Amir Timur (1336–1405), known in the West as Tamerlane (from Persian Timur-e Lang, "Timur the Lame"), was born in the village of Khoja Ilghar near Shakhrisabz in modern Uzbekistan.
Key facts: - Rose from minor Barlas clan nobility to conquer territories from the Mediterranean to the Ganges between 1370 and 1405. - Capital: Samarkand — which he rebuilt as the world's grandest city using craftsmen deported from every conquered land. - Never took the title "khan" (reserved for Chinggisid blood); instead ruled as "emir" with a puppet Chinggisid khan beside him. - Died in February 1405 at Otrar (modern Kazakhstan) while marching toward Ming China. - Buried at Gur-e-Amir, Samarkand.
Architectural legacy: - Registan Square (commissioned the Ulugh Beg Madrasa through his grandson) - Bibi-Khanym Mosque - Ak-Saray Palace, Shakhrisabz - Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum - Shah-i-Zinda necropolis expansion
Timur is Uzbekistan's national hero — his equestrian statue replaced Karl Marx in central Tashkent in 1994.
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