Tamerlane is one of the greatest conquerors in world history. His whole life was spent on campaigns. He took Khorezm, defeated the Golden Horde, conquered Armenia, Persia and Syria, defeated the Ottoman Sultan and even reached India.

Tamerlane (or Timur) was a Turko-Mongol conqueror whose victories made him master of much of Western Asia. Tamerlane belonged to the Turkified Mongol clan Barlas, whose representatives, as the Mongol armies advanced westward, settled in the Kashka Valley, near Samarkand. Tamerlane was born near Shakhrisabz on April 9, 1336. This place is located on the territory of modern Uzbekistan between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, and at the time of his birth these lands belonged to Chagatai Khan, named after the founder of his clan, the second son of Genghis Khan.

In 1346-1347 Kazan Khan Chagatai was defeated by the Emir of Kazgan and was killed, as a result of which Central Asia ceased to be part of his khanate. After Kazgan's death in 1358, a period of anarchy followed, and the forces of Tughlaq Timur, ruler of the territories beyond the Syr Darya known as Mogolistan, invaded Transoxiana first in 1360 and then in 1361 in an attempt to seize power.

Tamerlane declared himself a vassal of Tughlak Timur and became the ruler of the territory from Shakhrisabz to Karshi. Soon, however, he rebelled against the rulers of Mogolistan and created an alliance with Hussein, the grandson of Kazgan. Together in 1363 they defeated the army of Ilyas-Khoja, the son of Tughlak-Timur. However, around 1370, the allies fell out and Tamerlane, having captured his comrade-in-arms, announced his intention to revive the Mongol Empire. Tamerlane became the sole master of Central Asia, settling in Samarkand and making this city the capital of the new state and his main residence.

From 1371 to 1390, Tamerlane made seven campaigns against Mogolistan, finally defeating the army of Kamar ad-Din and Anka-tyur in 1390. Tamerlane launched his first two campaigns against Kamar ad-Din in the spring and autumn of 1371. The first campaign ended in a truce; during the second, Tamerlane, leaving Tashkent, moved towards the village of Yangi in Taraz. There he put the Moguls to flight and captured large booty.

In 1375, Tamerlane carried out his third successful campaign. He left Sairam and passed through the regions of Talas and Tokmak, returning to Samarkand through Uzgen and Khojent. However, Qamar ad-Din was not defeated. When Tamerlane's army returned to Transoxiana, Qamar ad-Din invaded Fergana in the winter of 1376 and besieged the city of Andijan. The governor of Fergana, the third son of Tamerlane, Umar Sheikh, fled to the mountains. Tamerlane hurried to Fergana and for a long time pursued the enemy beyond Uzgen and the Yassy mountains all the way to the At-Bashi valley, the southern tributary of the upper Naryn.

In 1376-1377, Tamerlane made his fifth campaign against Kamar ad-Din. He defeated his army in the gorges west of Issyk-Kul and pursued him to Kochkar. Tamerlane's sixth campaign to the Issyk-Kul region against Kamar ad-Din took place in 1383, but the Ulusbegi managed to escape again.

In 1389, Tamerlane set out on his seventh campaign. In 1390, Kamar ad-din was finally defeated, and Mogolistan finally ceased to threaten Tamerlane’s power. However, Tamerlane only reached the Irtysh in the north, Alakul in the east, Emil and the headquarters of the Mongol khans Balig-Yulduz, but he was unable to conquer the lands east of the Tangri-Tag and Kashgar mountains. Kamar ad-Din fled to the Irtysh and subsequently died of dropsy. Khizr-Khoja established himself as the Khan of Mogulistan.

2 First campaigns in Western Asia

In 1380, Tamerlane went on a campaign against Malik Ghiyas ad-din Pir-Ali II, since he did not want to recognize himself as a vassal of Emir Tamerlane and began to strengthen the defensive walls of his capital, Herat, in response. At first, Tamerlane sent an ambassador to him with an invitation to the kurultai in order to solve the problem peacefully, but Ghiyas ad-din Pir-Ali II rejected the offer, detaining the ambassador. In response to this, in April 1380, Tamerlane sent ten regiments to the left bank of the Amu Darya. His troops captured the regions of Balkh, Shibergan and Badkhyz. In February 1381, Tamerlane himself marched with troops and took Khorasan, the cities of Serakhs, Jami, Kausiya, Tuye and Kelat, and the city of Herat was taken after a five-day siege. In addition to Kelat, Sebzevar was captured, as a result of which the state of the Serbedars finally ceased to exist. In 1382, Tamerlane's son Miran Shah was appointed ruler of Khorasan. In 1383, Tamerlane devastated Sistan and brutally suppressed the Serbedar uprising in Sebzevar. In 1383, he took Sistan, in which the fortresses of Zireh, Zave, Farah and Bust were defeated. In 1384 he captured the cities of Astrabad, Amul, Sari, Sultaniya and Tabriz, effectively capturing all of Persia.

3 Three-year campaign and conquest of Khorezm

Tamerlane began his first, so-called “three-year” campaign in the western part of Persia and the adjacent regions in 1386. In November 1387, Tamerlane's troops took Isfahan and captured Shiraz. Despite the successful start of the campaign, Tamerlane was forced to return due to the invasion of Transoxiana by the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh in alliance with the Khorezmians. A garrison of 6,000 soldiers was left in Isfahan, and its ruler Shah-Mansur from the Muzaffarid dynasty, Tamerlane, took with him. Soon after the departure of Tamerlane's main troops, a popular uprising took place in Isfahan under the leadership of the blacksmith Ali Kuchek. Tamerlane's entire garrison was killed.

In 1388, Tamerlane drove out the Tatars and took the capital of Khorezm, Urgench. By order of Tamerlane, the Khorezmians who resisted were mercilessly exterminated and the city was destroyed.

4 First campaign against the Golden Horde

In January 1391, Tamerlane's army set out on a campaign against the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. To gain time, Tokhtamysh sent envoys, but Tamerlane refused negotiations. His army passed Yasy and Tabran, passed the Hungry Steppe and by April, crossing the Sarysa River, reached the Ulytau Mountains. Tokhtamysh's army, however, eluded the battle.

On May 12, Tamerlane's army reached Tobol, and by June they saw the Yaik River. Fearing that the guides might lead his people to an ambush, Tamerlane decided not to use ordinary fords, but ordered them to swim across in less favorable places. A week later, his army arrived on the banks of the Samara River, where scouts reported that the enemy was already nearby. However, the Golden Horde retreated to the north, using “scorched earth” tactics. As a result, Tokhtamysh accepted the battle, and on June 18 the battle took place on the Kondurcha River near Itil. In this battle, the Golden Horde were completely defeated, but Tokhtamysh managed to escape. Tamerlane's army did not cross the Volga and moved back through Yaik and reached Otrar two months later.

5 “Five Year Campaign” and the defeat of the Horde

Tamerlane began his second long, so-called “five-year” campaign in Iran in 1392. In the same year, Tamerlane conquered the Caspian regions, in 1393 - western Persia and Baghdad, and in 1394 - Transcaucasia. By 1394, King George VII managed to carry out defensive measures - he assembled a militia, to which he added the Caucasian highlanders, including the Nakhs. At first, the united Georgian-Mountain army had some success; they were even able to push back the vanguard of the conquerors. Ultimately, however, Tamerlane's approach with the main forces decided the outcome of the war. The defeated Georgians and Nakhs retreated north into the mountain gorges of the Caucasus. Considering the strategic importance of the pass roads to the North Caucasus, especially the natural fortress of the Daryal Gorge, Tamerlane decided to capture it. However, a huge mass of troops was so mixed up in the mountain gorges that they turned out to be ineffective. Tamerlane appointed one of his sons, Umar Sheikh, as the ruler of Fars, and another son, Miran Shah, as the ruler of Transcaucasia.

In 1394, Tamerlane learned that Tokhtamysh had again gathered an army and entered into an alliance against him with the Sultan of Egypt Barkuk. The Golden Horde Kipchaks poured south through Georgia and again began to devastate the borders of the empire. An army was sent against them, but the Horde retreated to the north and disappeared into the steppes.

In the spring of 1395, Tamerlane held a review of his army near the Caspian Sea. Having rounded the Caspian Sea, Tamerlane went first to the west, and then turned north in a wide arc. The army passed through the Derbent Passage, crossed Georgia and entered the territory of Chechnya. On April 15, two armies converged on the banks of the Terek. In the battle, the army of the Golden Horde was destroyed. To prevent Tokhtamysh from recovering again, Tamerlane’s army went north to the shores of Itil and drove Tokhtamysh into the forests of Bulgar. Then Tamerlane’s army moved west to the Dnieper, then rose north and ravaged Rus', and then descended to the Don, from where it returned to its homeland through the Caucasus in 1396.

6 Trek to India

In 1398, Tamerlane launched a campaign against India; along the way, the highlanders of Kafiristan were defeated. In December, Tamerlane defeated the army of the Delhi Sultan under the walls of Delhi and occupied the city without resistance, which a few days later was plundered by his army and burned. By order of Tamerlane, 100 thousand captured Indian soldiers were executed for fear of a mutiny on their part. In 1399, Tamerlane reached the banks of the Ganges, on the way back he took several more cities and fortresses and returned to Samarkand with huge booty.

7 Campaign in the Ottoman state

Returning from India in 1399, Tamerlane immediately began a new campaign. This campaign was initially caused by unrest in the region ruled by Miran Shah. Tamerlane deposed his son and defeated the enemies who invaded his domain. Moving west, Tamerlane encountered the Turkmen state of the Kara Koyunlu, the victory of Tamerlane's troops forced the Turkmen leader Kara Yusuf to flee west to the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid the Lightning. After which Kara Yusuf and Bayezid agreed on joint action against Tamerlane.

In 1400, Tamerlane began military operations against Bayezid, who captured Erzincan, where Tamerlane's vassal ruled, and against the Egyptian Sultan Faraj an-Nasir, whose predecessor, Barkuk, ordered the assassination of Tamerlane's ambassador back in 1393. In 1400, he took the fortresses of Kemak and Sivas in Asia Minor and Aleppo in Syria, which belonged to the Egyptian Sultan, and in 1401 he occupied Damascus.

On July 20, 1402, Tamerlane won a major victory over the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, defeating him at the Battle of Ankara. The Sultan himself was captured. As a result of the battle, Tamerlane captured all of Asia Minor, and the defeat of Bayazid led to a peasant war in the Ottoman state and civil strife between Bayazid’s sons.

The fortress of Smyrna, which belonged to the Knights of St. John, which the Ottoman sultans could not take for 20 years, was captured by Tamerlane by storm in two weeks. The western part of Asia Minor was returned to the sons of Bayezid in 1403, and in the eastern part the local dynasties deposed by Bayezid were restored.

8 Trip to China

In the fall of 1404, 68-year-old Tamerlane began preparing an invasion of China. The main goal was to capture the remaining part of the Great Silk Road to obtain maximum profits and ensure the prosperity of his native Transoxiana and its capital Samarkand. The campaign was stopped due to the onset of a cold winter, and in February 1405 Tamerlane died.

The full name of the great conqueror of antiquity, who will be discussed in our article, is Timur ibn Taragai Barlas, but in literature he is often referred to as Tamerlane, or the Iron Lame. It should be clarified that he was nicknamed Iron not only for his personal qualities, but also because this is how his name Timur is translated from the Turkic language. The lameness was the result of a wound received in one of the battles. There is reason to believe that this mysterious commander of the past is involved in the great bloodshed that was shed in the 20th century.

Who is Tamerlan and where is he from?

First, a few words about the childhood of the future Great Khan. It is known that Timur-Tamerlane was born on April 9, 1336 on the territory of the current Uzbek city of Shakhrisabz, which at that time was a small village called Khoja-Ilgar. His father, a local landowner from the Barlas tribe, Muhammad Taragai, professed Islam, and raised his son in this faith.

Following the customs of those times, from early childhood he taught the boy the basics of military art - horse riding, archery and javelin throwing. As a result, barely reaching maturity, he was already an experienced warrior. It was then that the future conqueror Tamerlane received invaluable knowledge.

The biography of this man, or rather, that part of it that has become the property of history, begins with the fact that in his youth he gained the favor of Tughlik Khan, the ruler of the Chagatai ulus, one of the Mongolian states, on the territory of which the future commander was born.

Appreciating Timur's fighting qualities, as well as his extraordinary mind, he brought him closer to the court, making him his son's tutor. However, the prince’s entourage, fearing his rise, began to build intrigues against him, and as a result, fearing for his life, the newly-minted teacher was forced to flee.

Leading a squad of mercenaries

The years of Tamerlane's life coincided with the historical period when it was a continuous theater of military operations. Fragmented into many states, it was constantly torn apart by civil strife among local khans, who were constantly trying to seize neighboring lands. The situation was aggravated by countless robber gangs - jete, who did not recognize any authority and lived exclusively by robberies.

