Sahibqiran Amir Temur

Amir Temur was born on 9 April 1336 in the village of Khoja Ilghar near Kesh (today’s Shahrisabz), in a family of emirs of the Barlas clan. In his youth he studied and practised riding and archery. At that time Movarounnahr was part of the Chagatai ulus; in the mid-14th century the ulus broke up and the struggle for power sharpened. Temur won a name in the struggles of local emirs and then fought against the Mongol rulers. In 1370 he was proclaimed ruler of Movarounnahr; he was then 34. The capital was Samarkand. Temur built a strong centralised state and made many campaigns: in 1391 and 1395 he defeated Tokhtamysh, ruler of the Golden Horde, and in 1402 he defeated the Ottoman sultan Bayezid near Ankara. Some writers believe this victory delayed the Ottoman advance into Europe; historians debate this. We must also remember that his campaigns destroyed many cities and brought great hardship to peoples. Temur paid attention to building and gathered scholars and craftsmen in Samarkand. The “Temur’s Institutes”, which are attributed to him, contain advice on justice and good management. Amir Temur died in February 1405 at Otrar while on a campaign toward China. In 1996 his 660th anniversary was celebrated with UNESCO’s support.