Timur & the Timurid Dynasty
Amir Timur (Tamerlane) — 1336–1405
Timur (known in the West as "Tamerlane," from "Timur-i lang" = Timur the Lame) is the central figure of Uzbek history — and the reason why Samarkand looks the way it does. Born in 1336 in Shakhrisabz (90 km south of Samarkand), he rose from a local tribal leader to ruler of an empire that stretched from Turkey to India.
Timur was a brutal conqueror — his campaigns cost millions of lives. But he was also a passionate builder: After each conquest, he sent the best architects, craftsmen, artists, and scholars to Samarkand. The result: a city whose architectural splendor surpassed everything the Islamic world had ever seen.
Timur's Legacy in Uzbekistan
- Registan Square (Samarkand): Established by Timur as a trading place, later built with the three madrasas by his successors.
- Gur-Emir Mausoleum (Samarkand): Timur's burial site — an architectural model for the Taj Mahal.
- Bibi-Khanym Mosque (Samarkand): One of the largest mosques of its time.
- Ak-Saray Palace (Shakhrisabz): Timur's gigantic summer palace, of which only the entrance portal remains.
Ulugh Beg (1394–1449)
Timur's grandson Ulugh Beg made Samarkand the scientific center of the world. His observatory calculated the positions of over 1,000 stars with an accuracy that was not surpassed for 200 years. He was a ruler who valued science over religion — which ultimately cost him his life: In 1449, he was murdered at the instigation of his own son and conservative clerics.
