Uzbekistan: Tashkent - Amir Temur

The first days I spent in Tashkent. The city is more than 2000 years old and has changed its name many times during the history: Chach, Shash, Binkent. All of these names can be linked to the Turkish word ¨Tash¨ (stone).

Memorial stone earthquake 1966

Memorial earthquake "Courage"

Unfortunately many of the historical monuments have been destroyed after the revolution of 1917. Only Kukeldash and Barak-Khana Madrassahs (16th century) have been preserved until today. In 1966, a destructive earthquake shook Tashkent and raised half of the city into ruins. 

When I walk on the street with my Russian friends who lived during their youth in Tashkent they tell me a lot has changed and many buildings and zones are completely new; logos, street names and advertisements are again written in Russian, etc. Yet, when I speak with Russians who have stayed after the independence they tell me all good doctors and teachers have left and they themselves are about to leave the country as well in order to offer a better education to their children.

Amir Temur 

All places I visit in Uzbekistan are either connected to the president, either to Amir Temur. Time to tell something more about the Great Amir Temur (Emir Timur).

Amir Temur Square, Tashkent

Amir Temur, also called Tamerlane (or Lame Temur) for his lame right leg, was born in 1336 in Shakhrisabz, a town near to Samarkand. He was the grandfather of Ulugh Beg, who ruled Central Asia from 1411 to 1449, and the great-great-great-grandfather of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire, which ruled South Asia for centuries.

From his youth he appeared on the political scene as an active politician and military figure. Having become the ruler of Samarkand he built a great army and carried on many annexationist campaigns. Thus he expanded his empire that stretched from the Volga River and the Caucasian ridges in the west to India in the Southwest. But the center of the empire was in Central Asia.

Tamerlane made an outstanding contribution to the national state system, education and culture, and general development of his state. He promoted the construction of monumental historic buildings, especially in Samarkand. Some of them can be seen today. The inscription on the portal of Tamerlane's Palace Ak-Sarai in Shakhrisabz, reads "If you doubt our might, look at our buildings". The impressiveness of the architecture was aimed at the demonstration of the greatness of the empire. All possible means and every effort were exerted to construct these magnificent buildings. A vast range of building materials from neighboring regions, famous architects, suppliers, and a great number of workers were brought to work. Different specialists were taken from occupied lands.

He ruled over an empire that, in modern times, extends from southeastern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, through Central Asia encompassing part of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan,Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and even approaches Kashgar in China. (a full description of his conquests can be found here).

Temur planned to conquer China and to this end, Temur made an alliance with the Mongols of the Northern Yuan Dynasty and prepared all the way to Bukhara. In December 1404, Temur started military campaigns against the Ming Dynasty and detained a Ming envoy, but he was attacked by fever and plague when encamped on the farther side of the Sihon (Syr-Daria) and died at Atrar (Otrar) on 17 February 1405, without ever reaching the Chinese border. Although he preferred to fight his battles in the spring, Temur died during an uncharacteristic winter campaign against the ruling Chinese Ming Dynasty. It was one of the bitterest winters on record.

Temur's legacy is a mixed one. While Central Asia blossomed under his reign, other places such as Baghdad, Damascus, Delhi and other Arab, Georgian, Persian and Indian cities were sacked and destroyed and their populations massacred. He was responsible for the effective destruction of the Christian Church in much of Asia. Thus, while Temur still retains a positive image in Muslim Central Asia and Persia, he is vilified by many in Arabia and India, where some of his greatest atrocities were carried out.

Amir Temur Hiyoboni  

Amir Temur Square, Tashkent

In Tashkent the central square is called after Amir Temur. It was firstly designed in 1870 by Imperial Russian architects as a central park of the new Tashkent and called Constantine Square. Since then the main monument in the center of the square was changed several times. The first was one to General Kaufmann later replaced by monument to Free Workers (1917), monument to 10th anniversary to October revolution (1927), monument to Stalin (1947) and later a monument to Karl Marx (1968). Since 1993, the monument to Amir Temur stands in the center of the square and has Amir's name.

Source: Visit Uzbekistan, Hamro Honim