← Explore on the interactive map
Timur's rise in Samarkand
In the 1350s, amid the power vacuum left by the Ilkhanate's collapse, Timur built military strength and political capital from Shahrisabz (Kesh), ser…
Timeline
- 1351–1355Shahrisabz (Kesh) · TransoxianaAfter Abu Sa'id Khan's death the Ilkhanate split and the cities of Transoxiana each went their own way. Timur, of Barlas nobility, entered the service of local emirs in the Kesh region, gradually winning renown and followers through horsemanship and strategy.
- 1355–1358Balkh · Central AsiaTimur formed an alliance with Amir Husayn, emir of Balkh; together they campaigned against the various separatist forces of Transoxiana, defeating several local lords and extending their sphere of influence toward Samarkand.
- 1358–1360Samarkand · TransoxianaBy around 1360 the joint forces of Timur and Husayn had besieged and briefly held Samarkand several times; though their rule was not yet secure, they had established this Silk Road hub as the core objective of their power expansion, paving the way for making it the future capital.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Timur https://www.britannica.com/biography/Timur
- The Rise of the Timurids — Beatrice Forbes Manz (1989)