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Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World Paperback – March 6, 2007

by Justin Marozzi (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 298 ratings
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Tamerlane (1336-1405)-the tartar successor to Genghis Khan-ranks with Alexander the Great as one of the world's greatest conquerors. His armies were ferocious, feared throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. They blazed through Asia like a firestorm, razing cities, torturing captives, and massacring enemies. Anyone who dared defy Tamerlane was likely decapitated, and towers of bloody heads soon became chilling monuments to his power throughout Central Asia. By the end of his life, Tamerlane had imposed his iron rule, as well as a refined culture, over a vast territory-from Syria to India, from Siberia to the Mediterranean. Justin Marozzi traveled in the footsteps of this infamous and enigmatic emperor of Samarkand (in modern Uzbekistan) to tell the story of this cruel, cultivated, and powerful warrior.
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  1. Part of series
    Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World
  2. Print length
    496 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Da Capo Press
  5. Publication date
    March 6, 2007
  6. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0306815435
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0306815430
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An enjoyable and revealing story about central Asia and one of the most important rulers in world history." -- MultiCultural Review, Winter 2006

About the Author

Justin Marozzi is a writer and journalist who has traveled extensively throughout the Muslim world. Recently, he returned from a year in Iraq. He lives in London.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press (March 6, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306815435
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306815430
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 298 ratings

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Justin Marozzi

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
298 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jenn
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Well written, researched, and organized. Superb look at current state of the areas, back history of the geo-political environment prior to and during his time. Great evaluation of the various biographies out there and assumptions about events.
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JJohn
4.0 out of 5 stars Timur was a pimp
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2016
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Fascinating book on Tamerlane.

It's very detailed and the author makes painstaking contrast or comparisons to each specific area then and now. It's shocking how the world can change completely and how much impact Genghis Khan and Tamerlane had in history. The brutal efficiency on war and economy these two conquerors were able to apply makes all other conquerors look second class.

Some people may get turned off by the format of the book. Each chapter basically starts with whatever objective or event Timur is occupied at the time then ends with something of a cliffhanger in which the author then proceeds to describe the relevant region in it's modern state and compares it to the past. Then it comes back to Timur and proceeds with the story. Of course, it also deals with Timur as a person and his style of government as well as the qualities of his heir and his subsequent legacy.

I can't say enough how well the author describes the cities, region, daily life and the relevant characters at the time in each chapter. Especially the grand cities and how certain wealthy regions were either absorbed or razed to the ground by Timur. Some of the cities were considered to be better than Europe's finest at the time in wealth and culture. It's an eye opener and a fresh breath of air compared to most Euro-centric history books that simply brush off "Oriental" culture.

Great read.
9 people found this helpful
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Roberto Villanueva
5.0 out of 5 stars Good and informative book
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021
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This book was entertaining and very helpful. The author does not just go through the life and exploits of Tamerlane. He goes over the whole region and explains what happened to these areas that were previously so prominent in world events and culture. I did read one review were someone complained about that and stated that he was simply showing off where he traveled. However the reality is that most people that are interested in Tamerlane, including myself, are also interested in the region and what has become of it. So I found it incredibly helpful and informative. I did learn everything I could want to know about Tamerlane. He was an amazing individual and one of the only people who was truly “Invictus“ in his exploits. It is a worthy read if you are interested in this era of history.
4 people found this helpful
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G. B. Talovich
5.0 out of 5 stars Heady reading
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2006
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It might be inappropriate to say I >enjoyed< a book about a protagonist who decorated the scenes of his victories with pyramids of skulls. However, the book is absorbing. The author writes well, with skill, knowledge, and at times quiet humor. His comments on conditions in Temur's lands today were very interesting, connecting the past to the present.

I probably had better than average knowledge of Temur, knew about his coffin lid, and so forth, but my knowledge was, at best sketchy. Didn't Handel have a hand in writing an opera about him? I had never figured out what Mongols were doing ruling India. This book filled in vivid details about this fascinating, but almost forgotten, page of history.

Fortunately, my decision to buy the book was not influenced by the reviewer who complains about Marozzi's use of Marlowe's play. Actually, the play figures very briefly in the book. It provides an intriguing contrast of the perception or dramatization of Temur and the historical facts. For that matter, I wish he had commented on Handel's opera, too.