In this environment, the failed teacher Timur-Tamerlane found his true calling. Having united several dozen ghulams - professional mercenary warriors - he created a detachment that, in its fighting qualities and cruelty, surpassed all other surrounding gangs.

First conquests

Together with his thugs, the newly-minted commander made daring raids on cities and villages. It is known that in 1362 he stormed several fortresses that belonged to the Sarbadars - participants in the popular movement against Mongol rule. Having captured them, he ordered the surviving defenders to be walled up in the walls. This was an act of intimidation to all future opponents, and such cruelty became one of the main traits of his character. Very soon the whole East learned about who Tamerlane was.

It was then that in one of the fights he lost two fingers of his right hand and was seriously wounded in the leg. Its consequences lasted until the end of his life and served as the basis for the nickname - Timur the Lame. However, this did not prevent him from becoming a figure who played a significant role in the history of not only Central, Western and South Asia, but also the Caucasus and Rus' in the last quarter of the 14th century.

His military talent and extraordinary audacity helped Tamerlane conquer the entire territory of Fergana, subjugating Samarkand and making the city of Ket the capital of the newly formed state. Further, his army rushed to the territory belonging to present-day Afghanistan, and, having ravaged it, stormed the ancient capital of Balkh, whose emir, Huseyn, was immediately hanged. Most of the courtiers shared his fate.

Cruelty as a weapon of intimidation

The next direction of attack of his cavalry was the cities of Isfahan and Fars, located south of Balkh, where the last representatives of the Persian Muzaffarid dynasty ruled. The first on his way was Isfahan. Having captured it and handed it over to his mercenaries for plunder, Timur the Lame ordered the heads of the dead to be placed in a pyramid, the height of which exceeded the height of a person. This was a continuation of his constant tactics of intimidating his opponents.

It is characteristic that the entire subsequent history of Tamerlane, the conqueror and commander, was marked by manifestations of extreme cruelty. It can be partly explained by the fact that he himself became a hostage to his own politics. Leading a highly professional army, the Lame had to regularly pay his mercenaries, otherwise their scimitars would turn against him. This forced us to achieve new victories and conquests by any means available.

The beginning of the fight against the Golden Horde

In the early 80s, the next stage in Tamerlane’s ascent was the conquest of the Golden Horde, or, in other words, the Dzhuchiev ulus. From time immemorial, it was dominated by the Euro-Asian steppe culture with its religion of polytheism, which had nothing in common with Islam, professed by the majority of its warriors. Therefore, the fighting that began in 1383 became a clash not only of opposing armies, but also of two different cultures.

Ordynsky, the same one who made a campaign against Moscow in 1382, wanting to get ahead of his enemy and strike first, undertook a campaign against Kharezm. Having achieved temporary success, he also captured a significant territory of what is now Azerbaijan, but soon his troops were forced to retreat, suffering significant losses.

In 1385, taking advantage of the fact that Timur and his hordes were in Persia, he tried again, but this time he failed. Having learned about the invasion of the Horde, the formidable commander urgently returned his troops to Central Asia and completely defeated the enemy, forcing Tokhtamysh himself to flee to Western Siberia.

Continuing the fight against the Tatars

However, the conquest of the Golden Horde was not yet completed. Its final defeat was preceded by five years filled with incessant military campaigns and bloodshed. It is known that in 1389 the Horde khan even managed to insist that Russian squads support him in the war with Muslims.

This was facilitated by the death of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy, after which his son and heir Vasily was obliged to go to the Horde for a label to reign. Tokhtamysh confirmed his rights, but subject to the participation of Russian troops in repelling the Muslim attack.

Defeat of the Golden Horde

Prince Vasily gave his consent, but it was only formal. After the defeat caused by Tokhtamysh in Moscow, none of the Russians wanted to shed blood for him. As a result, in the very first battle on the Kondurcha River (a tributary of the Volga), they abandoned the Tatars and, crossing to the opposite bank, left.

The conquest of the Golden Horde was completed by the battle on the Terek River, in which the troops of Tokhtamysh and Timur met on April 15, 1395. Iron Lame managed to inflict a crushing defeat on his enemy and thereby put an end to the Tatar raids on the territories under his control.

Threat to Russian lands and campaign against India

They were preparing their next blow to the very heart of Rus'. The goals of the planned campaign were Moscow and Ryazan, who until then did not know who Tamerlane was and paid tribute to the Golden Horde. But, fortunately, these plans were not destined to come true. The uprising of the Circassians and Ossetians, which broke out in the rear of Timur's troops and forced the conqueror to turn back, prevented this. The only victim then was the city of Yelets, which was on his way.

Over the next two years, his army made a victorious campaign in India. Having captured Delhi, Timur's soldiers plundered and burned the city, and killed 100 thousand defenders who were captured, fearing a possible rebellion on their part. Having reached the banks of the Ganges and capturing several fortified fortresses along the way, the army of thousands returned to Samarkand with rich booty and a large number of slaves.

New conquests and new blood

Following India, it was the turn of the Ottoman Sultanate to submit to the sword of Tamerlane. In 1402, he defeated the hitherto invincible Janissaries of Sultan Bayazid, and took him prisoner. As a result, the entire territory of Asia Minor came under his rule.

The Ionite knights, who held the fortress of the ancient city of Smyrna for many years in their hands, could not resist Tamerlane’s troops. Having previously repelled the attacks of the Turks more than once, they surrendered to the mercy of the lame conqueror. When Venetian and Genoese ships with reinforcements arrived to their aid, the victors threw the severed heads of the defenders from the fortress catapults.

A plan that Tamerlane could not implement

The biography of this outstanding commander and evil genius of his era ends with the last ambitious project, which was his campaign against China, which began in 1404. The goal was to seize the Great Silk Road, making it possible to receive taxes from passing merchants and thereby replenish their already overflowing treasury. But the implementation of the plan was prevented by sudden death, which ended the life of the commander in February 1405.

The great emir of the Timurid empire - under this title he entered the history of his people - was buried in the Gur Emir mausoleum in Samarkand. A legend is associated with his burial, passed down from generation to generation. It says that if Tamerlane’s sarcophagus is opened and his ashes are disturbed, then the punishment for this will be a terrible and bloody war.

In June 1941, an expedition from the USSR Academy of Sciences was sent to Samarkand to exhume the remains of the commander and study them. The grave was opened on the night of June 21, and the next day, as is known, the Great Patriotic War began.

Another interesting fact. In October 1942, cameraman Malik Kayumov, a participant in those events, meeting with Marshal Zhukov, told him about the fulfilled curse and offered to return Tamerlane’s ashes to their original place. This was done on November 20, 1942, and on the same day a radical turning point in the Battle of Stalingrad followed.

Skeptics are inclined to argue that in this case there were only a number of accidents, because the plan for an attack on the USSR was developed long before the opening of the tomb by people who, although they knew who Tamerlane was, but, of course, did not take into account the spell that hung over his grave. Without entering into controversy, let's just say that everyone has the right to have their own point of view on this matter.

Conqueror's family

Of particular interest to researchers are the wives and children of Timur. Like all eastern rulers, this great conqueror of the past had a huge family. He had 18 official wives alone (not counting concubines), the favorite of which is considered to be Sarai-mulk khanum. Despite the fact that the lady with such a poetic name was barren, the master trusted her with the upbringing of many of his sons and grandchildren. She also went down in history as the patroness of art and science.

It is quite clear that with such a number of wives and concubines there was also no shortage of children. Nevertheless, only four of his sons took the places befitting such high birth and became rulers in the empire created by their father. In their person, the story of Tamerlane found its continuation.

Timur, the son of a bek from the Turkified Mongolian Barlas tribe, was born in Kesh (modern Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan), southwest of Bukhara. His father had a small ulus. The name of the Central Asian conqueror comes from the nickname Timur Leng (Lame Timur), which was associated with his lameness in his left leg. Since childhood, he persistently engaged in military exercises and at the age of 12 began going on hikes with his father. He was a zealous Mohammedan, which played a significant role in his fight against the Uzbeks.

Timur early showed his military abilities and ability not only to command people, but also to subjugate them to his will. In 1361, he entered the service of Khan Togluk, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. He owned large territories in Central Asia. Quite soon, Timur became an adviser to the khan’s son Ilyas Khoja and the ruler (viceroy) of the Kashkadarya vilayet in the domain of Khan Togluk. By that time, the son of the bek from the Barlas tribe already had his own detachment of mounted warriors.

But after some time, having fallen into disgrace, Timur with his military detachment of 60 people fled across the Amu Darya River to the Badakhshan Mountains. There his squad was replenished. Khan Togluk sent a detachment of a thousand in pursuit of Timur, but he, having fallen into a well-arranged ambush, was almost completely exterminated in battle by Timur’s soldiers.

Gathering his forces, Timur concluded a military alliance with the ruler of Balkh and Samarkand, Emir Hussein, and began a war with Khan Togluk and his son-heir Ilyas Khoja, whose army consisted mainly of Uzbek warriors. The Turkmen tribes sided with Timur, giving him numerous cavalry. Soon he declared war on his ally Samarkand Emir Hussein and defeated him.

Timur captured Samarkand, one of the largest cities in Central Asia, and intensified military operations against the son of Khan Togluk, whose army, according to exaggerated data, numbered about 100 thousand people, but 80 thousand of them formed garrisons of fortresses and almost did not participate in field battles. Timur's cavalry squad numbered only about 2 thousand people, but they were experienced warriors. In a series of battles, Timur defeated the Khan's troops, and by 1370 their remnants retreated across the Syr River.

After these successes, Timur resorted to military stratagem, which was a brilliant success. On behalf of the khan's son, who commanded Togluk's troops, he sent out an order to the commandants of the fortresses to leave the fortresses entrusted to them and to retreat beyond the Syr River with the garrison troops. So, with the help of military cunning, Timur cleared all the enemy fortresses of the khan’s troops.

In 1370, a kurultai was convened, at which the rich and noble Mongol owners elected a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, Kobul Shah Aglan, as khan. However, Timur soon removed him from his path. By that time, he had significantly replenished his military forces, primarily at the expense of the Mongols, and could now lay claim to independent khan power.

In the same 1370, Timur became emir in Transoxiana, a region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, and ruled on behalf of the descendants of Genghis Khan, relying on the army, nomadic nobility and Muslim clergy. He made the city of Samarkand his capital.

Timur began preparing for large campaigns of conquest by organizing a strong army. At the same time, he was guided by the combat experience of the Mongols and the rules of the great conqueror Genghis Khan, which his descendants had completely forgotten by that time.

Timur began his struggle for power with a detachment of 313 soldiers loyal to him. They formed the backbone of the command staff of the army he created: 100 people began to command dozens of soldiers, 100 hundreds and the last 100 thousand. Timur's closest and most trusted associates received senior military positions.

He paid special attention to the selection of military leaders. In his army, the foremen were chosen by the dozen soldiers themselves, but Timur personally appointed the centurions, thousand and higher-ranking commanders. “A leader whose power is weaker than a whip and stick is unworthy of the title,” said the Central Asian conqueror.

His army, unlike the troops of Genghis Khan and Batu Khan, received a salary. An ordinary warrior received from two to four times the price of horses. The size of such a salary was determined by the service performance of the soldier. The foreman received the salary of his dozen and therefore was personally interested in the proper performance of service by his subordinates. The centurion received the salary of six foremen and so on.

There was also a system of awards for military distinctions. This could be the praise of the emir himself, an increase in salary, valuable gifts, rewarding with expensive weapons, new ranks and honorary titles such as, for example, Brave or Bogatyr. The most common punishment was the withholding of a tenth of the salary for a specific disciplinary offense.

Timur's cavalry, which formed the basis of his army, was divided into light and heavy. Simple light-horse warriors were required to be armed with a bow, 18-20 arrows, 10 arrowheads, an axe, a saw, an awl, a needle, a lasso, a tursuk (water bag) and a horse. For 19 such warriors on a campaign, one wagon was relied upon. Selected Mongol warriors served in the heavy cavalry. Each of her warriors had a helmet, iron protective armor, a sword, a bow and two horses. For five such horsemen there was one wagon. In addition to the mandatory weapons, there were pikes, maces, sabers and other weapons. The Mongols carried everything they needed for camping on spare horses.

Light infantry appeared in the Mongol army under Timur. These were horse archers (carrying 30 arrows) who dismounted before the battle. Thanks to this, shooting accuracy increased. Such mounted riflemen were very effective in ambushes, during military operations in the mountains and during the siege of fortresses.

