TIMOR, SULTAN. 



TIMUR, SULTAN. 



70 



lonians and Titus, are extremely valuable, as furnishing very strong 

 evidence to the truth of many of the facts related in the Acts of the 

 Apostles. The undesigned coincidences between the Second Epistle 

 to Timothy and the Acts are given by Paley, in his ' Horn Paulina,' 

 pp. 339-356. Their value in another respect is thus described by 

 Macknight, Preface to 1 Timothy" These Epistles are likewise of 

 great use in the church, as they exhibit to Christian bishops and 

 deacons in every age the most perfect idea of the duties of their 

 functions : teach the manner in which these duties should be per- 

 formed : describe the qualifications necessary in those who aspire to 

 uoh offices, and explain the ends for which they were instituted, and 

 are still continued in the church." 



TI'MUK, SULTAN, KIAMRAM KOTB-ED-DI'N GURGAN 

 S.V'II KB-KIRA'N JIHA'NGIK, that is "Sultan Timur, the fortunate, 

 the axis of the faith, the great wolf, the master of time, the conqueror 

 of the world." Timur, a name which frequently occurs among the 

 princes of the Eastern Turks, signifies ' iron ' in the Jagata'i dialect, 

 and corresponds to the Osmanli ' demur.' Timur was born on the 

 6th or 25th of Sha'bdn, 736 A.H. (A.D. 1335), at Sebz, a suburb of 

 Kesh, a town south-east of Samarkand. He was the son of Tdrdghaii- 

 Nowian, who was chief of the Turkish tribe of the Berks, which 

 inhabited the district of Kesh. Timur was descended from a younger 

 son of Bardam-Khan Behadir, or Baghatur, whose eldest son, Yessugai, 

 was the father of Genghis-Khan, and he was a direct descendant of 

 Genghis-Khan on the female side. He was consequently of Mongol 

 origin, and, being of royal blood, be held a high rank among that 

 Mongol nobility which wa founded by Genghis-Khan among the 

 Eastern Turks. This rank is expressed by the title Nowian, which 

 was added to the name of his father. Yet the power of his family 

 was not great. Timur was a soldier at the age of twelve years, and 

 he spent his youth in the continental feuds between the nobles of 

 those different kingdoms and principalities into which the empire of 

 Genghis-Khan was divided by his successors. After the death of his 

 father, his uncle Self-ed-din became chief of the Berlas, being the eldest 

 of the family ; but a war having broken out between Husein, khan of 

 Northern Khorrfsilo, and Mawerainnehr (Mawar-el-nahr), or Jagatai, 

 and Timur-Togluk, khan of the Getes (Getae), in Northern Turkistan, 

 young Timur actively supported Husein, and was appointed chief of 

 the tribe of the Berlas in A.H. 763 (A.D. 1361). In this war Timur 

 received a wound in the thigh, in consequence of which he became 

 lame. From this he was called Timur-lenk, or the lame Timur, which 

 has been corrupted by Europeans into Tamerlane, by which name 

 Timur is as well known in Europe as by his real name. Husein 

 rewarded him also with the hand of his sister Turkan, A.H. 765 (A.D. 

 1363). Notwithstanding these favours Timur intrigued against his pro- 

 tector ; and after the death of his wife he openly rebelled against him, 

 A.H. 7C7 (A.D. 1365). With a body of only 250 horsemen he surprised 

 and took Nakhshab, a town which was defended by a garrison of 

 12,000 men, among whom there were most probably a great number 

 of traitors. In A.H. 768 (A.D. 1366) he defeated Huseiu near his 

 capital, Balkh, and this prince was murdered by some emirs, who, 

 seeing their former master forsaken by fortune, endeavoured to obtain 

 the favour of Timur by putting his rival to death. Balkh, which 

 was defended by the adherents of Husein, was taken by storm and 

 destroyed by fire after a siege of three years, A.H. 771 (A.D. 1369), and 

 Timur was proclaimed khan of Jagatai in the same year by the Kurul- 

 ta'i, or the general assembly of the people. He chose Samarkand for 

 his capital. Husein-Sofi, khan of Kowaresm (Khiwa), having im- 

 prisqned Timur's ambassadors, was attacked by Timur, who, after five 

 campaigns, at last succeeded hi taking the town of Kowaresm, in A.H. 

