Timur ("Tamerlane")
Born 1336 A.D.,  died 1405 A.D.


Silver 1/4 Tangka, 16 mm.
Samarqand mint, 1388-1403 AD
 The three circles that figure prominently on the obverse represent the badge of Tamerlane.  The inscription names Tamerlane as subject to the Chagatayid overlord Mahmud.  By this time, Tamerlane had usurped all effective power, but nonetheless continued to acknowledge the Chagatayid overlords in name.



Silver Tangka, 28 mm.
Herat mint, 1388-1403 AD
Again, note the three circles that represent the badge of Tamerlane. Again, Tamerlane names himself as subject to the Chagatayid overlord Mahmud despite having complete power at this time.



Silver Tangka, 28 mm.
Shiraz mint, date illegible but probably AH798 = 1395/6AD

Timur, or Tamerlane, a Mongol conqueror, claimed descent from Genghis Khan, and is regarded as his military equal.   He was known in European circles as "Tamer the Lame" (he was wounded in battle and walked with a limp), hence the name "Tamerlane".  Timur belonged to an Islamic Mongol tribe living in the area of Transoxiana (today's Uzbekistan).   From his capital of Samarqand,  Timur launched a career of expansion, with successful campaigns in Transcaucasia, Iran, Syria, Anatolia, and India.  Timur died during a vain attempt to conquer China.  Timur made no contribution to the governance or legal systems of the peoples he conquered. His cruelty went beyond that of any other Mongol khan or ruler -- he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.


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