Timur's army was distinguished by a well-thought-out organization and a strictly defined order of formation. Each warrior knew his place in the ten, ten in the hundred, hundred in the thousand. Individual units of the army differed in the color of their horses, the color of their clothes and banners, and their combat equipment. According to the laws of Genghis Khan, before the campaign, the soldiers were given a strict review.

During campaigns, Timur took care of reliable military guards in order to avoid a surprise attack by the enemy. On the way or at a stop, security detachments were separated from the main forces at a distance of up to five kilometers. From them, patrol posts were sent out even further, which, in turn, sent mounted sentries ahead.

Being an experienced commander, Timur chose flat terrain, with sources of water and vegetation, for the battles of his predominantly cavalry army. He lined up the troops for battle so that the sun did not shine in the eyes and thus did not blind the archers. He always had strong reserves and flanks to encircle the enemy drawn into battle.

Timur began the battle with light cavalry, which bombarded the enemy with a cloud of arrows. After this, horse attacks began, which followed one after another. When the opposing side began to weaken, a strong reserve consisting of heavy armored cavalry was brought into battle. Timur said: “The ninth attack gives victory.” This was one of his main rules in the war.

Timur began his campaigns of conquest beyond his original possessions in 1371. By 1380, he had made 9 military campaigns, and soon all neighboring regions inhabited by Uzbeks and most of the territory of modern Afghanistan came under his rule. Any resistance to the Mongol army was cruelly punished; commander Timur left behind enormous destruction and erected pyramids from the heads of defeated enemy warriors.

In 1376, Emir Timur provided military assistance to the descendant of Genghis Khan, Tokhtamysh, as a result of which the latter became one of the khans of the Golden Horde. However, Tokhtamysh soon repaid his patron with black ingratitude.

The Emir's Palace in Samarkand was constantly replenished with treasures. It is believed that Timur brought to his capital up to 150 thousand of the best craftsmen from the conquered countries, who built numerous palaces for the emir, decorating them with paintings depicting the aggressive campaigns of the Mongol army.

In 1386, Emir Timur launched a campaign of conquest in the Caucasus. Near Tiflis, the Mongol army fought with the Georgian army and won a complete victory. The capital of Georgia was destroyed. The defenders of the Vardzia fortress, the entrance to which led through the dungeon, put up brave resistance to the conquerors. Georgian soldiers repulsed all enemy attempts to break into the fortress through an underground passage. The Mongols managed to take Vardzia with the help of wooden platforms, which they lowered on ropes from the neighboring mountains. At the same time as Georgia, neighboring Armenia was also conquered.

In 1388, after long resistance, Khorezm fell and its capital Urgench was destroyed. Now all the lands along the Jeyhun (Amu Darya) river from the Pamir Mountains to the Aral Sea became the possessions of Emir Timur.

In 1389, the cavalry army of the Samarkand emir made a campaign in the steppes to Lake Balkhash, in the territory of Semirechye in the south of modern Kazakhstan.

/The ending follows/.

Timur Tamerlane (Iron Lame) is an outstanding Central Asian commander who lived in 1336-1405. He died at the age of 68, having founded the Timurid Empire (1370-1507). This man played an important political role in the history of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Rus'. He came from the Mongolian family of Barlas, but did not belong to the Genghisids (descendants of Genghis Khan). He was a zealous Muslim and knew Persian and Turkic languages ​​well.

Being an experienced warrior, he was also a writer and was a prominent representative of his era. It was characterized by a shift in the traditions and customs of the Mongol ulus at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries. Iron Lame developed the traditions of Islamic culture, not the Yasa of Genghis Khan. In his activities he relied on the Muslim population of the oases of Central Asia.

Genghis Khan's army consisted of nomads, each of whom was excellent at riding and shooting with a bow. But Timur’s army was formed on a different basis. It made no sense for him to mobilize farmers into his army, who could not even hold a saber in their hands. Therefore, military forces were recruited from professional warriors - ghulams (daring men). They risked their lives not in vain: they were paid a very good salary.

But in order to receive such a salary, the ghoul had to prove his skills to everyone. At full gallop, he had to remove the ring with the tip of the spear, which the inspector was holding with two fingers. It is not difficult to guess how much effort was spent on such preparation. At the same time, the ghulams were required to exercise iron discipline and unquestioning obedience to their commanders, the emirs.

Childhood and youth of Timur Tamerlane

The father of the great commander was the small landowner Muhammad Taragay (died in 1361). He professed Islam, and faith in Allah became the faith of his son. A boy was born from his first wife, Tekina Khatun. Then this woman apparently died, and the father remarried. In total, Timur had 2 sisters and 3 brothers. The family lived in the village of Khoja-Ilgar (modern Uzbekistan). It was there that the future famous conqueror was born on April 8, 1336.

The boy learned to ride a horse at an early age, practiced archery and javelin throwing. Being a very young man, he became an experienced warrior. At that time, the lands where Timur lived were part of the Chagatai ulus, one of the Mongol states. The young man was taken into his service by Khan Tughluk-Timur and made his young son Ilyas-Khoja an assistant. However, the prince’s entourage began to plot intrigues against the new assistant. They became so dangerous that Timur was forced to flee in 1362.

At that time, Central Asia was one continuous theater of military operations. The Mongol khans fought with their emirs, and the latter, in turn, fought with jete - bandits. Such gangs lived by robbery and did not recognize any bosses. They created their state of Mogulistan in Semirechye, where the Turkic rather than Mongolian population lived mainly.

During this period of the final collapse of the Mongol states and the war of all against all, Timur gathered the ghouls around him and turned out to be the most successful military leader. He entered into confrontation with the city militias of the Sarbadars and completely defeated them. The fortresses of the Sarbadars were taken, and all those who resisted were walled up alive in the walls.

During one of the skirmishes in 1362, Timur Tamerlane lost 2 fingers on his right hand and was wounded in his right leg. The wound turned out to be so serious that the future great conqueror remained lame for life. This is where the historical name of this extraordinary personality came from: Timur is iron, and Tamerlane is lame. It turns out the Iron Lame, about which the whole East spoke with fear and respect in the last third of the 14th century.

Army of Timur Tamerlane

After the victory over the Sarbadars, the successful and talented military leader conquered the entire Fergana (historical region) and subjugated Samarkand. He made the city of Ket (now Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan) his capital. In 1370 he captured Balkh. His Emir Hussein surrendered on condition of saving his life. However, he could not stand the nervous tension and fled. The emir was caught and executed on the orders of Timur, since he believed that the emir had violated the treaty by escaping.

In the south, the Iron Lame was opposed by the Muzaffarids (the last Persian dynasty). They ruled in Fars and Isfahan. The conqueror captured Isfahan and destroyed this city. A pyramid was made from the heads of the slain to intimidate the Muzaffarids. However, they continued to resist, and then it was Shiraz’s turn. This city was taken and plundered.

An interesting case is connected with Shiraz. The poet Hafez, famous in the Muslim East, lived in the city. Among his poems he wrote the following quatrain:

If this beautiful Turkish woman
He will carry my heart in his hands,
For her only birthmark
I will give up both Samarkand and Bukhara.

Timur Tamerlane knew these verses. And so, having captured Shiraz, he sat on a carpet in the middle of the square amid a sea of ​​violence and cruelty. The Ghulams robbed houses, drove away prisoners, killed children, raped women, and slaughtered the last resisting men. Not paying any attention to this, the formidable commander ordered Hafiz to be brought to him. Very soon he was brought in, dressed in an old, shabby robe.

And the conqueror said to the poet, hinting at the quatrain: “Unfortunate, I spent my whole life to decorate and exalt my two favorite cities - Samarkand and Bukhara, and you want to give them for the birthmark of some stupid woman!” To this Hafiz replied: “O Commander of the Faithful, it is because of my generosity that I am in such poverty.” Iron Lame appreciated the poet’s intelligence and resourcefulness. He laughed, ordered Hafiz to be given a luxurious robe and sent him away in peace.

All the conquests of the formidable commander were accompanied by incredible cruelty. They can be condemned, but it is unlikely that he could have acted differently. Having started a military campaign, Timur had to continue it in order to pay the ghulams. It was the war that fed the army. But if Tamerlane had stopped, he would have been left first without an army, and then without his head.

War with the Golden Horde

In the Golden Horde or Dzhuchiev ulus, the steppe Eurasian culture dominated. It had nothing in common with Islamic culture, of which Timur was a representative. And he restored the former power of the Muslim armies and became a serious threat to the Golden Horde. We must also not forget that according to the will of Genghis Khan, the entire Khorezm oasis belonged to the descendants of Jochi, but was captured by Tamerlane.

In 1383, Khan of Dzhuchiev ulus Tokhtamysh made the first attempt to take away Khorezm. He succeeded for a while, and with this daring act a war began between the two cultures. In 1385, Tokhtamysh carried out a second campaign into the possessions of Timur Tamerlane. The army of the Golden Horde passed through the Daryal Gorge and captured Tabriz in Azerbaijan, which, according to the division of Genghis Khan, should have belonged to the Jochi ulus. But Timur’s army drove away the Tatar army and captured many.

After 2 years, Tokhtamysh with a large army passed through the Kazakh steppe, crossed the Betpak-Dala desert and reached Termez. Along the way, the Tatars plundered all the villages, but did not take a single fortress, since they were reliably fortified. The formidable conqueror was at that time with his army in Persia. Having learned about the Tatar invasion, he returned to Central Asia, and Tokhtamysh began to retreat, but was overtaken and defeated. With the remnants of the army, he fled to Western Siberia.

Empire of Timur Tamerlane on the map

The Golden Horde was protected from the encroachments of Timur by the huge steppe. To overcome it, it was necessary to have a large number of horses, fodder and pasture. The steppes separating the Volga from Central Asia are not covered with grass all year round. And yet, the formidable commander decided to launch a campaign against the Dzhuchiev ulus. He took into account the fact that in the spring grass first begins to grow in the south, then in the central regions, and only then in the north. And the army of Timur Tamerlane set out on a campaign against the main enemy “following the spring.”

Tokhtamysh did not expect the rapid rush of the Muslims across the steppe. He began to quickly gather the forces he had, not bypassing Rus'. In 1389, the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich died. He bequeathed the reign to his son Vasily. And only the khan of Dzhuchiev ulus could approve such a decision.

Tokhtamysh confirmed Vasily's rights to the throne, but demanded help from him. Prince Vasily brought an army, but after the destruction of Moscow in 1382, the Russian people had no desire to fight for the Tatars. And the Iron Lame, having made a rapid transition, pressed Tokhtamysh’s army to the Volga. The Tatars suffered a crushing defeat in the battle near the Kondurche River (one of the tributaries of the Volga). The khan himself escaped by crossing the river, but his cause was lost.

The Russian squads, seeing this course of events, went to the lower reaches of the Kama. Timur did not cross the river and pursue the Moscow prince. And he, thus, successfully avoided a collision. The formidable commander himself turned back and left the same way he came in the spring. He managed to safely bring most of his army to the fertile lands of Central Asia.

The campaign against the Golden Horde was victorious, but the main task - protecting their own lands - was not solved. Samarkand and Bukhara remained defenseless from Tatar raids. And indeed, soon Tokhtamysh again opposed Timur. He moved from the Volga steppes south along the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Iron Khromets came out to meet, and both troops met on the Terek on April 15, 1395. In this battle, the Tatar army suffered a crushing defeat.

The Golden Horde Khan fled, and the army of the Iron Lame passed through the Caspian steppes and invaded the Volga-Don interfluve. The formidable commander decided to go to Rus' and capture Ryazan and Moscow. However, in the rear of his army, Circassians, Ossetians and Tatars rebelled. Timur was forced to turn back on August 26, 1395. Thus, only the Russian city of Yelets was affected.

The great conqueror crossed Perekop, collected tribute on the Crimean peninsula and fed his army. Then he passed through the steppe, which the Circassians had burned out, and inflicted a crushing defeat on them. They took refuge in the mountains, and Timur’s army entered Azerbaijan through the Derbent Passage. Here it liquidated the fortresses of the rebels and returned to Samarkand - a city like paradise.

The last years of the life of Timur Tamerlane

In 1402, Timur Tamerlane defeated the troops of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid, manned by the invincible Janissaries. Then the formidable commander found himself near the walls of Smyrna, occupied by a garrison of Johannite knights. The Turks could not break this garrison for 20 years, and the Iron Lame took the fortress by storm in a few days. Soon, however, Genoese and Venetian ships arrived at Smyrna with help and supplies for the besieged. But Timur’s warriors threw them with the heads of the knights of the Order of John from catapults. After this, the ruler of the East returned to Samarkand again for another rest.

Already an old man, the formidable conqueror began to prepare a military campaign against China. He set himself the goal of seizing the Great Silk Road in order to receive the maximum tax from merchants and thereby ensure the prosperity of his lands. He declared that there could not be two rulers in the world, meaning himself and the Chinese emperor.

