Amir Temur: Conqueror, Hero and Art Patron

He was spirited and brave and inspired awe and obedience. He loved bold and brave soldiers by whose aid he opened the locks of terror...

This year Uzbekistan is widely celebrating the 686th anniversary of Amir Temur’s birth.

Amir Temur is the historical leader, the pride of Uzbek people. He is the founder of a great empire, who made a huge contribution to the prosperity of the country, the development of science, the creator of the foundation of the Second Renaissance, and raise awareness of young people about his glorious life path.

Temur has also built formidable army of his time. Central Asian armies were cavalry-oriented. Timur recruited soldiers from as far away as the Levant and Mongolia, Temur his most trusted troopers came from Mawarannahr. Temurid armies were numerous, uniformed, disciplined, and loyal. In many ways, his army was the state, as a traveling court journeyed with Timur.

The ancient capital of Samarkand was transformed by Amir Temur in the 14th century into the most magnificent city in Central Asia, inspiring writers, composers and artists.

When walking through Samarkand, in present-day Uzbekistan, one can still marvel at architecture originally constructed during Temur’s rule. “If you want to know about us, examine our buildings”, so reads an Arab proverb inscribed into one of the monuments constructed under the rule of Amir Temur. The Registan, one of Temur’s greatest architectural achievements, remains at the historical heart of Samarkand. It is a great square flanked by three majestic madrassa, featuring typically-Timurid hues of vibrant emerald, azure, blue and gold. Monuments such as the Juma Mosque, Gur-Emir Mausoleum and Shahi-Zinda Architectural Ensemble still stand today as evidence of a city that, at its peak, was the richest in central Asia.

Amir Temur showed a great interest in culture and the arts. He also brought back skilled artisans and, over the 35 years of his rule, he used them to transform Samarkand into the jewel of his empire.

Temur demonstrated his great dedication to the arts by sparing the lives of the city’s great arts and craftsman, taking them on to rebuild the city in his name. Greatly involved in the process of construction, he is known to have requested that buildings be entirely rebuilt if he was unsatisfied with the outcome.

The allure of the legend of city’s and his beloved city of Samarkand travelled well beyond Central Asia and has inspired great works from writers, composers and artists such as Edgar Allen Poe, James Elroy Flecker, and George Frederic Handel.

The majority of monuments that can be enjoyed here were built by the ancient ruler Amir Temur and his descendants.

Nowadays Amir Temur is a symbol of Uzbek glory, founder of great nation. Temur played a significant role in the historical formation of the Uzbek statehood. During his reign, a centralized state system was created, and Mawarannahr became the world's largest political, economic and cultural center. In particular, this monograph is devoted to the study of the socio-political and religious-cultural foundations of Amir Temur's empire.

By Muhammad ibn Arabshah