Readers are sure to ... well, I shouldn't say enjoy it, but you will want to read this book.
16 people found this helpful
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Thomas M. Keane
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but repetitive account of a little-known great conqueror
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2010
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Interesting book about one of the most effective and brutal conquerors in world history, who is a shockingly little known figure in eurocentric cultures. So, the subject matter was interesting, and it was told reasonably well, but, as a conqueror who never had a serious set back, Tamerlane's story gets tedious, as do the author's descriptions of Tamerlane's many mosques and palaces. Also, although relatively fair, I think the author over emphasized Tamerlane's cultural good deeds and downplayed his horrific viciousness. (Is really an endorsement to say that Tamerlane wasn't quite as bad as Genghis Khan, as the author repeatedly, and debatably, asserts.)
9 people found this helpful
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DTS@BigIslandRanch
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Liberator or The Devil? Excellent Biography
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2017
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After visiting Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara and Termez, I was fascinated by Tamerlane. In Uzbekistan, he is the Great Liberator; in the West, he is The Devil. There are very few books about this warrior whose empire was larger than Genghis Khan's or Alexander's.

Marozzi's book is long but reads like a thriller. It is very well researched and well written. He cites passages from historians who were contemporaries of Tamerlane as well as later writers from the Middle East and Europe. He interweaves the past with his own observations as he follows the decades-long path of Tamerlane's conquests and mass slaughters. Marozzi's descriptions of the magnificent architecture in the great cities of the Silk Road are spectacular.

Highly recommended.

Douglas Shinsato
Translator of "For That One Day: The Memoirs of Mitsuo Fuchida, the Commander of the Attack on Pearl Harbor"
Author of "101 Lesser Known Facts Related to the Attack on Pearl Harbor"
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Danish
5.0 out of 5 stars Taimur the great
Reviewed in India on September 7, 2020
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One of the best book to fertile ur knowledge with the the History of legendary conquerer Taimur the great
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Danish
5.0 out of 5 stars Taimur the great
Reviewed in India on September 7, 2020
One of the best book to fertile ur knowledge with the the History of legendary conquerer Taimur the great
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5 people found this helpful
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Sal
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in Canada on July 5, 2017
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This book was great. I would give it 5 stars but the author sometimes would go off on his personal travels to these historical places. Yet overall, the book was thoroughly enjoyable and is about a historical figure that had huge impact but is surprisingly not as well known as other conquerors.
One person found this helpful
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Tim Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in Australia on May 15, 2017
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These comments about Tamerlane, The Sword of Islam revolve around the book that I finished some days ago. Upon its completion, I had enjoyed the read virtually completely.

The reader must prepare themself for the unending spiral of conflict that becomes Tamerlane’s entire life. He sets himself on a path of conquest from which he cannot extricate himself without the facade that he has created and will create “...comes tumbling down” to use the words of a much known Nursery Rhyme that is all too applicable.

The reader will wonder at the immense beauty that Tamerlane created across the breadth of central Asia; an area now referred to by many writers somewhat detrimentally as the “Stans” which were part of the Soviet Empire; these areas at one time containing splendid cities that were the subject of multiple conquests by multiple conquerors in multiple centuries with the result being virtual total destruction.

It is an excellent read that is well worth the effort particularly regarding an area of the world that is little known about geographically, historically or politically.
One person found this helpful
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J. Duducu
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent retelling of an amazing story.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2008
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When people talk of the greatest generals of all time in the West it invariably boils down to Napoleon or Alexander the great. Some may point towards the like of Genghis Khan, however all pale into comparison to Tamerlane (correct name Temur).
Alexander was undefeated in 8 years, Tamerlane undefeated in 30.

This is a man who went from nothing to creating one of the largest empires the world has ever seen, all in one lifetime. He successfully captured the likes of Delhi and Moscow and even had the Ottoman Sultan locked into a cage after a key battle. Added to this fact is in early adulthood he suffered injuries that led to him not being able to use 1 arm and 1 leg (hence how Temur the lame got mangled to Tamerlane or Tamburlane). Yet he was still a fearsome warlord just further adds to this amazing tale.

Justin Marozzi however does not shy away from the other side of all war mongers- death and destruction, because just like all steppe nomad warlords, unless capitulation was total and immediate then horrific acts of barbarity ensued. Indeed where as Attila was the start of the period of invasion from the steppe nomads, Tamerlane nearly a thousand years later was to be the last however the barbaric treatment of various civilian populations (particularly in Persia) are not forgotten or glossed over.

There is a careful balance between the man and the campaigns, between the Timurid society and the details of war. The use of source materials from all over the world is highly impressive and really brings the man alive, flaws and all. It is first and foremost a cracking read which really sucks you in and the story is so much larger than life that you can't wait for the next ludicrous (but true) turn of events. Any tale that includes armour plated war elephants with flamethrowers on their backs has to be a must read!

If you liked this there's more historical debate and fun at @HistoryGems on Facebook and Twitter
16 people found this helpful
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Amrinder
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written informative work
Reviewed in India on January 24, 2024
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Good book quality and excellent informative work
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