In the fall of 1404, the campaign against China began. But it turned out to be the last for the great conqueror. Severe frosts struck, which stopped the army, and in February 1405, Iron Lame died. He died in the same way as Genghis Khan, on a campaign, but his death was not kept secret. Tamerlane's grave did not become a great secret either. The Lord of the East was buried in the Gur Emir mausoleum in Samarkand. A spell was placed at the burial site so that no one would dare open the sarcophagus with the body of the conqueror. However, in June 1941, desperate heads were found who dared to open the mogul. But this is not relevant to this story.

Alexander Semashko

Tamerlane's name.

Timur's full name was Timur ibn Taragay Barlas (Tīmūr ibn Taraġay Barlas - Timur son of Taragay from Barlas) in accordance with the Arabic tradition (alam-nasab-nisba). In the Chagatai and Mongolian languages ​​(both Altaic) Temür or Temir means “iron”.

Not being a Genghisid, Timur formally could not bear the title of Great Khan, always calling himself only an emir (leader, leader). However, having become related in 1370 with the house of Chingizids, he took the name Timur Gurgan (Timūr Gurkānī, (تيمو گوركان), Gurkān - an Iranianized version of the Mongol kүrүgen or үrgen, “son-in-law.” This meant that Tamerlane, having become related to the Chingizid khans, could free to live and act in their homes.

In various Persian sources, the Iranianized nickname Timur-e Lang (Tīmūr-e Lang, تیمور لنگ) “Timur the Lame” is often found; this name was probably considered at that time as contemptuous and derogatory. It passed into Western languages ​​(Tamerlan, Tamerlane, Tamburlaine, Timur Lenk) and into Russian, where it has no negative connotation and is used along with the original “Timur”.

Personality of Tamerlane.

Timur's biography resembles the biography of Genghis Khan. The beginnings of the political activities of both conquerors are similar: they were the leaders of the detachments of adherents they personally recruited, who then remained the main support of their power. Like Genghis Khan, Timur personally entered into all the details of the organization of military forces, had detailed information about the forces of his enemies and the state of their lands, enjoyed unconditional authority among his army and could fully rely on his associates. Less successful was the choice of persons placed at the head of the civil administration (numerous cases of punishment for extortion of high dignitaries in Samarkand, Herat, Shiraz, Tabriz). Tamerlane loved to talk with scientists, especially to listen to the reading of historical works; with his knowledge of history he surprised the medieval historian, philosopher and thinker Ibn Khaldun; Timur used stories about the valor of historical and legendary heroes to inspire his soldiers.

Timur left behind dozens of monumental architectural structures, some of which are included in the treasury of world culture. Timur's buildings, in the creation of which he took an active part, reveal his artistic taste.

Timur cared primarily about the prosperity of his native Maverannahr and about enhancing the splendor of his capital, Samarkand. Timur brought craftsmen, architects, jewelers, builders, architects from all the conquered lands in order to equip the cities of his empire: the capital Samarkand, his father’s homeland - Kesh (Shakhrisyabz), Bukhara, the border city of Yassy (Turkestan). He managed to express all the care that he put into the capital Samarkand through words about it: “There will always be a blue sky and golden stars above Samarkand.” Only in recent years did he take measures to improve the well-being of other regions of the state, mainly border ones (in 1398 a new irrigation canal was built in Afghanistan, in 1401 - in Transcaucasia, etc.)

Biography.

Childhood and youth.

Timur was born on April 9, 1336 in the village of Khoja-Ilgar near the city of Kesh (now Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan) in Central Asia.

Timur spent his childhood and youth in the Kesh mountains. In his youth, he loved hunting and equestrian competitions, javelin throwing and archery, and had a penchant for war games. From the age of ten, mentors - atabeks who served under Taragai, taught Timur the art of war and sports games. Timur was a very brave and reserved man. Possessing sobriety of judgment, he knew how to make the right decision in difficult situations. These character traits attracted people to him. The first information about Timur appeared in sources starting in 1361, when he began his political activity.

Timur's appearance.

As shown by the opening of the tomb of Gur Emir (Samarkand) by M. M. Gerasimov and the subsequent study of the skeleton from the burial, which is believed to belong to Tamerlane, his height was 172 cm. Timur was strong and physically developed, his contemporaries wrote about him: “If Most warriors could pull the bowstring to the level of the collarbone, but Timur pulled it to the ear.” His hair is lighter than most of his people.

Despite Timur's old age (69 years), his skull, as well as his skeleton, did not have pronounced, actually senile features. The presence of most of the teeth, the clear relief of the bones, the almost absence of osteophytes - all this rather suggests that the skull of the skeleton belonged to a person full of strength and health, whose biological age did not exceed 50 years. The massiveness of healthy bones, the highly developed relief and their density, the width of the shoulders, the volume of the chest and relatively high height - all this gives the right to think that Timur had an extremely strong build. His strong athletic muscles, most likely, were distinguished by a certain dryness of form, and this is natural: life on military campaigns, with their difficulties and hardships, almost constant stay in the saddle could hardly contribute to obesity.

A special external difference between Tamerlane and his warriors and other Muslims was the braids they kept, according to Mongolian custom, which is confirmed by some Central Asian illustrated manuscripts of that time. Meanwhile, examining ancient Turkic sculptures and images of Turks in the paintings of Afrasiab, researchers came to the conclusion that the Turks wore braids back in the 5th-8th centuries. The opening of Timur's grave and analysis by anthropologists showed that Timur did not have braids. “Timur’s hair is thick, straight, gray-red in color, with a predominance of dark chestnut or red.” “Contrary to the accepted custom of shaving his head, at the time of his death Timur had relatively long hair.” (article by M. M. Gerasimov “Portrait of Tamerlane” from the book “Tamerlane”, published in Moscow in 1992). Some historians believe that the light color of his hair is due to the fact that Tamerlane dyed his hair with henna. But, M. M. Gerasimov notes in his work: “Even a preliminary study of beard hair under a binocular convinces that this reddish color is natural, and not dyed with henna, as historians described.” Timur wore a long mustache, not a trim one above the lip. As we found out, there was a rule that allowed the upper military class to wear a mustache without cutting it above the lip, and Timur, according to this rule, did not cut his mustache, and it hung freely above the lip. “Timur’s small thick beard was wedge-shaped. Her hair is coarse, almost straight, thick, bright brown (red) in color, with significant gray streaks.”

Timur's parents, brothers and sisters.

His father's name was Muhammad Taragai or Turgai, he was a military man and a small landowner. He came from the Mongolian Barlas tribe, which by that time had already been Turkified and spoke the Chagatai language.

According to some assumptions, Timur's father Taragai was the leader of the Barlas tribe and a descendant of a certain Karachar noyon (a large feudal landowner in the Middle Ages), a powerful assistant to Chagatai, the son of Genghis Khan and a distant relative of the latter.

Timur's father was a pious Muslim, his spiritual mentor was Sheikh Shams ad-din Kulal

In Encyclopedia Britannica, Timur is considered a Turkic conqueror.

In Indian historiography, Timur is considered the head of the Chagatai Turks.

Timur's father had one brother, whose name in Turkic was Balta.

Timur's father was married twice: his first wife was Timur's mother Tekina Khatun. There is conflicting information about its origin. And the second wife of Taragay/Turgay was Kadak-khatun, the mother of Timur’s sister Shirinbek-aka.

Muhammad Taragay died in 1361 and was buried in Timur’s homeland - in the city of Kesh (Shakhrisabz). His tomb has survived to this day.

Timur had an older sister, Kutlug Turkan-aka, and a younger sister, Shirin-bek-aka. They died before the death of Timur himself and were buried in mausoleums in the Shahi Zinda complex in Samarkand. According to the source "Mu'izz al-ansab" Timur had three more brothers: Juki, Alim Sheikh and Suyurgatmysh.

Spiritual mentors of Timur.

Timur's first spiritual mentor was his father's mentor, the Sufi sheikh Shams ad-din Kulal. Timur's main spiritual mentor was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, Sheikh Mir Seyid Bereke. It was he who presented Timur with the symbols of power: the drum and the banner, when he came to power in 1370. Handing these symbols, Mir Seyid Bereke predicted a great future for the emir. He accompanied Timur on his great campaigns. In 1391, he blessed him before the battle with Tokhtamysh. In 1403, they together mourned the unexpected death of the heir to the throne, Muhammad Sultan. Mir Seyid Bereke was buried in the Gur Emir mausoleum, where Timur himself was buried at his feet. Another mentor of Timur was the son of the Sufi sheikh Burkhan ad-din Sagardzhi Abu Said. Timur ordered the construction of the Rukhabad mausoleum over their graves.

Timur's knowledge of languages.

During the campaign against the Golden Horde against Tokhtamysh in 1391, Timur ordered an inscription in the Chagatai language in Uighur letters - 8 lines and three lines in Arabic, containing the Koranic text, to be knocked out near Mount Altyn-Chuku. In history, this inscription is known as the Karsakpai inscription of Timur. Currently, the stone with Timur's inscription is kept and exhibited in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

A contemporary and captive of Tamerlane, Ibn Arabshah, who knew Tamerlane personally since 1401, reports: “As for Persian, Turkic and Mongolian, he knew them better than anyone else.” Princeton University researcher Svat Soucek writes about Timur in his monograph that “He was a Turk from the Barlas tribe, Mongolian in name and origin, but in all practical senses Turkic by that time. Timur's native language was Turkic (Chagatai), although he may have had some command of Persian due to the cultural environment in which he lived. He almost certainly did not know Mongolian, although Mongolian terms had not yet completely disappeared from documents and were found on coins.”

Legal documents of Timur's state were compiled in two languages: Persian and Turkic. For example, a document from 1378 giving privileges to the descendants of Abu Muslim who lived in Khorezm was compiled in the Chagatai Turkic language.

The Spanish diplomat and traveler Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, who visited the court of Tamerlane in Transoxiana, reports that “Beyond this river (Amu Darya - approx.) the kingdom of Samarkante extends, and its land is called Mogalia (Mogolistan), and the language is Mughal, and this language is not understood in this ( southern - approx.) side of the river, since everyone speaks Persian", he further reports "the writing that is used by the Samarkant residents [who live - approx.] on the other side of the river is not understood and cannot be read by those who live on this side, and this letter is called mogali. And the lord (Tamerlane - approx.) keeps with him several scribes who can read and write on this"

According to the Timurid source "Muiz al-ansab", at the court of Timur there was a staff of only Turkic and Tajik clerks.

Ibn Arabshah, describing the tribes of Transoxiana, provides the following information: “The mentioned Sultan (Timur) had four viziers who were completely engaged in useful and harmful matters. They were considered noble people, and everyone followed their opinions. As many tribes and tribes as the Arabs had, the Turks had the same number. Each of the above-mentioned viziers, being representatives of one tribe, were a luminary of opinions and illuminated the arch of minds of their tribe. One tribe was called Arlat, the second - Zhalair, the third - Kavchin, the fourth - Barlas. Temur was the son of the fourth tribe."

According to Alisher Navoi, although Timur did not write poetry, he knew both poetry and prose very well, and, by the way, knew how to bring the proper beit to the right place.

Timur's wives.

He had 18 wives, of which his favorite wife was Emir Hussein's sister, Uljay Turkan Agha. According to another version, his beloved wife was the daughter of Kazan Khan, Sarai Mulk Khanum. She did not have her own children, but she was entrusted with the upbringing of some of Timur's sons and grandchildren. She was a famous patron of science and the arts. By her order, a huge madrasah and mausoleum for her mother were built in Samarkand.

In 1355, Timur married the daughter of Emir Jaku-barlas Turmush-aga. Khan Maverannahra Kazagan, convinced of Timur’s merits, in 1355 gave him his granddaughter Uljay Turkan-aga as his wife. Thanks to this marriage, Timur's alliance with Emir Hussein, the grandson of Kazagan, arose.

In addition, Timur had other wives: Tugdi bi, daughter of Ak Sufi kungrat, Ulus aga from the Sulduz tribe, Nauruz aga, Bakht Sultan aga, Burkhan aga, Tavakkul-hanim, Turmish aga, Jani-bik aga, Chulpan aga and others. Timur had 21 concubines.

During Timur's childhood, the Chagatai state collapsed in Central Asia (Chagatai ulus). In Transoxiana, since 1346, power belonged to the Turkic emirs, and the khans enthroned by the emperor ruled only nominally. In 1348, the Mogul emirs enthroned Tugluk-Timur, who began to rule in East Turkestan, the Kuldzha region and Semirechye.

The beginning of political activity.

