In this video, I give a brief on Tamerlane and summarize Chapter 7 of the book – Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World by Justin Marozzi. Tamerlane has many versions of his name – Timur, Temur, Taimur, Timur-i-lang or Tamer The Lame.
Following the footsteps of Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, Tamerlane was the last and greatest conqueror the World has ever known. He blazed through Asia at the head of a ferocious army, razing cities, torturing inhabitants and decapitating enemies. To the north, the Golden Horde (present day Russia) was crushed. To the south, Delhi had been utterly ravaged. To the west, the Ottoman and Mamluk empires had folded before his onslaught. To the east, China alone remained outside his orbit. Tamerlane died on his way to China, the only empire left from the man who aspired to rule the World.
Chapter 7 is about Tamerlane’s attack on Delhi. Tamerlane covered a distance of more than 1500 kms from Samarkand in Uzbekistan to reach Delhi. The terrain that his army crossed was very difficult. It included the icy peaks of Hindu Kush mountains and large rivers like the Indus. At that time, Delhi was ruled by Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud of the Tughluq dynasty.
Don’t forget to check out the video for the complete story.