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[[File: Timur reconstruction03.jpg |270px|thumb|left|Reconstruction of the face of Timur]]Timur (1336-1405) also known as Tamerlane, was a Turkic Conqueror who ravaged over much of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. He was one the last of the great conquerors to have emerged out of Central Asia. He was perhaps in many ways even more ferocious than his Mongol predecessors and he devastated large areas of Asia. He is now chiefly remembered for the devastation that he caused from the Mediterranean to India. He was not a great Empire-builder unlike Genghis Khan but nevertheless, he was a major figure in world history. In the wake of his conquest, Asia was transformed and he left an enduring legacy, despite his predilection for destruction and violence. This article will discuss how he left much of western Asia in ruins, but that his reign also led to a Golden Age in Central Asia. It will also examine how his invasions led to the virtual destruction of the Christian Churches in much of Asia. [[File: Timur reconstruction03.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Reconstruction of the face of Timur]]====Life and Career====
Timur was a member of the Turkified Barlas tribe, who were descended from Mongol nomads and that had settled in Central Asia. Timur was born in modern Uzbekistan, that was then part of the Chagatai Mongol Empire or Khanate. It was ruled by the descendants of Chagatai who was a son of Genghis Khan. Timur was the son of a minor noble and he and his mother were captured by raiders and held in the great city of Samarkand<ref> Marozzi, Justin, Tamerlane: sword of Islam, conqueror of the world (London: HarperCollins, 2004), p. 67</ref>. Later Timur, whose name meant iron in Turkic became a bandit and rustler. During one raid he was wounded by an arrow that left him lame, hence his name Timur the lame or Tamerlane. By dint of his personality and his ferocity he soon became the ruler of the rich area of Transoxiana in 1366 AD. Timur proved himself to be a military genius. Tamerlane modeled himself on Genghis Khan and used similar savage methods to conquer and subdue his Empire. He was able to lead a multi-ethnic army who were very loyal to him<ref> Marozzi, p. 81</ref>. Timur was shrewd and he was careful to take advantage of temporary weaknesses of his enemies. He also developed an elaborate intelligence gathering network and was a careful planner who was a master of logistics. From Samarkand, he expanded his realm and proclaimed himself khan of Chagatai and the restorer of the Mongol empire. Timur believed that he was the successor of Genghis Khan, even though he was a pious Muslim. He fought against other Khans in Central Asia and he eventually conquered all Central Asia. He next intervened in the Mongol Empire of the Golden Horde in support of an ally. He defeated the Russians and the Lithuanians in two great battles. In 1383 Timur turned his attention to Persia, which was ruled by a variety of competing rulers. Timur invaded eastern Persia (1383-1385). Between 1386 and 1390 Timur and his by now, huge army conquered western Persia and the Caucasus. His old ally the Khan of the Mongol Golden Horde (based on Russia) invaded his territories. In a series of bloody battles’, the Golden Horde army was destroyed, and that Khanate was weakened. Timur briefly occupied much of Russia. He was forced to retire after a wholesale revolt in Persia and Timur repressed it with great brutality. Timur, now styling himself an Emir left Persia a ‘wasteland of destroyed farms and irrigation works and ruined cities’ <ref>Mazoni, p. 178</ref>. In was here that he built several towers of skulls. In 1398 by now styling himself an Emir, Timur invaded India on the pretext that the Muslim Sultans of Delhi were not good Muslims. Timur with a huge army, composed mostly of horsemen from Central Asia, crossed the Indus River on, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake, marched on Delhi, which was the capital of the Muslim Sultans of the Tughluq dynasty. Timur and the Tughluq Sultan met in a great battle at Panipat in 1398. The Khan of Chagatai was the victor and he went on to capture Delhi and left it in ruins. He took away a great deal of wealth and many prisoners. The conqueror had an insatiable thirst for war and he then turned his attention to Mamelukes who were based in Egypt and Syria and he defeated them. During this campaign, he devastated Baghdad and the Christian kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia. Next the conqueror campaigned against the Ottoman Turks who were based in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). He defeated the Ottoman Turks at the great Battle of Ankara (1402) and even captured the Sultan Bajzet. At this time, he ruled directly or indirectly a huge area of Western Asia. The Timurid Empire included the modern countries of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, through Central Asia encompassing part of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan<ref>. Martin, Richard. Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (New York, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004), p. 134 </ref>. By now well into his sixties he still wanted to conquer new territories. He turned his attention to the newly established Ming dynasty in China. Timur assembled a huge army and entered a formal alliance with the Mongols. Timur returned to Samarkand (1404) but he fell during the invasion of China, and died in February 1405. He was buried in a sumptuous tomb in his beloved Samarkand. Before his death and in accordance with Central Asian customs he divided his lands among his sons <ref> Martin, p. 213</ref>. This led to a series of civil wars after his death and his sons were not able to hold onto much of his vast domain. After years of internecine struggles, many of Timur’s lands were reunited by his youngest son, the capable. The Timurid Dynasty ruled much of Central Asia and eastern Iran for several generations. It eventually disintegrated into several petty kingdoms. Some of the descendants of Timur conquered India in the 16th and 17th century and established the Mughal Dynasty.
[[File: Timur defeats the sultan of Delhi.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Timur defeating the Sultan of Delhi]]
