Timur (Tamerlane)
Rose in Transoxiana and campaigned through Persia, India, Syria and Anatolia, capturing the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I at Ankara; Samarkand was his capital.
| Lived | 1336 – 1405 |
| Known as | Founder of the Timurid Empire |
| Birthplace or main place | Samarkand |
| Places on the map | Samarkand, Delhi, Damascus, Ankara |
SamarkandSee the world of Timur (Tamerlane) in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1300) | At death (map of 1400) |
|---|---|---|
| Samarkand | Chagatai Khanate | Timurid Empire |
| Delhi | Sultanate of Delhi | same |
| Damascus | Mamluk Sultanate | same |
| Ankara | Seljuk Caliphate | Ottoman Empire |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1354 | The Ottomans take Ankara | Ankara |
| 1370 | Timur makes Samarkand his capital | Samarkand |
| 1398 | Timur sacks Delhi | Delhi |
| 1401 | Timur sacks Damascus | Damascus |
| 1402 | Timur captures Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara outside the city | Ankara |
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1332 – 1406 | Ibn Khaldun | Historian |
| 1328 – 1398 | Zhu Yuanzhang (Hongwu Emperor) | Founder of the Ming dynasty |
| c. 1315 – 1390 | Hafez | Poet |
| 1360 – 1424 | Zhu Di (Yongle Emperor) | Ming emperor |
| 1304 – 1374 | Petrarch | Poet and humanist |
| 1371 – 1433 | Zheng He | Admiral and explorer |
| 1304 – 1369 | Ibn Battuta | Traveller |
| c. 1372 – 1415 | Jan Hus | Church reformer |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.