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ConflictCentral Asia

Timur

Jan 1370 – Jan 1405

The conqueror who built towers of skulls and libraries of books

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He destroyed Delhi, Damascus and Baghdad so thoroughly that several never fully recovered, but carried their craftsmen home to Samarkand. His grandson Ulugh Beg built an observatory there and measured the length of the year to within a minute. His descendants founded the Mughal empire in India.

For children

Timur conquered from Turkey to India and left pyramids of skulls behind him. At the same time he made his capital Samarkand one of the world's most beautiful centres of culture. Both belong to the same man.

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Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org