Timur: Terror Conqueror of Asia

Timur killed seventeen million people and changed the face of Asia forever through sheer brutality.

This fourteenth century conqueror from Central Asia built an empire on mountains of

skulls, literally constructing pyramids from the heads of his victims as warnings to any

city that dared resist him. Born in 1336 near Samarkand, Timur was a minor

noble who clawed his way to power through strategic marriages and ruthless warfare.

He claimed descent from Genghis Khan, though this was likely fabricated to legitimize his

rule. What made him different from other conquerors was his calculated use of terror as

a weapon. When a city surrendered immediately, he might show mercy. But resistance meant