SECRETS OF THE EMIR

Immediately after the great military leader and conqueror Tamerlane was proclaimed sole ruler of Maverannahr at a congress of troop commanders in 1370, he decided that the capital of his state should be Samarkand.

Samarkand is a rich, open-air, city-museum. The city is from 2500-2700 years old. Since the time of Tamerlane, the official centre of the city has been Registan Square. Its name translates from Persian as "sandy terrain". This is where people convened to hear the decrees of the ruler. Criminals were publicly executed here. In this square people were informed about the declaration and end of wars and were shown the spoils of war by returning commanders. The main streets of the city still intersect here. The Gur Emir cemetery (the tomb of the Emir), where members of the Timurid dynasty are buried, is located in the southern part of the square. The city is linked to the names of such distinguished scholars and writers as Rudaki, Babur, Ibn Sina, Navoi, Ulugbek and Mukimi Firgat.

Ruling the people of Central Asia and other conquered countries from 1370 to 1405, Tamerlane sought to reconstruct Samarkand - the capital of an empire stretching from the Syr Darya and Zaravshan to the Ganges and Indus, from the Tian Shan to the Bosporus - to his own taste. To this end, the city invited the most talented architects and builders from all over the world. The ensemble of religious memorial buildings, Shahi-Zinda (translated from Persian "the living or healthy Shah"), the Bibikhanym mosque and the Gur Emir mausoleum, built during the rule of Tamerlane, are considered architectural masterpieces. Truly paradisiacal gardens - Bagichinar (Garden of Plane Trees) Bagidilgushe (Fascinating Garden), Bagishimal (Northern Garden) etc. were set out on the outskirts of Samarkand. For these works Tamerlane is also called the Creator. He wanted to make his capital a city of incomparable beauty. To emphasize the superiority of Samarkand over the capitals of other states, the surrounding villages were given the names of Misir (Egypt), Damascus, Baghdad, Shiraz and Sultaniyyah. They survive as the names of neighbourhoods in Samarkand.

Tamerlane built the Gur Emir mausoleum, which has no comparison in the world, in honour of his beloved grandson Muhammad Sultan, who was killed in action. The ruler probably did not imagine that the mausoleum would also become the site of his burial. In the depths of his soul, the Emir always wondered whether his heirs would be able to maintain the empire; otherwise, an enemy could desecrate the tombs in the mausoleum. Thus he arranged for two tiers of graves to be laid in the mausoleum. The graves located in the upper tier were empty and served to disguise the real burial chamber.

Once, in Soviet times, a heavy downpour flooded the mausoleum. The water escaped through a hole in one of the corners, so it was decided to expand it. The workers were surprised to find a staircase leading down. At the bottom of the staircase, the lower tier of the mausoleum was found. This is where the real graves were: the overcautious lord had even made a cunning manoeuvre here. Apart from Tamerlane, two of his sons: Shahruh and Miranshah, his grandchildren Muhammad and Sultan and the great astronomer Ulugbek, as well as the spiritual mentors of the Grand Sovereign from Medina, Mirseyid Bereke and Shahhoya, also lie in Gur Emir.

Inside, the lower part of the dome of the mausoleum is framed with green onyx, a precious mineral, and when early morning sun rays pass through the mineral, an amazing image emerges - as if the dome, encased in turquoise, hovers in the air. Words cannot describe the beauty of the mausoleum. You must see it with your own eyes.

In the final years of his life, Tamerlane planned to invade China. But he was unable to seize that country. At the outset of the campaign there was such a snowy winter that Tamerlane was forced to order a halt in a place called Otrar. To raise the morale of troops suffering from the severe frost and to inspire them to victory, the Emir called a barber, stripped to the waist and, before his soldiers, ordered him to shave his head. Having got a heavy cold following this procedure, Tamerlane fell sick. He never recovered from the illness and died in February 1405, at the age of 69. 

In order not to interrupt the ongoing military operation, it was decided to keep Tamerlane's death secret. His body was brought to Samarkand and buried secretly in the Gur Emir mausoleum.