In 1347, Emir Kazagan killed Genghisid Kazan Khan, after whose death the Chagatai ulus split into two separate states: Transoxiana and Mogolistan. After the collapse of the Chagatai ulus, the head of the Turkic emirs was Kazagan (1346-1358), who was not a Chingizid, but a native of the Karaunas. Formally, Genghisid Danishmadcha-oglan was elevated to the throne, and after his assassination Bayankuli Khan. After the death of Kazagan, his son Abdullah really ruled the country, but he was killed and the region was gripped by political anarchy.

Timur entered the service of the ruler of Kesh - Hadji Barlas, who was supposedly the head of the Barlas tribe. In 1360, Transoxiana was conquered by Tughluk-Timur. Haji Barlas fled to Khorasan, and Timur entered into negotiations with the khan and was confirmed as the ruler of the Kesh region, but was forced to leave after the departure of the Mongols and the return of Haji Barlas.

In 1361, Khan Tughluk-Timur again occupied the country, and Haji Barlas again fled to Khorasan, where he was subsequently killed. In 1362, Tughluk-Timur hastily left Transoxiana as a result of the rebellion of a group of emirs in Mogolistan, transferring power to his son Ilyas-Khoja. Timur was confirmed as the ruler of the Kesh region and one of the assistants of the Mogul prince. Before the khan had time to cross the Syr Darya River, Ilyas-Khoja-Oglan, together with Emir Bekchik and other close emirs, conspired to remove Timurbek from state affairs, and, if possible, to destroy him physically. The intrigues intensified and became dangerous. Timur had to separate from the Mughals and go over to the side of their enemy - Emir Hussein (grandson of Kazagan). For some time, with a small detachment, they led the life of adventurers and went towards Khorezm, where in the battle of Khiva they were defeated by the ruler of those lands, Tavakkala-Kongurot, and with the remnants of their warriors and servants were forced to retreat deep into the desert. Subsequently, going to the village of Mahmudi in the region subject to Mahan, they were captured by the people of Alibek Dzhanikurban, in whose dungeons they spent 62 days in captivity. According to historian Sharafiddin Ali Yazdi, Alibek intended to sell Timur and Hussein to Iranian merchants, but in those days not a single caravan passed through Mahan. The prisoners were rescued by Alibek's elder brother, Emir Muhammad Beg.

In 1361-1364, Timurbek and Emir Hussein lived on the southern bank of the Amu Darya in the regions of Kakhmard, Daragez, Arsif and Balkh and waged a guerrilla war against the Mongols. During a skirmish in Seistan, which took place in the fall of 1362 against the enemies of the ruler Malik Qutbiddin, Timur lost two fingers on his right hand and was seriously wounded in his right leg, causing him to become lame (the nickname “lame Timur” is Aksak-Temir in Turkic, Timur- e lang in Persian, hence Tamerlane).

In 1364, the Moguls were forced to leave the country. Returning back to Transoxiana, Timur and Hussein placed Kabul Shah from the Chagatand clan on the throne of the ulus.

The next year, at dawn on May 22, 1365, a bloody battle took place near Chinaz between the army of Timur and Hussein with the army of Mogolistan led by Khan Ilyas-Khoja, which went down in history as the “battle in the mud.” Timur and Hussein had little chance to defend their native land, since the army of Ilyas-Khoja had superior forces. During the battle, a torrential downpour began, it was difficult for the soldiers to even look forward, and the horses got stuck in the mud. Despite this, Timur’s troops began to gain victory on his flank; at the decisive moment, he asked Hussein for help in order to finish off the enemy, but Hussein not only did not help, but also retreated. This predetermined the outcome of the battle. The warriors of Timur and Hussein were forced to retreat to the other side of the Syrdarya River.

Meanwhile, the army of Ilyas-Khoja was expelled from Samarkand by a popular uprising of the Serbedars, which was led by the madrasah teacher Mavlanazada, the artisan Abubakr Kalavi and the sharp shooter Mirzo Khurdaki Bukhari. Popular government was established in the city. The property of the rich sections of the population was confiscated, so they turned to Hussein and Timur for help. Timur and Hussein agreed to oppose the Serbedars - they lured them with kind speeches to negotiations, where in the spring of 1366 the troops of Hussein and Timur suppressed the uprising, executing the Serbedar leaders, but by order of Tamerlane they left alive the leader of the Serbedars - Mavlana-zade, to whom the people's preferences were addressed .

Election as "Great Emir".

Hussein wanted to rule on the throne of the Chagatai ulus among the Turkic-Mongolian people, like his grandfather Kazagan; according to established tradition, power from time immemorial belonged to the descendants of Genghis Khan. During the reign of Genghisid Kazankhan, the position of supreme emir was forcibly appropriated by Emir Hussein's grandfather, Emir Kazagan, which served as a reason for breaking the already not very good relations between beks Timur and Hussein. Each of them began to prepare for the decisive battle.

Timur received great support from the clergy in the person of the Termez seids, the Samarkand sheikh-ul-Islam and Mir Seyid Bereke, who became Timur’s spiritual mentor.

Having moved from Sali-sarai to Balkh, Hussein began to strengthen the fortress. He decided to act with deception and cunning. Hussein sent Timur an invitation to a meeting in the Chakchak gorge to sign a peace treaty, and as proof of his friendly intentions he promised to swear on the Koran. Having gone to the meeting, Timur took two hundred horsemen with him just in case, but Hussein brought a thousand of his soldiers and for this reason the meeting did not take place. Timur recalls this incident: “I sent Emir Hussein a letter with a Turkic beit with the following content:

Whoever intends to deceive me will lie in the ground himself, I am sure. Having shown his deceit, He himself will die from it.

When my letter reached Emir Hussein, he was extremely embarrassed and asked for forgiveness, but the second time I did not believe him.”

Gathering all his strength, Timur crossed to the other side of the Amu Darya River. The advanced units of his troops were commanded by Suyurgatmish-oglan, Ali Muayyad and Hussein Barlas. On the approach to the village of Biya, Barak, the leader of the Andkhud Sayinds, advanced to meet the army and presented him with kettledrums and the banner of supreme power. On the way to Balkh, Timur was joined by Jaku Barlas, who arrived from Karkara with his army, and Emir Kaykhusraw from Khuttalan, and on the other side of the river, Emir Zinda Chashm from Shiberghan, Khazarians from Khulm and Badakhshan Muhammadshah also joined. Having learned about this, many of Emir Hussein’s soldiers left him.

Before the battle, Timur gathers a kurultai, at which a man from the Genghisid family, Suyurgatmysh, is elected khan. Shortly before Timur was confirmed as the “great emir,” a certain good messenger, a sheikh from Mecca, came to him and said that he had a vision that he, Timur, would become a great ruler. On this occasion, he presented him with a banner, a drum, a symbol of supreme power. But he does not take this supreme power personally, but remains close to it.

On April 10, 1370, Balkh was conquered, and Hussein was captured and killed by the ruler of Khutalyan, Kaykhusrav, as a matter of blood feud, since Hussein had previously killed his brother. A kurultai was also held here, in which Chagatai beks and emirs, high-ranking dignitaries of regions and tumans, and Termezshahs took part. Among them were former rivals and childhood friends of Timur: Bayan-suldus, emirs Uljaytu, Kaykhosrov, Zinda Chashm, Jaku-barlas and many others. The Kurultai elected Timur as the supreme emir of Turan, entrusting him with responsibility for establishing the long-awaited peace, stability and order in the country. And the marriage with the daughter of Genghisid Kazan Khan, the captive widow of Emir Hussein Sarai Mulk Khanum, allowed the Supreme Emir of Maverannahr Timur to add the honorary title “guragan”, that is, “son-in-law” to his name.

At the kurultai, Timur took the oath of all the military leaders of Transoxiana. Like his predecessors, he did not accept the title of khan and was content with the title of “great emir” - the descendant of Genghis Khan Suyurgatmysh (1370-1388) and his son Mahmud (1388-1402) were considered khans under him. Samarkand was chosen as the capital, Timur began the struggle to create a centralized state.

Strengthening Timur's state.

The official name of Timur's state.

In the Karsakpai inscription of 1391, written in the Chagatai Turkic language, Timur ordered the name of his state to be engraved: Turan.

Tribal composition of Timur's troops.

Representatives of various tribes fought in Timur’s army: Barlas, Durbats, Nukuzes, Naimans, Kipchaks, Bulguts, Dulats, Kiyats, Jalairs, Sulduzs, Merkits, Yasavuris, Kauchins, etc.

Hiking to Mogolistan.

Despite the laid foundation of statehood, Khorezm and Shibergan, which belonged to the Chagatai ulus, did not recognize the new government in the person of Suyurgatmish Khan and Emir Timur. It was restless on the southern and northern borders of the border, where Mogolistan and the White Horde caused trouble, often violating borders and plundering villages. After Uruskhan captured Sygnyak and moved the capital of the White Horde, Yassy (Turkestan), Sairam and Transoxiana to it were in even greater danger. It was necessary to take measures to strengthen statehood.

The ruler of Moghulistan, Emir Kamar ad-din, tried to prevent the strengthening of Timur’s state. Mogolistan feudal lords often carried out predatory raids on Sairam, Tashkent, Fergana and Turkestan. The raids of Emir Kamar ad-din in the 70-71s and the raids in the winter of 1376 on the cities of Tashkent and Andijan brought especially great troubles to the people. In the same year, Emir Kamar ad-din captured half of Fergana, from where its governor, Timur’s son Umar Sheikh Mirza, fled to the mountains. Therefore, solving the problem of Mogolistan was important for calm on the borders of the country.

From 1371 to 1390, Emir Timur made seven campaigns against Mogolistan, finally defeating the army of Kamar ad-din and Anka-tyur in 1390 during the last campaign. However, Timur only reached the Irtysh in the north, Alakul in the east, Emil and the headquarters of the Mongol khans Balig-Yulduz, but he was unable to conquer the lands east of the Tangri-Tag and Kashgar mountains. Qamar ad-din fled and subsequently died of dropsy. The independence of Mogolistan was preserved.

Timur undertook his first two campaigns against the militant khan Kamar ad-din in the spring and autumn of 1371. The first campaign ended in a truce; during the second, Timur, leaving Tashkent through Sairam, located north of the city, moved towards the village of Yangi in Taraz. There he put the nomads to flight and captured large booty.

In 1375, Timur carried out his third successful campaign. He left Sairam and passed through the regions of Talas and Tokmak along the upper reaches of the Chu River. Timur returned to Samarkand via Uzgen and Khojent.

But Kamar ad-din was not defeated. When Timur's army returned to Transoxiana, he invaded Fergana, a province that belonged to Timur, and besieged the city of Andijan. Enraged Timur hurried to Fergana and for a long time pursued the enemy beyond Uzgen and the Yassy mountains to the At-Bashi valley, the southern tributary of the upper Naryn.

In 1376-1377 Timur made his fifth campaign against Kamar ad-din. He defeated his army in the gorges west of Issyk-Kul and pursued him to Kochkar.

The Zafarnama mentions Timur's sixth campaign in the Issyk-Kul region against Kamar ad-din in 1383, but the khan again managed to escape.

In 1389-1390 Timur intensified his actions to thoroughly defeat Kamar ad-din. In 1389 he crossed the Ili and crossed the Imil region in all directions, south and east of Lake Balkhash and around Ata-Kul. His vanguard, meanwhile, pursued the Mughals to the Black Irtysh, south of Altai. His advanced detachments reached Kara Khoja in the east, that is, almost to Turfan.

In 1390, Kamar ad-din was finally defeated, and Mogolistan finally ceased to threaten Timur’s power.

Fight against the Golden Horde.

In 1360, northern Khorezm, which was part of the Golden Horde, became independent. The Kungrat-Sufi dynasty, which declared its independence and strengthened its position in 1371, attempted to capture southern Khorezm, which was part of the Chagatai ulus. Emir Timur demanded the return of the occupied lands of southern Khorezm first peacefully, sending first a tawachi (quartermaster), then a sheikhulislama (head of the Muslim community) to Gurganj, but Khorezmshah Hussein Sufi refused to fulfill this demand both times, taking the ambassador prisoner. Since then, Emir Timur has made five campaigns against Khorezm. At the last stage of the struggle, the Khorezmshahs tried to enlist the support of the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh. In 1387, the Sufi Kungrats, together with Tokhtamysh, carried out a predatory raid on Bukhara, which led to Timur’s last campaign against Khorezm and further military actions against Tokhtamysh.

Tamerlane's next goals were to curb the Jochi ulus (known in history as the White Horde) and establish political influence in its eastern part and unite Mogolistan and Maverannahr, previously divided, into a single state, at one time called the Chagatai ulus.

