True to the curse of tyrant Timur

In the world, there are still many ancient places with many mysteries that are difficult to solve. These places are often imbued with legends about mystical forces that many people do not dare to approach.

In Central Asia lies the tomb of one of the world's most notorious tyrants, which is said to possess a ghastly curse. What's the truth?

Tyrant loves art

In the 14th century, the Turko-Mongol (Turco-Mongol) conquistador Timur (Thiep Moc Nhi), also known as Tamerlane, gained a reputation as one of Central Asia's most ruthless and bloodthirsty invaders. During fierce campaigns, his army is estimated to have claimed the lives of about 17 million people - a shocking number compared to the world's population at the time.

Timur built the vast Timurid Empire, which stretched from present-day Southern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran, across Central Asia including parts of Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, even reaching Kashgar in China.

Claiming to be the heir to Genghis Khan, though not related to the illustrious khan, Timur is considered one of the most accomplished military leaders in history, a master tactician. Teacher, no one can compare.

As the man who spread fear across Asia at the time, the stories of Timur's feats and death have become legendary. The most famous is the pyramid he built in India, formed from the skulls of 70,000 victims slaughtered at his hands.

This is in stark contrast to his being seen as a patron of architecture and the arts. These works can be seen in his elaborate mausoleum, which not only leaves an architectural impression, but is also said to harbor a terrifying curse.

Curse fulfilled?

Timur - ferocious conqueror.

Gur-e Amir, Persian for 'Tomb of the King', located in present-day Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was considered an architectural wonder at the time. The mausoleum is where the remains of Timur, who died of illness on the way to conquer China in 1405, at the age of 68, and his descendants are buried.

This is a bright dome complex, elaborately decorated with carved bricks and various mosaics, known as a model for the mausoleums of later Mughal emperors and the tombs of the Mughal emperors. others, even influenced the design of the Taj Mahal in India.

The mausoleum lay peacefully for centuries before it was breached. Those who dared to enter this place discovered a terrible curse of the tyrant. The first record of the curse is said to date back to 1740, when King Nader Shah of the Afsharid Empire tried to steal Timur's coffin.

It is said that, during the excavation, the tomb of the mausoleum was suddenly broken in two. This was seen as a very bad omen from the very beginning. The Shah was advised to return the remains. He obeyed but it was too late, the Afsharid Empire collapsed not long after this. Since then, it is rumored that anyone who violates Timur's tomb will receive dire consequences.

Before the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union, on June 19, 1941, Joseph Stalin sent an archaeological team to break into the tomb and excavate Timur's remains for research. The Soviet scientist and anthropologist, Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, was assigned to direct this work.

They entered the mausoleum and when they opened the coffin, they saw warnings engraved on a stele that read: 'We are all mortals. The time will come and we will leave. Anyone who trespasses the ashes of their ancestors will be punished'; 'When I rise from the dead, the whole world will tremble' and 'Whoever disturbs my tomb will release an invader more terrible than me'.

These should have been interpreted as terrifying warnings to stop the work, but the excavation team ignored the pleas of spiritual sages, even the complaints of workers that they are suffering from mysterious illness symptoms.

Finally, they also brought Timur's remains back to Moscow for study. Just a few days later, on June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler's army suddenly attacked Russia, in an undeclared war, which resulted in the deaths of some 26 million people.

As the enemy invasion raged, Gerasimov is said to be haunted by the curse of Timur and managed to send a message to Stalin. In the winter of 1942, he persuaded Stalin, and the leader arranged a special plane to bring Timur's body back to the mausoleum, where it was reburied with respect.

After that, the German army was successively defeated and the Soviet Union won the Great Patriotic War. Is this a coincidence?

It is difficult to know how much of this curse is true and how much is pure legend. Were these just threats from the conqueror to frighten the enemy from trespassing on his grave? The site is still open to visitors, but people are warned not to touch the ancient relics.