 It is known that Tamerlane was of Mongol origin. On the other hand, many medieval sources claim that Tamerlane was of Indo-European appearance. It is believed that these allegations are groundless, because an Indo-European appearance of Mongol origin seems ridiculous. At the same time, having created a sculptural portrait of Tamerlane on the basis of his skull, the famous anthropologist M. Gerasimov was surprised to find that the great conqueror looked European, and that his face was not flat, but had high cheekbones. Moreover, Gerasimov found that Tamerlane was red-haired. So why was Mongol Tamerlane's hair not black, but yellowish red? Scientists have long been aware of this disparity between Tamerlane's looks and his Mongolian origin but, remaining faithful to tradition, they agreed that he had been black-haired. And as a way out of the situation, they said that Tamerlane's red hair colour was a consequence of his use of henna, although the possibility of dying black hair red with henna is not very convincing. In his article "The Portrait of Tamerlane", which was included in the book "Tamerlane", published in Moscow in 1992, Gerasimov wrote: "A study of the bristles of Tamerlane's beard under a microscope confirmed that it was a natural yellowish-red colour. Perhaps this is due to the fact that he lived in the Great Mongolian Empire at one time. As is known, the empire was established in Ancient Russia. Was Tamerlane indeed European? Only God knows that."

 Tamerlane was born on 11 March 1336 in the village of Hoya Ilgar in the Shahrisiyazb territory of the Bukhara Khanate. He was the son of Targay bey from the Turkicized Mongol tribe of Barulas. When Tamerlane was still young, the Mongol Jagatay tribe in Central Asia collapsed and, from 1346, Turkish emirs held sway over the area called Maverannahr, between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya. In this shadowy period, Tamerlane headed an armed squad and was famous for stealing flocks of sheep. Later, Timur became interested in politics and, along with his squad, he began serving Haji - the leader of the Barulas tribe and governor of the city of Kesh (Kashkadarya region). After Maverannahr was occupied in 1360 by the Mongol Khan of East Turkestan Togluk Timur, Tamerlane entered into an agreement with him and was appointed governor of Kesh. The former governor Haji fled the city to Khorasan. In 1361, Togluk Timur's army again invaded Central Asia, approached the city of Kesh and expelled Haji, who had returned there together with his circle. Tamerlane was appointed assistant to Ilyas Hoja (the khan's son), governor of the Kashkadarya region and Togluk Khan's representative in Maverannahr. Soon, Tamerlane turned away from the Mongol khan and his son, and entered into an agreement with their rival, the Emir of Samarkand, Balha Huseyn, even marrying his sister. Both emirs and their few supporters had a life full of adventures and often attacked their neighbours. After the Mongol armies withdrew from Maverannahr in 1364, power was seized by Huseyn, and Tamerlane again ruled the Kashkadarya region. Until 1366, Huseyn and Tamerlane acted together. In 1366, Tamerlane opposed Huseyn, but in 1368 was reconciled with him. In 1369, Tamerlane again raised a revolt and, as a result, Emir Huseyn was captured and executed. A congress of military leaders proclaimed Tamerlane "great emir" in 1370 and he began to act as ruler of Maverannahr, with his capital in Samarkand. Continuing the tradition of his predecessors, he decided to formally leave a representative of Genghis Khan's dynasty on the throne. However, neither Suyurgatmysh nor his son Mahmud had real power. After capturing Huseyn's harem, Tamerlane married a representative of Genghis Khan's family, Saray-Mulk, and proclaimed himself the Khan's son-in-law. With the support of the nomadic aristocracy, feudal lords and Muslim clergy, Tamerlane began to unite Central Asia under his control. Like Genghis Khan, Tamerlane paid particular attention to the organization of the army and intelligence service, he appointed commanders personally and drew up the plans for military campaigns. He was a talented commander. In 1380, Tamerlane began his takeover of Iran. In 1382, he occupied Herat and Khorasan and then appointed his son Miranshah governor. In the same year, he completed the occupation of Sistan (in the southwest of modern Afghanistan). From 1386-1389, Tamerlane fought in Western Iran but, after receiving news of an attack on Khorezm by Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde (a Mongol-Tatar feudal state founded in the early 1240s by Baty), he returned and exacted cruel revenge on the people of the city for their union with the khan: he razed Khorezm to the ground and ordered that the area be sown with barley. Pursuing Tokhtamysh and his allies - the Yeddisu Mongols, Tamerlane devastated their lands to the north of the Irtysh and in Boyuk Ulduz in the east. In 1391, Tamerlane conquered the Volga territories of the Golden Horde. Subsequent years saw a war against the Mongol-Tatar khan, Tokhtamysh, and the occupation of Western Iran. It should be noted that Tokhtamysh, who actively opposed Tamerlane, had been subject to his rule for several years. He was aware of the greatness and enormous potential of Tamerlane. After the death of the Golden Horde khan Urus, Tamerlane helped Tokhtamysh to come to power. However, the latter betrayed the emir and very quickly forgot about his kindness. In 1392, Tamerlane took over areas around the Caspian and, in 1393, Western Iran and Baghdad. He appointed his son Omar governor of Fars. Another son of Tamerlane, Miranshah, was governor of Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus.