Realizing the danger to the independence of Transoxiana from the Jochi ulus, from the very first days of his reign, Timur tried in every possible way to bring his protege to power in the Jochi ulus. The Golden Horde had its capital in the city of Sarai-Batu (Sarai-Berke) and extended across the North Caucasus, the northwestern part of Khorezm, Crimea, Western Siberia and the Volga-Kama principality of Bulgar. The White Horde had its capital in the city of Sygnak and stretched from Yangikent to Sabran, along the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, as well as on the banks of the Syr Darya steppe from Ulu-tau to Sengir-yagach and the land from Karatal to Siberia. Khan of the White Horde Urus Khan tried to unite the once powerful state, whose plans were thwarted by the intensified struggle between the Jochids and the feudal lords of the Dashti Kipchak. Timur strongly supported Tokhtamysh-oglan, whose father died at the hands of Uruskhan, who eventually took the throne of the White Horde. However, after ascending to power, Khan Tokhtamysh seized power in the Golden Horde and began to pursue a hostile policy towards the lands of Transoxiana.

Tamerlane made three campaigns against Khan Tokhtamysh, finally defeating him on February 28, 1395.

After the defeat of the Golden Horde and Khan Tokhtamysh, the latter fled to the Bulgar. In response to the plunder of the lands of Maverannahr, Emir Timur burned the capital of the Golden Horde - Sarai-Batu, and gave the reins of its government into the hands of Koyrichak-oglan, who was the son of Uruskhan. Timur's defeat of the Golden Horde also had broad economic consequences. As a result of Timur's campaign, the northern branch of the Great Silk Road, which passed through the lands of the Golden Horde, fell into decay. Trade caravans began to pass through the lands of Timur's state.

In the 1390s, Tamerlane inflicted two severe defeats on the Horde khan - at Kondurch in 1391 and Terek in 1395, after which Tokhtamysh was deprived of the throne and forced to wage a constant struggle with the khans appointed by Tamerlane. With this defeat of the army of Khan Tokhtamysh, Tamerlane brought indirect benefit in the struggle of the Russian lands against the Tatar-Mongol yoke.

In 1395, Tamerlane, who was marching against Tokhtamysh, passed through the Ryazan region and took the city of Yelets, after which Tamerlane moved towards Moscow, but unexpectedly turned around and went back on August 26th. According to church tradition, it was at that time that Muscovites met the revered Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, transferred to Moscow to protect it from the conqueror. On the day of the meeting of the image, according to the chronicle, the Mother of God appeared to Tamerlane in a dream and ordered him to immediately leave the borders of Rus'. At the meeting place of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the Sretensky Monastery was founded. Tamerlane did not reach Moscow, his army marched along the Don and took it completely.

There is another point of view. According to “Zafar-name” (“Book of Victories”) by Sheref ad-din Yezdi, Timur ended up on the Don after his victory over Tokhtamysh at the Terek River and before the total defeat of the cities of the Golden Horde in the same 1395. Tamerlane personally pursued the retreating commanders of Tokhtamysh after the defeat until they were completely defeated. On the Dnieper the enemy was finally defeated. Most likely, according to this source, Timur did not set the goal of a campaign specifically on Russian lands. Some of his troops, not he himself, approached the borders of Rus'. Here, on the comfortable summer Horde pastures that stretched in the floodplain of the Upper Don to modern Tula, a small part of his army stopped for two weeks. Although the local population did not offer serious resistance, the region was severely devastated. As Russian annalistic stories about Timur’s invasion testify, his army stood on both sides of the Don for two weeks, “captured” (occupied) the land of Yelets and “seized” (captured) the prince of Yelets. Some coin hoards in the vicinity of Voronezh date back to 1395. However, in the vicinity of Yelets, which, according to the above-mentioned Russian written sources, was subjected to a pogrom, no treasures with such a dating have been found to date. Sheref ad-din Yezdi describes the large booty taken in the Russian lands and does not describe a single combat episode with the local population, although the main purpose of the “Book of Victories” was to describe the exploits of Timur himself and the valor of his warriors. According to the legends recorded by Yelets local historians in the 19th-20th centuries, the Yelets residents stubbornly resisted the enemy. However, in the “Book of Victories” there is no mention of this; the names of the fighters and commanders who took Yelets, who were the first to climb the rampart, and who personally captured the Yelets prince, are not named. Meanwhile, Russian women made a great impression on Timur’s warriors, about whom Sheref ad-din Yezdi writes in a poetic line: “Oh, beautiful feathers like roses stuffed into snow-white Russian canvas!” Then in “Zafar-name” there follows a detailed list of Russian cities conquered by Timur, including Moscow. Perhaps this is just a list of Russian lands that did not want an armed conflict and sent their ambassadors with gifts. After the defeat of Bek Yaryk Oglan, Tamerlane himself began to methodically ravage the lands of his main enemy Tokhtamysh. The Horde cities of the Volga region never recovered from Tamerlane’s devastation until the final collapse of this state. Many colonies of Italian merchants in the Crimea and in the lower reaches of the Don were also destroyed. The city of Tana (modern Azov) rose from ruins for several decades. Yelets, according to Russian chronicles, existed for about twenty more years and was completely destroyed by certain “Tatars” only in 1414 or 1415.

Hikes to Iran and the Caucasus.

In 1380, Timur went on a campaign against Malik Ghiyasiddin Pir Ali II, who ruled in the city of Herat. At first, he sent an ambassador to him with an invitation to the kurultai in order to solve the problem peacefully, but Malik rejected the offer, detaining the ambassador. In response to this, in April 1380, Timur, under the leadership of emirzade Pirmuhammad Jahangir, sent ten regiments to the left bank of the Amu Darya River. He captured the regions of Balkh, Shiberghan and Badkhiz. In February 1381, Emir Timur himself marched with troops and took the cities of Khorasan, Seraks, Jami, Qausia, Isferain, Tuye and Kelat, and Herat was taken after a five-day siege. also, in addition to Kelat, Sebzevar was taken, as a result of which the state of the Serbedars ceased to exist; in 1382, Timur's son, Miranshah, was appointed ruler of Khorasan; in 1383, Timur devastated Seistan and brutally suppressed the uprising of the Serbedars in Sebzevar.

In 1383, he took Seistan, in which the fortresses of Zireh, Zave, Farah and Bust were defeated. In 1384 he captured the cities of Astrabad, Amul, Sari, Sultaniya and Tabriz, effectively capturing all of Persia. After which he went on a campaign to Armenia, after which he made several more campaigns of conquest in Persia and Syria. These campaigns are known in world history as three-year, five-year and seven-year campaigns, during which he fought wars in the territory of modern Syria, India, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran.

Three great campaigns of Timur.

Timur made three large campaigns in the western part of Persia and the adjacent regions - the so-called “three-year” (from 1386), “five-year” (from 1392) and “seven-year” (from 1399).

Three-year journey.

For the first time, Timur was forced to return back as a result of the invasion of Transoxiana by the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh in alliance with the Semirechensk Mongols (1387).

In 1388, Timur drove out his enemies and punished the Khorezmians for their alliance with Tokhtamysh, in 1389 he made a devastating campaign deep into the Mongolian possessions as far as the Irtysh to the north and to the Greater Zhyldyz to the east, in 1391 - a campaign against the Golden Horde possessions to the Volga. These campaigns achieved their goal.

Five-year journey.

During the “five-year” campaign, Timur conquered the Caspian regions in 1392, and western Persia and Baghdad in 1393; Timur's son, Omar Sheikh, was appointed ruler of Fars, Miran Shah - ruler of Transcaucasia. Tokhtamysh's invasion of Transcaucasia caused Timur's campaign against Southern Russia (1395); Timur defeated Tokhtamysh on the Terek and pursued him to the borders of the Moscow principality. There he invaded the Ryazan lands, ravaged Yelets, posing a threat to Moscow. Having launched an attack on Moscow, he unexpectedly turned back and left the Moscow lands on the very day when Muscovites greeted the image of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, brought from Vladimir (from this day on, the icon is revered as the patroness of Moscow). Then Timur plundered the trading cities of Azov and Kafa, burned Sarai-Batu and Astrakhan, but the lasting conquest of the Golden Horde was not Tamerlane’s goal, and therefore the Caucasus range remained the northern border of Timur’s possessions. In 1396 he returned to Samarkand and in 1397 appointed his youngest son Shahrukh as ruler of Khorasan, Seistan and Mazanderan.

Timur's campaign in India.

In 1398, a campaign was launched against India; along the way, the highlanders of Kafiristan were defeated. In December, Timur defeated the army of the Indian Sultan (Toglukid dynasty) under the walls of Delhi and occupied the city without resistance, which was plundered by the army a few days later. In 1399, Timur reached the banks of the Ganges, on the way back he took several more cities and fortresses and returned to Samarkand with huge booty, but without expanding his possessions.

Seven-year journey.

Timur's campaign against the Ottoman Empire.

The "seven-year" campaign was initially caused by unrest in the area ruled by Miranshah. Timur deposed his son and defeated the enemies who invaded his domain. In 1400, a war began with the Ottoman Sultan Bayazet, who captured the city of Arzinjan, where Timur's vassal ruled, and with the Egyptian Sultan Faraj, whose predecessor, Barkuk, ordered the murder of Timur's ambassador back in 1393. In 1400, Timur took Sivas in Asia Minor and Aleppo (Aleppo) in Syria (which belonged to the Egyptian Sultan), and in 1401 - Damascus.

In 1399, in response to the actions of Sultan Bayazid I the Lightning, who patronized Timur's enemy Kara Yusuf and wrote an insulting letter, Timur began his seven-year campaign against the Ottoman Empire.

In 1402, Timur won a major victory over the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I the Lightning, defeating him at the Battle of Ankara on July 28. The Sultan himself was captured. As a result of the battle, all of Asia Minor was captured, and the defeat of Bayazid led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, accompanied by a peasant war and civil strife between his sons. The official reason for the war was the alleged presentation of gifts to Timur by Turkish ambassadors. Outraged by the fact that Bayezid was acting as a benefactor, Timur declared military action.

The fortress of Smyrna (belonging to the Johannite knights), which the Ottoman sultans, besieging, could not take for 20 years, he captured by storm in two weeks. The western part of Asia Minor was returned to the sons of Bayazet in 1403, and in the eastern part the small dynasties overthrown by Bayazet were restored.

Upon returning to Samarkand, Timur planned to declare his eldest grandson Muhammad Sultan (1375-1403), who was similar to his grandfather in actions and mind, as his successor. However, in March 1403 he fell ill and died suddenly.

The beginning of the campaign against China.

In August 1404, Timur returned to Samarkand and a few months later embarked on a campaign against China, for which he began preparing back in 1398. That year he built a fortress on the border of the current Syr-Darya region and Semirechye; Now another fortification was built, 10 days' journey further to the east, probably near Issyk-Kul. The campaign was stopped due to the onset of a cold winter, and in February 1405 Timur died.

Diplomatic relations.

Timur, who created a huge empire, established diplomatic ties with a number of states, including China, Egypt, Byzantium, France, England, Spain, etc. In 1404, the ambassador of the Castilian king, Gonzalez de Clavijo, Ruy, visited the capital of his state - Samarkand. The originals of Timur's letters to the French king Charles VI have been preserved.

Children.

Timur had four sons: Jahangir (1356-1376), Umar Sheikh (1356-1394), Miran Shah (1366-1408), Shahrukh (1377-1447) and several daughters: Uka Begim, Sultan Bakht aga, Bigi Jan, Saadat Sultan, Musalla.

Death.

He died during the campaign against China. After the end of the seven-year war, during which Bayazid I was defeated, Timur began preparations for the Chinese campaign, which he had long planned due to China's claims to the lands of Transoxiana and Turkestan. He gathered a large army of two hundred thousand, with which he set out on a campaign on November 27, 1404. In January 1405, he arrived in the city of Otrar (its ruins are not far from the confluence of the Arys and the Syr Darya), where he fell ill and died (according to historians - on February 18, according to Timur's tombstone - on the 15th). The body was embalmed, placed in an ebony coffin, lined with silver brocade, and taken to Samarkand. Tamerlane was buried in the Gur Emir mausoleum, which was still unfinished at that time. Official mourning events were held on March 18, 1405 by Timur's grandson Khalil-Sultan (1405-1409), who seized the Samarkand throne against the will of his grandfather, who bequeathed the kingdom to his eldest grandson Pirmukhammed.

A look at Tamerlane in the light of history and culture.

Code of laws.

During the reign of Emir Timur, there was a set of laws called the “Timur Code,” which set out the rules of conduct for members of society and the responsibilities of rulers and officials, and also contained rules for managing the army and the state.

When appointed to the position, the “great emir” demanded devotion and fidelity from everyone. He appointed 315 people to high positions who had been with him from the very beginning of his career and fought side by side with him. The first hundred were appointed as tens, the second hundred as centurions, and the third as thousands. Of the remaining fifteen people, four were appointed beks, one as the supreme emir, and others to the remaining high posts.

