Who Was Timur, and Why Did He Massacre the People of Isfahan?

In his youth, he became the ruler of Kesh and gradually took control over all of Transoxiana, making Samarkand his capital. After consolidating power there, he set his sights on Iran.

The Events Leading to the Massacre

While in Khorasan, Timur fell ill with a condition doctors attributed to excessive heat in his body. They prescribed only Shiraz lemon juice as a cure. Timur sent a letter to Shah Mansur of the Muzaffarids, asking him to send large containers of Shiraz lemon juice to Khorasan. Shah Mansur responded disdainfully, "I am not a grocer to cater to your whims. Just because you believe yourself to be descended from Genghis Khan does not mean I will send you lemon juice. Even if I were a lemon seller, I would not send it to you."

At that time, the Muzaffarids ruled over Kerman, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Khuzestan, with Shiraz as their center of power. The governor of Isfahan, Sultan Zain al-Abidin, who was Shah Mansur's uncle, believed that if Timur attacked Isfahan, they should open the city gates for him. However, Shah Mansur urged resistance against Timur. Isfahan was fortified with thick walls and strong towers.

The Massacre in Isfahan

Timur arrived near Isfahan and, after gathering information about the city's conditions, besieged it in 789 AH (1387 AD). The city’s scholars and officials sought to negotiate peace with Timur by offering him tribute, hoping to avoid bloodshed. Meanwhile, Amir Mansur Muzaffar went to Khuzestan via Shiraz to gather an army.

The governor of Isfahan agreed to pay tribute to Timur, allowing 3,000 Tatar soldiers to enter people’s homes to collect taxes. However, a local man named Ali Kacheh Pa gathered a group and instructed them to attack and kill the Tatar soldiers in the middle of the night.

When Timur learned that his 3,000 soldiers had been killed, he ordered a massacre in retaliation, offering 20 dinars for each severed head. The Tatar soldiers collected so many heads that Timur eventually refused to continue paying. When the count reached 70,000, he ordered the slaughter to cease.

Timur's March Toward Shiraz

Following the massacre, Timur and his troops moved towards Shiraz. The people of Shiraz opened the city gates, and Timur spared them. At the time, Malik Mansur of the Muzaffarids was in Dezful. After capturing members of the Muzaffar family in Shiraz, Timur executed them but did not harm the townspeople.

Timur then pursued the remaining Muzaffarid rulers to Khuzestan, eventually confronting Shah Mansur with the help of his son Shah Rukh. In battle, Timur killed Shah Mansur, leading to the fall of the Muzaffarid dynasty.

Timur died on February 18, 1405, in the city of Otrar (in the region of ancient Farab) due to severe cold and excessive drinking. He was buried in a grand tomb that he had previously ordered to be built, where his mother, Bibi Khanum, and other Timurid family members were also interred. This place became known as the Gur-e Amir (Tomb of the Emir) after his burial.