The news of Tokhtamysh's attack on the Caucasus in 1395 led to Tamerlane's invasion of southern Russia. On 26 August 1395, residents of Moscow begged God to save their city from being seized and devastated by Tamerlane's forces. However, Tamerlane decided not to fight the rebel Golden Horde, interrupted his march to Moscow, and suddenly turned to the city of Yelets. 

After seizing and destroying it, Tamerlane plundered the Crimea's rich trading cities - Kafu and Azov (Feodosia) and set fire to Sarai Berke, capital of the Golden Horde, and Astrakhan. Although the Golden Horde ceased to exist, Tamerlane did not annex these territories to his empire and the Caucasus Mountains remained the northern boundary of his state. 

After his return to Samarkand in 1396, Tamerlane appointed his younger son Shahruh governor of Khorasan, Mazandaran and Sistan (in 1397). In 1398 Tamerlane planned to start a campaign in China but, for some reason, changed his mind and attacked India. On his way, he crushed the highlanders of Kafiristan, approached Delhi and defeated the troops of the local sultan. He seized the city and ordered his troops to loot it. After a year, the troops of the great military leader reached the shores of the Ganges but, unexpectedly, he ordered them to return to Samarkand.

Tamerlane's campaigns kept European rulers in fear. The emperor of Constantinople and the sultan of Egypt declared their readiness to obey him and pay tribute. Fearing Tamerlane, King Henry IV of England and King Charles VI of France flattered him, wishing the great emir new victories. Europe lived in anticipation of more invasions by Tamerlane. However, he once again surprised everyone, and the emir's soldiers turned their horses back to Samarkand. Tamerlane wanted to assemble a large army and start a campaign against China. However, as noted above, his dream did not come true - the great military leader died on the way, from an ordinary cold.

Tamerlane's religious and secular knowledge surprised even prominent Muslim historians. He had a special interest in heroic epics, seeking to inculcate a fighting spirit in his warriors with their help.

Tamerlane carried out great creative work in his empire. He built an excellent network of roads, along which he established caravanserais and outposts. Travellers could relax in the caravanserais, change tired horses and find protection from thieves and bandits. The creation of a perfect transport system contributed to the efficient operation of government bodies throughout the empire. Messengers delivered messages to Samarkand from any province within a few days. Governors were required to submit information on their work to the Emir's chancellery, which had the opportunity to monitor progress through reports from secret agents. These agents also collected information about events outside the empire, on the movements of the enemy and his financial support. All this allowed Tamerlane to rule over huge areas, despite the fact that he was always away. Even while in the saddle, he dismissed incompetent governors, resolved conflicts and controlled the treasury. To accelerate the development of trade, Tamerlane imposed a meagre tax on merchants and a road tax. Strong trade ties with India, China and Europe were established. Taxes on landowners did not exceed the value of one-third of all that had been produced. The taxes were collected after the harvest and depended on the fertility of the land.

 Tamerlane waged a successful fight against crime. As the value of stolen property was paid for from the personal funds of city governors and the police on the roads, they were forced to maintain an uncompromising fight against thieves.

Tamerlane was a skilful military leader without equal in military strategy. He prepared for military campaigns in advance and took the final decision only after a thorough analysis of the information on the location of enemy troops. But he never revealed his real plans. The great emir was a master at striking unexpected blows to the enemy. He skilfully used the tactics of Alexander the Great and King Frederick II of Prussia, carrying out oblique flank attacks, and concentrating choice cavalry on the right flank and attacking on the left. Failing to withstand these attacks, the enemy allowed the cavalry to attack their rear. The Emir did not move the left flank without ending the attack on the right flank. He led a strong reserve in the centre. Tamerlane could use these detachments to support both flanks. He did not like frontal attacks on enemy forces, as they resulted in heavy losses. That is why the great Emir concentrated the choice troops on the right flank, owing to which he defeated the left flank of the enemy and was able to attack them from behind. 

Under Soviet rule, Tamerlane was presented as a bloodthirsty barbarian, which was totally groundless. Tamerlane did a tremendous job of ensuring the safety of people within the territory of his empire and improving their welfare. A statue to the great Emir stands in the centre of Tashkent, where a red marble bust of Marx once stood. In 1996, Uzbekistan adopted a law establishing the Order of Emir Tamerlane. In schools, they study his life and work. After all, such historic personalities live forever.