Timur and the Timurid Dynasty
Under the leadership of Genghis (Jenghiz) Khan and his successors, the Mongols conquered much of Asia and parts of Europe in the 13th century CE. Their conquests included not only central Asia, but parts of China, Korea, India, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Europe, and Russia. It was the Mongols who, in 1258, destroyed what remained of the 'Abbasid caliphate.

The empire of the Mongols became increasingly fragmented in the 14th century. One section, called the Chagatai khanate, included the area northeast of modern Iran and northwest of modern India. This included the cities of Bukhara and Samarkand. It was here that Timur (Tamerlane or Timur the Lame) emerged as a leader and conqueror.

Between 1380 and his death in 1405 Timur's conquests included Iran, Iraq, Syria, Georgia, and parts of Anatolia and India. At one point he occupied Moscow and he was beginning a campaign against China when he died. His capital was located first in Kish and later in Samarkand, north of the Oxus river. After his death, his empire was divided between his sons and grandsons, thus establishing the Timurid dynasty. His youngest son, Shahrukh (Shah Rukh) eventually reunited the kingdom, which was again divided between his sons Ulughbeg and Ibrahim Sultan.

Timur brought architects and craftsmen north from Iran and built extensively. He constructed a palace at Kish, a large tomb for the Sufi Ahmad Yasavi in Yasi, a congregatonal mosque in Samarkand plus madrasas and other buildings. Many Timurid buildings are gone, but his own tomb, the Gur-i Amir in Samarkand, still stands. Much building was also carried out at other centers such as Khargird and Herat. According to Blair and Bloom, Shahrukh and his wife Gawharshad "made Khurasan the center for architectural innovation in the first half of the fifteenth century." (1994, p. 41) Khurasan included northeast Iran, northern Afghanistan, and more land to the north. Gawharshad renovated the shrine and built a congregational mosque at the holy city of Mashhad (in modern Iran). She also built a congregational mosque, madrasa, and mausoleum at Herat (in modern Afghanistan).

Historians of Islamic architecture make several points in trying to locate Timurid architecture within the broader history of Islamic architecture. In general, the Timurids helped to spread some of the architectural styles that had developed in Iran. But the Timurids also added to what had already been achieved. Hillenbrand tells us that "The Timurid period marks the apogee of colour in Iranian architecture, both in sheer technical expertise and in the astonishing variety of designs and textures." In his view the typical features include "colossal size" as well as "ribbed comes, high drums, and multiple minarets." (Hillenbrand, 1999, p. 216-217) Blair and Bloom add that "Squinch-net vaulting is the most important innovation in Timurid architecture and seems to develop from earlier experiments with transverse vaulting over rectangular spaces." (1994, p. 46) This vaulting consists of very complex combinations of ribs, squinches, and multi-sided areas. It was exemplified in the mausoleum at Herat.

In Ebba Koch's view, timurid architecture had an especially powerful influence on Mughal architecture.

Since the Mughals were direct heirs to the Timurids, the sustaining element of their architecture, especially during the initial phase, was Timurid.... A fact that is not generally recognized is that essential ideas of Timurid architecture, such as the perfect symmetry of plan reflected consistently in the elevations, as well as complex vault patterns, came to fruition much more in Mughal architecture than in Safawid Iran, which was also heir to the same tradition. (Koch, 1991, p. 14)

Use the BACK button to return to the page you were on.