Timur Malik fortress

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Exterior view of the part of the fortress restored in 1999

The Timur Malik Fortress was a fortress in the Tajik city ​​of Khujand on the Syr Darya , the oldest ruins of which date from the 4th to 5th centuries AD.

history

Early history

The city of Khujand has a long history that began with the establishment of the city of Alexandria Eschatê (translated: the most distant Alexandria) by Alexander the Great . The trade along the Silk Road also made Khujand a rich and important city, which was given its first fortress in the 4th to 5th centuries, consisting of a wall and a moat. This early fortress was destroyed in the following years, so that it had to be rebuilt in the 6th or 7th century. During this time, the history of the city was shaped by changing rulers. At the end of the 7th century, Islam came to the region with the Arab conquerors .

Statue of Timur Malik in the Sughd Historical Museum in the former Timur Malik fortress

Mongol siege

After a heyday under the Khorezm Shahs of the Anushteginid dynasty, the expansion of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan took place at the beginning of the 13th century . Khorezmia was only bound to Mongolia by treaties; after an attack on Mongolian traders in Khorezmia, Genghis Khan set out on a campaign of revenge in the region in 1219. One of the most important battles of this campaign took place around Khujand, where the residents around the governor Timur Malik had entrenched themselves in the Timur Malik fortress on Syr Darja. The city was well protected by the river and the Timur Malik fortress, so that the 20,000 besiegers felt compelled to build a bridge over the Syrdaya to the fortress. With the help of 50,000 prisoners of war, stones were brought in and construction of the bridge began. Timur Malik risked failures again and again by rowing a fleet of six boats on the Syrdarya and from there trying to disrupt the work on the bridge by shelling the Mongols. Nonetheless, when the construction of the bridge was nearing completion, he evacuated the population and fled with his followers along the Syrdarya. During his escape, he repeatedly set ambushes to the Mongol persecutors and finally escaped in a heroic manner. The Timur Malik fortress named after him was destroyed by the Mongols. There is no agreement as to when the fortress was to be rebuilt; it is believed that it was either rebuilt shortly after it was destroyed by the Mongols or not until the 15th century.

Todays use

In 1999, the eastern part of the Timur Malik fortress was restored and now houses the Sughd Historical Museum . The focus of the exhibition is on the foundation by Alexander the Great, the defense by Timur Malik, who is considered a national hero in Tajikistan, and the traditional handicrafts of the region.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Information: Timur-Malik Fortress, Khujand Tajikistan. Retrieved November 5, 2018 .
  2. ↑ tajikistan. Retrieved November 5, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Vladimir Sgibnev: The Central Asian City . In: Central Asia Analyzes . tape 42 . Berlin.
  4. ↑ Anwarul Haque Haqqi: Chingiz Khan: The Life and Legacy of an Empire Builder . S. 102 ff .

Coordinates: 40 ° 17 ′ 6.7 ″  N , 69 ° 37 ′ 5.2 ″  E