The judicial system was divided into three stages: 1. Sharia judge - who was guided in his activities by the established norms of Sharia; 2. Judge ahdos - who was guided in his activities by well-established morals and customs in society. 3. Kazi askar - who led the proceedings in military cases.

The law was recognized as equal for everyone, both emirs and subjects.

Viziers under the leadership of Divan-Beghi were responsible for the general situation of their subjects and troops, for the financial condition of the country and the activities of government institutions. If information was received that the vizier of finance had appropriated part of the treasury, then this was checked and, upon confirmation, one of the decisions was made: if the embezzled amount was equal to his salary (uluf), then this amount was given to him as a gift. If the amount appropriated is twice the salary, then the excess must be withheld. If the embezzled amount was three times higher than the established salary, then everything was taken away in favor of the treasury.

Emirs, just like viziers, must be from a noble family, possess such qualities as insight, courage, enterprise, caution and frugality, conduct business, thoroughly thinking through the consequences of each step. They must “know the secrets of warfare, methods of dispersing the enemy army, not lose their presence of mind in the midst of a battle and be able to lead troops without trembling or hesitation, and if the battle order is disrupted, be able to restore it without delay.”

The protection of soldiers and ordinary people was secured. The Code obliged village and neighborhood elders, tax collectors and khokim (local rulers) to pay a fine to a commoner to the extent of the damage caused to him. If the harm was caused by a warrior, then it should have been handed over to the victim, and he himself would determine the punishment for him.

To the extent possible, the code enshrined the protection of the people in the conquered lands from humiliation and plunder.

A separate article is devoted in the code to attention to the beggars, who should have been collected in a certain place, given food and work, and also branded. If after this they continued to beg, then they should have been expelled from the country.

Emir Timur paid attention to the purity and morality of his people, he introduced the concept of the inviolability of the law and ordered not to rush to punish criminals, but to carefully check all the circumstances of the case and only after that render a verdict. Devout Muslims were explained the basics of religion for the establishment of Sharia and Islam, taught tafsir (interpretation of the Koran), hadith (a collection of legends about the Prophet Muhammad) and fiqh (Muslim jurisprudence). Also, ulemas (scholars) and mudarris (madressah teachers) were appointed to each city.

Decrees and laws in Timur's state were compiled in two languages: Persian-Tajik and Chagatai. At Timur's court there was a staff of Turkic and Tajik clerks.

Army of Tamerlane.

Drawing on the rich experience of his predecessors, Tamerlane managed to create a powerful and combat-ready army, which allowed him to win brilliant victories on the battlefields over his opponents. This army was a multinational and multi-religious association, the core of which were Turkic-Mongol nomadic warriors. Tamerlane's army was divided into cavalry and infantry, the role of which greatly increased at the turn of the 14th-15th centuries. However, the bulk of the army was made up of mounted detachments of nomads, the core of which consisted of elite units of heavily armed cavalry, as well as detachments of Tamerlane’s bodyguards. Infantry often played a supporting role, but was necessary during sieges of fortresses. The infantry was mostly lightly armed and consisted mainly of archers, but the army also included heavily armed infantry shock troops.

In addition to the main branches of the military (heavy and light cavalry, as well as infantry), Tamerlane’s army included detachments of pontooners, workers, engineers and other specialists, as well as special infantry units that specialized in combat operations in mountainous conditions (they were recruited from residents of mountain villages). The organization of Tamerlane’s army generally corresponded to the decimal organization of Genghis Khan, but a number of changes appeared (for example, units of 50 to 300 people, called “koshuns,” appeared; the number of larger units, “kuls,” was also variable).

The main weapon of light cavalry, like infantry, was the bow. Light cavalrymen also used sabers or swords and axes. Heavily armed horsemen were clad in armor (the most popular armor was chain mail, often reinforced with metal plates), protected by helmets, and fought with sabers or swords (in addition to bows and arrows, which were common). Simple infantrymen were armed with bows, heavy infantry warriors fought with sabers, axes and maces and were protected by armor, helmets and shields.

Banners.

During his campaigns, Timur used banners with the image of three rings. According to some historians, the three rings symbolized earth, water and sky. According to Svyatoslav Roerich, Timur could have borrowed the symbol from the Tibetans, whose three rings meant the past, present and future. Some miniatures depict the red banners of Timur's army. During the Indian campaign, a black banner with a silver dragon was used. Before his campaign against China, Tamerlane ordered a golden dragon to be depicted on the banners.

There is a legend that before the Battle of Ankara, Timur and Bayezid the Lightning met on the battlefield. Bayezid, looking at Timur’s banner, said: “What impudence to think that the whole world belongs to you!” In response, Timur, pointing to the Turk’s banner, said: “It’s even greater impudence to think that the moon belongs to you.”

Urban planning and architecture.

During the years of his conquests, Timur brought not only material loot to the country, but also brought with him prominent scientists, artisans, artists, and architects. He believed that the more cultural people there were in cities, the faster its development would go and the more comfortable the cities of Maverannahr and Turkestan would be. During his conquests, he put an end to political fragmentation in Persia and the Middle East, trying to leave a memory of himself in every city he visited, he built several beautiful buildings in it. For example, he restored the cities of Baghdad, Derbend, Baylakan, fortresses, parking lots, bridges, and irrigation systems destroyed on the roads.

In 1371, he began the restoration of the destroyed fortress of Samarkand, the defensive walls of Shahristan with six gates Sheikhzade, Akhanin, Feruza, Suzangaran, Karizgakh and Chorsu, and two four-story buildings Kuksarai were built in the arch, which housed the state treasury, workshops and a prison, as well as Buston barn, which housed the emir's residence.

Timur made Samarkand one of the centers of trade in Central Asia. As the traveler Clavijo writes: “In Samarkand, goods brought from China, India, Tatarstan (Dasht-i Kipchak - B.A.) and other places, as well as from the richest kingdom of Samarkand, are sold every year. Since there were no special rows in the city where it would be convenient to trade, Timurbek ordered a street to be laid through the city, on both sides of which there would be shops and tents for selling goods.”

Timur paid great attention to the development of Islamic culture and the improvement of sacred places for Muslims. In the mausoleums of Shahi Zinda, he erected tombs over the graves of his relatives, at the direction of one of his wives, whose name was Tuman, aka a mosque, a dervish abode, a tomb and Chartag were erected there. He also built Rukhabad (the tomb of Burkhaniddin Sogardji), Qutbi Chahardahum (the tomb of Sheikh Khoja Nuriddin Basir) and Gur-Emir (the family tomb of the Timurid family). Also in Samarkand he built many baths, mosques, madrassas, dervish abodes, and caravanserais.

During 1378-1404, 14 gardens were cultivated in Samarkand and nearby lands: Bag-i bihisht, Bag-i dilkusha, Bag-i shamal, Bag-i buldi, Bag-i nav, Bag-i jahannuma, Bag-i takhti karacha and Bag-i davlatabad, Bag-zogcha (garden of rooks), etc. Each of these gardens had a palace and fountains. In his works about Samarkand, the historian Hafizi Abru mentions, in which he writes that “Samarkand, which had previously been built from clay, was rebuilt by erecting buildings from stone.” None of these palaces have survived to this day.

In 1399-1404, a cathedral mosque and a madrasah opposite it were built in Samarkand. The mosque later received the name Bibi Khanum (Lady Grandmother - in Turkic).

Shakhrisabz (in Tajik “green city”) was developed, in which destroyed city walls, defensive structures, tombs of saints, majestic palaces, mosques, madrassas, and tombs were erected. Timur also devoted time to building bazaars and baths. From 1380 to 1404 the Aksaray Palace was built. In 1380, the family tomb Dar us-saadat was erected.

The cities of Yassy and Bukhara were also developed. In 1388, the city of Shahrukhiya, which was destroyed during the invasion of Genghis Khan, was restored.

In 1398, after the victory over the Khan of the Golden Horde Tokhtamysh, a mausoleum was built in Turkestan over the grave of the poet and Sufi philosopher Khoja Ahmad Yassawi, on the orders of Timur, by Iranian and Khorezm craftsmen. Here the Tabriz master cast a two-ton copper cauldron in which food was to be prepared for those in need.

Development of science and painting.

In Transoxiana, applied art became widespread, in which artists could demonstrate all their mastery of their skills. It became widespread in Bukhara, Yassy and Samarkand. Drawings have been preserved in the tombs of the tombs of Shirinbek-aga and Tuman-aga, made in 1385 and 1405, respectively. The art of miniatures, which adorned such books by writers and poets of Maverannahr as “Shahname” by Abulkasim Ferdowsi and “Anthology of Iranian Poets,” received particular development. The artists Abdulhay, Pir Ahmad Bagishamali and Khoja Bangir Tabrizi achieved great success in art at that time.

In the tomb of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, located in Turkestan, there was a large cast-iron cauldron and candlesticks with the name of Emir Timur written on them. A similar candlestick was also found in the tomb of Gur-Emir in Samarkand. All this indicates that Central Asian craftsmen, especially wood and stone craftsmen and jewelers and weavers, have also achieved great success.

In the field of science and education, law, medicine, theology, mathematics, astronomy, history, philosophy, musicology, literature and the science of versification have become widespread. A prominent theologian at that time was Jalaliddin Ahmed al Khwarizmi. Maulana Ahmad achieved great success in astrology, and in jurisprudence Abdumalik, Isamiddin and Sheikh Shamsiddin Muhammad Jazairi. In musicology, Abdulgadir Maraghi, father and son of Safiaddin and Ardasher Changi. In painting by Abdulhay Baghdadi and Pir Ahmad Bagishamoli. In philosophy Sadiddin Taftazzani and Mirsaid Sharif Jurjani. In the history of Nizamiddin Shami and Hafizi Abru.

The legend about the tomb of Tamerlane.

According to the legend, the source and time of which it is not possible to establish, there was a prediction that if Tamerlane’s ashes were disturbed, a great and terrible war would begin.

In the tomb of Timur Gur Emir in Samarkand, on a large dark green jade tombstone, the following is inscribed in Arabic script in Arabic and Persian:
“This is the tomb of the great Sultan, the gracious Khakan of Emir Timur Gurgan; son Emir Taragay, son Emir Bergul, son Emir Ailangir, son Emir Angil, son Kara Charnuyan, son Emir Sigunchinchin, son Emir Irdanchi-Barlas, son Emir Kachulay, son Tumnai Khan. This is the 9th generation.

Genghis Khan comes from the same family from which descend the grandfathers of the venerable Sultan buried in this sacred and beautiful tomb: Khakan Genghis the Son. Emir Maisukai-Bahadur, son of Emir Barnan-Bahadur, son of Kabul-Khan, son of the mentioned Tumnai-Khan, son of Emir Baysungary, son of Kaidu-Khan, son of Emir Tutumtin, son of Emir-Buk, son of Emir-Buzanjar.

Whoever wants to know further, let it be known: the latter’s mother’s name was Alankuva, who was distinguished by her honesty and impeccable morality. She once became pregnant by a wolf, who came to her in the opening of the room and, taking the form of a man, announced that he was a descendant of the Commander of the Faithful, Aliy, the son of Abu Talib. This testimony given by her is accepted as truth. Her praiseworthy descendants will rule the world forever.

Died on the night of 14 Shagban 807 (1405).”

At the bottom of the stone there is an inscription: “This stone was erected by Ulugbek Gurgan after his campaign in Jitt.”

Several less reliable sources also report that the tombstone contains the following inscription: “When I rise (from the dead), the world will tremble.” Some undocumented sources claim that when the grave was opened in 1941, an inscription was found inside the coffin: “Anyone who disturbs my peace in this life or in the next will be subjected to suffering and die.”

Another legend says: In 1747, Nadir Shah of Iran took this jade tombstone, and on that day Iran was destroyed by an earthquake, and the Shah himself became seriously ill. The earthquake occurred again when the Shah returned to Iran, and the stone was returned.

From the memoirs of Malik Kayumov, who was a cameraman during the opening of the grave:

I entered the nearest teahouse and saw three ancient old men sitting there. I also noted to myself: they look alike, like siblings. Well, I sat down nearby, and they brought me a teapot and a bowl. Suddenly one of these old men turns to me: “Son, you’re one of those who decided to open Tamerlane’s grave?” And I’ll take it and say: “Yes, I’m the most important one in this expedition, without me all these scientists are nowhere!” I decided to drive away my fear with a joke. Only, I see, the old people frowned even more in response to my smile. And the one who spoke to me beckons me to him. I come closer and see that he has a book in his hands - an old one, handwritten, the pages are filled with Arabic script. And the old man traces the lines with his finger: “Look, son, what is written in this book. “Whoever opens Tamerlane’s grave will release the spirit of war. And there will be such a bloody and terrible carnage, such as the world has not seen forever."

