling commercial centers during his reign.

Meanwhile, cities like Baghdad, Aleppo, and Delhi suffered plunder and devastation, requiring decades to recover. It is true that this illiterate warlord caused destruction to centuries-old cultural heritage, leaving behind pyramids of skulls in his wake. However, Timur also actively patronized culture and the arts. Amidst his conquests, he spared artisans and scholars, assigning them to work on public projects such as schools and mosques. Remarkably, his wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law were highly educated and politically active—a rarity for women of that time. Timur even had a personal encounter with the renowned Arab historian Ibn Khaldun in Damascus, leaving a lasting impression. He also mastered chess to such a degree that a more intricate variant of the game was named after him.

What transpired afterward? Timur succumbed to illness in 1405, likely in his early seventies. The empire he established endured for another century, sparking an architectural, artistic, literary, and scientific renaissance across Central Asia. In Samarkand, his grandson Ulugh Beg constructed the world's largest astronomical observatory of that era. Even after the fall of Timur's empire, his descendant Babur reestablished his rule in India, laying the foundation for the Mughal Empire. This empire would eventually become home to nearly a quarter of the world's population and give rise to magnificent structures like the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal. Monuments celebrating Timur's legacy still grace Central Asia, where he is revered as "Buyuk Babamiz," meaning "our great forefather."

Yet, in present-day Europe, India, and much of the Middle East, he is remembered as a butcher. This perception largely stems from the success of Timur's own propaganda rather than the man himself. Let us pause and consider the trial of Timur's conquests, which emerged from relative obscurity and left an indelible legacy lasting nearly 500 years—a legacy that continues to provoke debate even today.

Henrik Leandro