Amir Timur

Amir Temur was a ruler in the 14 and 16 centuries . He was born on April 9 1336. He was known as Temurlame in the west for injuries he got while he was stealing a sheep. He was born into a poor family and had to prove himself with acts of daring and horsemanship.

 When an invading Khan (pronounced han) invaded the dynasty where he lived he decided to help him but the invasion failed. And Amir had to make amends with his father and brother in law who he later killed. Once he killed him he could take the throne for himself but there was one tiny flaw in his plan: he had to be a descendant of Genghis Khan to claim the title of Khan. So while he looked for women to marry that were descendants of Genghis Khan so he could become a true Khan he had puppet khans that he gave orders to and used their power to enforce it on the people. He eventually married a woman descended from Genghis Khan and At last he became a true Khan. But during and after this time he also led nine campaigns that Killed 17 Million people. Although some people think that was exaggerated to inspire fear. But if true, that was a ⅓ of the population at the time.

He eventually died leading a 10 and unsuccessful campaign to China. But surprisingly he died of the common cold. After that he was buried in his capital Samarkand, Uzbekistan. His empire stretched from Delhi to the Black sea and the aerial sea to the Indian ocean. He also helped spread architecture, art and religion. 

In all his campaigns he saved scholars, architects and priests. He also built some of the most impressive mosques in Uzbekistan.

We went to Samarkand where we visited both his mausoleum and his family's. His mausoleum was much more ornate and detailed than some of his family's. His family was buried in a couple of different mausoleums but they were all kinda close. Amir's though was buried away from his family up on a little hill about 4 miles away. His mausoleum was covered in gold with a big dome on top. He is buried in a black marble casket. Though I must say that was the most peaceful building I have been to.