 781 (A.D. 1379). The town was destroyed, and the principal inhabi- 

 tants, especially artists and scholars, were transplanted to Kesh, which 

 became the second capital of Timur's empire. Previously to this the 

 khan of the Gete*, who was master of the country between the Sihun, 

 or Jaxartes, and the Irtish, had likewise been compelled to pay 

 homage to Timur, who thus became master of a part of Siberia and 

 of the whole country which we now call Turkistan, and which was 

 formerly known by the name of Great Tartary. After these conquests 

 Timur thought himself strong enough to carry into effect the plan of 

 making himself master of all those countries which had once obeyed 

 his ancestor Genghis-Khan. He first attacked Khora'sa'n, on the 

 north-eastern part of Persia, which was then divided between Gaiydth- 

 ed-din-Pir-'Ali, who resided at Herat, and Kojah-'Ali-Murjid, whose 

 capital wns Sebsewtlr. Kojah-'Ali Murjid, whose dominions were on 

 the boundaries of Jagatai, paid homage to Timur as soon as he was 

 summoned, but the master of Herat prepared a vigorous resistance. 

 Timur took Here.t by storm, but did not destroy it. He carried off as 

 his only trophy the iron gates of this town, which were noted for their 

 beautiful workmanship, and which he ordered to be transported to his 

 birthplace, Kesh. The larger towns of Khordsdn surrendered without 

 resistance, and Timur was only checked by several strong fortresses", 

 such as Shaburkdn, Kabushiln, and especially Ka'hka'ha, between 

 Balkh and Kelat, in the moun tarns of the Hicdu-Kush. When these 

 fortresses fell, all Khordsdn was under his yoke. The inhabitants of 

 Sebsewdr having revolted, Timur took the town by storm : two thou- 

 sand of the inhabitants were placed alive one upon the other, till they 

 formed a mass like a tower, and each layer of human beings was 

 fastened to the rest by mortar, as if they were so many bricks. 



Beginning his career at an age when other conquerors are satisfied 

 with their laurels, Timur had employed twenty years in reflecting on 

 the principles of warfare. He led his armies with the prudent bold- 

 ness of an experienced general, but not with the superiority of genius. 

 The differences between the numerous successors of Genghis-Khan 

 enabled Timur to attack them one after another, and each was pleased 

 with the fall of his rivals. He employed the same policy in his war 

 against Persia. This country was governed by several princes. Shah- 

 Sneja, of the dynasty of Mozaffer, who reigned in Fara and Southern 

 Irdk, or in that part of Persia which was most exposed to any army 

 from the east, submitted to Timur without resistance. The Sultan 

 Ahmed, of the house of the Ilkhans, the master of Northern Irdk and 

 Azerbijdn, or Western Persia, had alone to sustain the attacks of the 

 Tatars, A.H. 788 (A.D. 1386). Timur entered the dominions of Ahmed 

 by following the coast of the Caspian Sea. In one campaign he con- 

 quered the provinces of Mazanderdn, Rei, and Rustemdar, and took 

 the towns of Sultania, Tabris, and Nakhshiwstn. He crossed the 

 Araxes at Julfa on a magnificent bridge, which was strongly fortified 

 on both aides, but which is now destroyed. Kars, now the key of 

 Eastern Turkey, fell into his hands ; Tiflis surrendered, and the Prince 

 of Georgia purchased his protection by adopting the Mohammedan 

 faith. The prince of Shirwdn sent tribute to the camp of Timur, nine 

 pieces of each thing sent (nine was a holy number among the Mongol 

 princes), but only eight slaves; the ninth was himself. On these 

 terms be was allowed to remain in possession of his dominions. 

 Taherten, king of Armenia, submitted to Timur without any resist- 

 ance ; but KaraVYusuf, prince of Diyarbekir, and master of the country 

 round Lake Wan, prepared to defend himself. A body of Timur's 

 army marched against him, and took the fortresses of Akhlat and 

 Adiljuwtlz by storm ; and Timur himself conducted the siege of Wan. 

