The Tomb of Timur (Tamerlane) in the Gur-Emir Mausoleum in Samarkand is shrouded in legends that have been unsettling imaginations for over eighty years. The main one is the curse of Timur, linking the opening of his tomb by Soviet scientists in June 1941 with the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War.

Where is the tomb and what does it represent

Timur died in 1405 during a campaign to China and was buried in the Gur-Emir Mausoleum in Samarkand, which was originally built for his favorite grandson Muhammad Sultan. Inside the mausoleum, in the underground crypt, there is a tombstone made of white marble, above which is the famous jade tombstone installed by Timur's grandson, the astronomer Ulugbek. The jade is carved with a long genealogy of Timur, tracing back to Genghis Khan.

The legend of the curse: three sages and an inscription

The most popular version of the legend says that before the tomb was opened, three sages approached the scientists and showed an ancient book with a warning: if Timur's ashes are disturbed, a terrible war will begin. Later, a version appeared that inside the sarcophagus there was an inscription: \"Whosoever disturbs my peace will release a conqueror more terrible than I.\".

However, researchers are skeptical about this. Firstly, the ancient book of the sages, according to the participants of the expedition, was not a chronicle, but a collection of local legends from the 19th century, and belonged to folklore, not a real prophecy. Secondly, the story of the inscription inside the grave is most likely a later invention: people close to the anthropologist Gerasimov called it a myth.

The real reason for the exhumation: not mysticism, but a pipe

Contrary to popular belief, the 1941 expedition was not an act of vandalism or a search for mystical artifacts. The reason was purely practical. A hotel was being built next to the mausoleum, and due to an error in the drainage system, ground water began to flood the foundation of Gur-Emir. There was a risk that the crypt would be flooded and the remains would be destroyed. Therefore, it was decided to carry out an exhumation, scientific study, and subsequent reburial in hermetically sealed conditions.

The opening of the tomb took place from June 16 to June 21, 1941. First, the tombs of Timur's sons and grandsons were opened, and only then the tomb of the emir himself. During the work, strange things really did happen: the lights went out, a heavy smell stood in the crypt. However, modern researchers explain this by technical reasons: a short circuit due to the very water and the smell of standing water and decaying elements of the finish, not the wrath of the disturbed spirit.

Curse and war: coinciding dates

The main argument of the proponents of the curse is the chronology. The tomb was opened on June 21 (or 20) 1941, and on June 22, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. This coincidence gave rise to the myth.

However, historians point out that the plan to attack the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) was signed by Hitler in December 1940, six months before the opening of the tomb. The date of the invasion was determined by military-political decisions, not events in Samarkand. The leader of the expedition, anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, did not believe in the curse and regarded the warnings of the sages as superstition.

What was actually found in the tomb

The scientific value of the expedition was enormous. Gerasimov, using his method of reconstruction from the skull, restored the appearance of Timur. It turned out that he was a typical Mongoloid with fair hair and beard, about 170–173 cm tall, which was considered tall at that time. The study confirmed the known from history injury: Timur indeed had a damaged right leg (he limped) and a deformed right hand (dryness), but at the same time he maintained incredible physical strength and died at the age of about 70, without any signs of old age on the bones.

The remains of Timur and his relatives were reburied in Gur-Emir on December 20, 1942, shortly before the victory of Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad. The proponents of the legend believe that it was this that lifted the curse and helped win the battle. Of course, the real reason for the victory was something else, but the beautiful mystical connection of reburial — Stalingrad lives to this day.

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Conclusion

The tomb of Timur is a place where real history (the saving of the mausoleum from flooding, unique anthropological findings) intertwines with folklore (the curse, the sages, mystical coincidences). The legend of the curse turned out to be so enduring because it perfectly coincided in time with one of the most tragic events of the 20th century, but scientific facts say that this was just a coincidental, albeit ominous, coincidence.

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