He decided to tell the others, and they laughed at him. It was June 20th. The scientists did not listen and opened the grave on June 22, and on the same day the Great Patriotic War began. No one could find those elders: the owner of the teahouse said that on that day, June 20, he saw the old people for the first and last time.

The opening of Tamerlane's tomb was carried out on June 22, 1941 by the Soviet anthropologist M. M. Gerasimov. As a result of the study of the commander's skull, Tamerlane's appearance was recreated.

However, the plan for war with the USSR was developed at Hitler's headquarters back in 1940, the date of the invasion was limitedly known in the spring of 1941 and was finally determined on June 10, 1941, that is, long before the opening of the grave. The signal to the troops that the offensive should begin as planned was transmitted on June 20.

According to Kayumov, while at the front, he secured a meeting with Marshal Zhukov in October 1942, explained the situation and offered to return Tamerlane’s ashes back to the grave. This was carried out on November 19-20, 1942; These days there was a turning point in the Battle of Stalingrad.

Kayumov’s criticism of Aini provoked retaliatory criticism from Tajik society. Another version of events, belonging to Kamal Sadreddinovich Aini (son of the writer who participated in the excavations) was published in 2004. According to it, the book was dated to the end of the 19th century, and Kayumov did not know Farsi, so he did not understand the content of the conversation and believed that Aini had shouted at the elders. The words written in Arabic in the margins are “traditional sayings, which similarly exist in relation to the burials of Ismail Somoni, and Khoja Ahrar, and Hazrati Bogoutdin and others, in order to protect the burials from seekers of easy money, looking for value in the graves of historical figures.” , which he told the old people.

When everyone left the crypt, I saw three elders talking in Tajik with their father, A. A. Semenov and T. N. Kary-Niyazov. One of the elders was holding some old book in his hand. He opened it and said in Tajik: “This book is anciently written. It says that whoever touches Timurlane’s grave will be overtaken by misfortune and war.” All those present exclaimed: “Oh, Allah, save us from troubles!” S. Aini took this book, put on his glasses, looked through it carefully and turned to the elder in Tajik: “Dear, do you believe in this book?”

Answer: “Why, it begins with the name of Allah!”
S. Aini: “What kind of book is this, do you know?”
Answer: “An important Muslim book that begins with the name of Allah and protects the people from disasters.”
S. Aini: “This book, written in Farsi, is just “Jangnoma” - a book about battles and duels, a collection of fantastic stories about certain heroes. And this book was compiled only recently, at the end of the 19th century. And those words that you say about Timurlane’s grave are written in the margins of the book in a different hand. By the way, you probably know that according to Muslim traditions, it is generally considered a sin to open graves and sacred places - mazars. And those words about the grave of Timurlane are traditional sayings, which similarly exist in relation to the burials of Ismail Somoni, and Khoja Ahrar, and Hazrati Bogoutdin Balogardon and others, in order to protect the burials from seekers of easy money, looking for value in the graves of historical figures. But for the sake of scientific purposes, in different countries, like ours, ancient burial grounds and graves of historical figures were opened. Here is your book, study it and think with your head.”

T.N. Kary-Niyazov picked up the book, looked through it carefully and nodded his head in agreement with S. Aini. Then Malik Kayumov, whom everyone there called “suratgir” (photographer), took the book into his hands. And I saw that he was turning the pages not from the beginning of the book, as it should be from right to left, but, on the contrary, in the European style, from left to right.

From the diary of S. Aini

According to sources, Timur was fond of playing chess.

In Bashkir mythology there is an ancient legend about Tamerlane. According to him, it was by order of Tamerlane in 1395-96 that the mausoleum of Hussein Bek, the first disseminator of Islam among the Bashkir tribes, was built, since the commander, having accidentally found the grave, decided to show great honor to him as a person who spread Muslim culture. The legend is confirmed by six graves of prince-military leaders at the mausoleum, who, for unknown reasons, died along with part of the army during the winter stop. However, who specifically ordered the construction, Tamerlane or one of his generals, is not known for certain. Now the mausoleum of Hussein Beg is located on the territory of the village of Chishmy, Chishminsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Personal belongings that belonged to Timur, by the will of history, ended up scattered among various museums and private collections. For example, the so-called Ruby of Timur, which adorned his crown, is currently kept in London.

based on materials from wikipedia.org

A few more legends:

Devil's fort: secret and obvious

According to another legend, Catherine II visited the ruins of the Devil's Settlement to get an answer to the question of whether she should marry her favorite Grigory Orlov. As we know from history, she did not become his wife, but what the Devil’s Settlement “told” Catherine, even the legend is silent: there was no answer...

In 1852 “Kazan Provincial Gazette” published excerpts from the work of the Bulgarian chronicler Sherif-Yeddin, where it was said: “...Khan Temir-Aksak, having ravaged the Devil’s settlement, visited the graves of the followers of Mohammed, located at the mouth of the Toima River, which flows into the Kama under the settlement. .."

Historians deeply doubt the fact that Tamerlane was in our area. But back in 1985-86. I heard from one of the Elabuga residents a legend about why the Devil’s Settlement was not destroyed by the legendary Tamerlane. Allegedly, the besieged carried out the will of the “iron lame man” and covered the entire tower from the base to the top with the severed heads of their soldiers. According to this little-known legend, Timur besieged the fortress and all those besieged faced imminent death. A secret underground passage, through which one could escape to a safe place, was discovered and blocked by Timur’s soldiers. It was still possible to defend the fortress: there were people, there were forces and weapons. It just didn't make sense. Everyone would have died. And then all the people living here would disappear. Timur, famous not only for his cruelty, but also for keeping his word, said that he would leave alive those who took refuge in the outermost tower of the fortress (it was the smallest). But at the same time, the tower itself should be covered from top to bottom with severed human heads. And not those warriors who had already died in the battle with Tamerlane, but the heads of those defenders of the fortress who were still alive and ready to fight.

After a painful night meeting, women and children entered the indicated tower (they had to revive the great people who had lived here for centuries), and in the morning the warriors chopped off each other’s heads and stacked them at the tower so that the tower disappeared under a pyramid of human heads... Tamerlane kept his word: the tower remained intact, and those who took refuge in it remained alive. The people have been reborn. But at what cost!

In 1855 at the request of a native of Elabuga, Professor K.I. Nevostruev Shishkin, together with his artist son, examined the Devil's Settlement, decided to restore the dilapidated tower, but began work only in 1867. In 1871 Ivan Shishkin published a book in Moscow “The History of the City of Elabuga”, where, referring to “some oral traditions and news in printed books and manuscripts”, he reported that “in the place where the Devil’s settlement stood the city of Gelon, which was reached by the Persian King Darius Istasp, chasing the Scythians<за 512лет до Р.Х.>, and that, having spent the winter in the city, he burned it out..." and that in the place "where Gelon was, the ancient Bulgarian city of Bryakhimov is located." Shishkin also spoke about the priests who lived in the ruins of the Devil's settlement, to whom "the queen Kazan Sumbek" sent envoys, wanting to know how the war with Tsar Ivan IV would end...

The location of the commemorative cast-iron slab with the inscription: “This ancient monument was not allowed to be destroyed; it was restored by Elabuga citizens in 1867” is unknown. Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences D.K. Zelenin in his guide to the Kama and Vyatka rivers (1904) indicated: “A little more and there would have been fewer of the most remarkable monuments in Rus', but in Elabuga there were enlightened people who saved the monument.” Yelabuga residents and residents of surrounding villages actively used the fortress material for their economic needs. And a century after Shishkin restored the tower, one of the Elabuga enterprises began mining stone on the territory of the settlement. The quarry destroyed the central part of the fort and forever deprived us of solving some of the mysteries of the fort.

Until now, on the slopes of the mountain topped with the legendary tower, people find (and find, mind you, by accident) evidence of bygone eras: arrowheads, human and animal bones, strange coins and amulets, clay shards... Now just imagine for a moment, what is found during specialized archaeological excavations...

But let's return to the legends. They indicate that several underground passages ran from the Devil's Settlement in different directions. Where they were and where they led is not known for certain. Old-timers testify that the remains of underground passages were visible in places back in the late 1970s.

The Elabuga writer Stanislav Romanovsky touched upon the secrets of the Devil's Settlement, but did not have time to reveal them. In 1989 His story “The Tower over the Kama” was published, the sixth chapter of which is called “Legends of the Devil’s Settlement”.

A. Ivanov

Mysteries of the Devil's Settlement

The famous Yelabuga (“Devil’s”) settlement, now a historical and archeological monument of federal significance, keeps many secrets and mysteries. Professional archaeologists have long realized that the Elabuga land will never tire of gifting them with stunning historical finds.

As an amateur local historian, I fully agree with the opinion of Elabuga archaeologist A.Z. Nigamaev: “As for Elabuga, it has been unacceptably little studied” (see: “Evening of Elabuga,” August 29, 2007).

But I will never agree with his other opinion: “In the eyes of a Christian monk, a Muslim saint was the personification of the Antichrist, i.e. the “demon.” Therefore, it is by no means accidental that this settlement later received the name “Besovskogo”, or “Devil’s” (Bulgarian cities ancestors: Alabuga, Kirmen, Chally., Kazan University Publishing House, 2005, p. 26).

By the way, Academician B.A. Rybakov wrote: “The Slavs gave the name “Chertovo” to those places where religious buildings were located in pre-Christian times - either the Slavs or their predecessors.”

Undoubtedly, this name was given by later settlers who occupied previously inhabited and then abandoned places. Seeing the skillfully made buildings of the ancient citadel and not knowing who built them and why, these later settlers, partly out of superstition, partly out of ignorance, attributed them to the action of supernatural forces, believing that the devil himself had built them.

The Elabuga settlement is covered with centuries-old legends and traditions. In particular, there is a popular legend “The Mysterious Well”. This legend tells that the ancient wise men, who once lived in the fort, kept a fortune-telling snake in an underground well. Demanding sacrifices from the surrounding inhabitants, as well as from merchants sailing along the Kama, they fed them to the oracle snake. As the legend goes, the serpent's predictions were amazingly accurate.

“This epiphany, or oracle, was located near the suburb of Yelabuga, by the Toyma River, which flows immediately into the Kama, and when approaching it, the stone ruins known as the “Devil's Settlement” are still visible. In it, the priests kept the adored great serpent, to whom people were given to being eaten instead of a sacrifice" (see: Notes of the Travels of Captain Rychkov., St. Petersburg, 1770, sheet 44 and 45).

Let's try to understand the above legend; it probably contains grains of truth. In my opinion, we are talking about pre-Christian times, i.e. about the time before the Nativity of Christ or, as scientists say, about centuries BC.

It is well known that centuries BC on the Elabuga land is the Ananyin cultural and historical community. Someone will think that the author is trying to prove that the white-stone fortress belonged to the Ananyin people. Of course, the stone citadel fortress was built much later, but the place for construction was not chosen by chance, namely where the Ananyin people had a protected cult place. I'll try to prove it. In the above-mentioned book by A.Z. Nigamaev “Bulgarian cities of the Kama region” in Fig. 53 shows a plan of a white stone building revealed by an excavation in 1993, i.e. plan of the citadel-fortress.

What caught my attention on the plan was the following: “In the area under study, the Ananino layer includes the contours of a structure such as an above-ground dwelling and several pits located mainly in the western half of the excavation” (see: p. 20, second paragraph from the top).

Apparently, the archaeologist did not understand the purpose of the foundation of the Ananyin time (see attached figure). The foundation, trapezoidal in shape, is nothing more than an entrance-well to the Ananino dungeons, i.e. the same legendary "mysterious well".

In my opinion, it makes sense to excavate the ancient entrance-well. Of course, the excavations will be difficult and will take at least two to three years. Research on the ground carried out by the author in the summer of 2007 showed that ancient underground passages go in different directions from the well.

It is possible that Elabuga businessmen will be interested in excavating the well. Moreover, excavations are relevant, because 2008 marks the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the world-famous Ananino culture. You can, of course, set up hotels and restaurants, but we must not forget that these are just additional services. Tourists are primarily interested in authentic layers of history and culture, and only then in the availability of hotels and restaurants.

Of course, the participation of a professional archaeologist is necessary when clearing the well so that the archaeological material is not destroyed. The presence of an archaeologist is necessary to stratify the layers so that conclusions can be drawn about the exact time of origin, nature and functioning of the underground system.

Archaeologist K.I. Korepanov once proposed restoring secret passages: “It is necessary to restore part of the secret passages, ensure their safety, security, ventilation, etc., quite convenient for visiting and for visitors to satisfy their interest in the past” (see: "New Kama", December 28, 1991, article Kama "nut").