Timur (meaning “iron”) was born in 1336 near the Transoxian city of Kesh. In modern-day Uzbekistan, this medieval Persian city is known as Shahrisabz.¹⁾

Tamerlane is the Europeanized version of Timur's Persian nickname, Timur-e Lang, which translates as 'Timur the Lame'.²⁾

Tamerlane was paralyzed by injuries to his right leg and right hand in his mid-twenties. According to legend, he was killed by arrows when his party of robbers was attacked by a shepherd. It's more probable that he was injured in combat while serving as a soldier for the Khan of Sistan (in north-east Iran).³⁾

Tamerlane's tomb was unearthed in 1941 by Russian archaeologists, who discovered he had a crippling hip ailment and two missing fingers on his right hand.⁴⁾

He was tall for the period (1.73 m) and broad-chested, according to the excavation. His facial bones were pronounced, and he had Mongoloid characteristics.⁵⁾

The lines “When I Rise, The World Shall Tremble” were purportedly engraved on Timur's tomb.⁶⁾

“Whoever opens my grave shall unleash an invader more horrible than I,” his coffin allegedly said. Within two days following Timur's exhumation, Hitler invaded the USSR, and the Soviet triumph at Stalingrad came soon after.⁷⁾

Tamerlane's objective was to reconstruct Genghis Khan's kingdom, which had fallen apart a century before.⁸⁾

His military conquests included modern-day Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, major portions of Turkey and Syria, and the northwestern region of India (Delhi).⁹⁾

It is believed that his forces murdered 17 million people, or nearly 5% of the world's population at the time.¹⁰⁾

He claimed to himself as the “Sword of Islam”, and he converted a large portion of his dominion to Islam. The Borjigin clan, descendants of Genghis Khan, were among them.¹¹⁾

Tamerlane's religious allegiance is unknown, and he may have used Islam to solidify and impose control. He was a brilliant politician who spoke Turkish, Mongolian, and Persian.¹²⁾

Tamerlane's father was a prominent member of Genghis Khan's Borjigin clan, which was allied to the Barlas tribe. The Barlas tribe, on the other hand, had converted to Islam and spoke Turkish.¹³⁾

Tamerlane was an innate leader. He spent his adolescence heading a gang of petty robbers. They robbed farmers of their animals and tourists and merchants of their belongings.¹⁴⁾

Tamerlane fought under the command of several Khans and Sultans. Because of his leadership abilities, he was assigned charge of a thousand warriors for an invasion of Khorasan (in north-east Iran). The accomplishment of this expedition resulted in more orders and prestige.¹⁵⁾