Episode 22 Samurkhan: Timur’s Cultural Capitol

The Mongol Empire

Dr Craig Benjamin (2020)

Film Review

First founded in 780 BC, Samurkhan (Samarqand) combined agricultural, valley/mountain pastoral land for summer/winter grazing and lucrative trade routes that prospered under the first Silk Road (202 BC). The Persian king Cyrus the Great fortified it with a citadel and walls in the 6th century BC. Captured from the Persians by Alexander the Great, it expanded significantly under his regional successor Nicator (358-281 BC), who introduced classical Greek architecture. It was next ruled by

• 110 BC – 250 AD Parthian and Kushan empires
• 224-651 AD Sassanian Empire, who helped resurrect the Silk Road and supported the co-existence of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Nastorian Christianity Manocheism and Judaism
• 440-440 AD Hefalites (aka White Huns) and Turkic empires
• 7th century AD Tang dynasty tributary
• 8th century AD captured by Islamic Umayid
• 819-999 AD became major commercial city under (Islamic) Persian Samanids
• 1000 AD captured by Turkic tribes
• 1220 AD sacked by Chinggis Khan during Khwarazmian campaign
• 1370 AD Captured and rebuilt by Timur, using artists, architects, scholars and musicians he captured in his other campaigns. He renamed Samarkhan suburbs after other cities he had conquered (Damascus, Paris, Baghdad, Shiraz).

Timur order numerous houses demolished to build monumental public building (which enchanting azure domes which were a model for Moghul tombs in India (eg Taj Mahal).

Film can be viewed free with library card on Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/12373094/12373138