 This famous fortress fell after a siege of twenty days, the garrison was 

 cast from the steep rock on which this town is situated, and the forti- 

 fications were razed by ten thousand miners and pioneers. Ready to 

 cross the Carduchian Mountains and to descend into the valley of the 

 Upper Tigris, Timur was obliged, by a revolt of the inhabitants of 

 Ispahan, to march suddenly to Southern Persia. He took Ispahan by 

 a general assault : he spared the lives and the houses of artists and 

 scholars, but the remainder of the city was destroyed, and the 

 inhabitants were massacred. More than 70,000 heads were laid at 

 the feet of the conqueror, who ordered his soldiers to pile them up 

 on the public places of the town, A.H. 789 (A.D. 1387). 



Satisfied with having conquered the greater part of Persia, Timur 

 turned his arms towards the north, and overran the kingdom of Kipt- 

 ahak, which was then governed by Toktamish-Khan. This war lasted 

 from A.H. 789 to 799 (A.D. 1387 to 1396). We shall here only mention 

 the march of Timur in the campaign of A.H. 793 (A.D. 1391). Accord- 

 ing to Sheref-ed-din, Timur started from Tashkend, on the Jaxartes, 

 on the 13th of Safer, A.H. 793 (19th of January 1391). He marched iu 

 a northern direction, and passed by Ka*ra*-suma, Ya~zi, Karti-chuk, and 

 Sabrdn, uutil he reached Sdrik-Uzen, on the river Arch : thence he 

 proceeded as far as Mount Kuchuk-dagh, and subsequently crossed 

 Mount Ulu-dagh, or the range of the Altai. He then took a north- 

 western direction until he reached the upper part of the river Tobol 

 in Siberia, and thence proceeded westward, crossing the Ural Moun- 

 tains, and the upper part of the river Ural, or Yai'k, where he drew 

 up his army on the banks of the Bielaya, a southern tributary of the 

 Kama, which flows into the Wolga. Toktamish, who awaited Timur 

 in the environs of Orenburg, was not a little astonished to find lam so 

 far advanced towards the north ; but being informed of his having 

 taken that direction, he hastened to the country of the Bielaya (Bash- 

 kiria), and fought that dreadful battle which took place on the 15th 

 of llejeb, A.H. 793 (18th of June 1391), in which his whole army was 

 slaughtered. 



In the following year (A.H. 794 ; A.D. 1392) Timur returned to his 

 residence at Samarkand, and he left the war with Kiptshak to his 

 lieutenants; he only appeared in the field in A.H. 797 (A.D. 1315) in 

 order to stop the progress of Toktamish in the Caucasian countries. 

 Meanwhile troubles broke out in northern Persia, which were put down 

 by Timur's generals, who committed unheard-of cruelties, especially 

 in the town of Amul, where the whole tribe of the Fedayis was mas- 

 sacred. Timur himself attacked Southern Persia after his first return 

 from Kiptshak. The country of Fars was governed by several princes 

 of the dynasty of Mozaffer, vassals of Timur, who aimed at independ- 

 ence. After having occupied Loristfln, Timur entered Fars by the 

 mountain-passes east of Shiraz, which were defended by the stronghold 

 of Kalai-zefid ; but this fortress and the capital Shiraz were taken, the 

 princes were put to death or fell in battle, and Timur's son Minln-Shah 

 was invested with the government of Fars and Khuzista'u. From 

 Shiraz Timur marched westwards to attack the King of Baghdad, Ahmed 

 Jelair, of the house of llkhan. Baghdad surrendered without resistance, 

 and Sultan Ahmed and his family fled towards the Euphrates, accom- 

 panied by a small body of cavalry. Timur and forty-five emirs 

 mounted on the swiftest Arabian horses pursued the Sultan, and came 

 up with him before he had reached the Euphrates. In the engagement 

 which ensued Ahmed was again defeated and compelled to fly, leaving 

 his harem and one of his sons in the hands of the victor. The scholars 

 and artists of Baghdad were transplanted to Samarkand ; Timur 

 remained at Baghdad for two months, allowing so little licence to his 



