Amir Temur’s foreign policy and place in history

Amir Temur ruled for 35 years, from 1370 to 1405. His empire stretched from India to the Black Sea and from the Aral Sea to the Persian Gulf, one of the largest states of the time. He ended fragmentation in Transoxiana, restored the safety of caravan routes, had canals dug and beautified Samarkand and other cities. The country became one of the centres of diplomatic and trade contacts between Europe and Asia. At the same time his campaigns caused great damage to many cities and losses among the population, so historians assess him in different ways. The most important sources on Temur include Sharafuddin Ali Yazdi’s “Zafarnama”, the work of Ibn Arabshah, Clavijo’s diary and Ibn Khaldun’s account of their meeting. Interest in Temur in Europe began in the 16th century (Perondino 1553, Marlowe’s play). In Uzbekistan 1996 was declared the Year of Amir Temur (the 660th anniversary of his birth), and in 1996 the Order “Amir Temur” and the Museum of the History of the Timurids were established. The claim that the French cast a golden statuette of Temur is given as a traditional account, with no reliable source cited.