Theresa La Dr. Perron Honors 220 – Republic to Prince November 17, 2012

Ibn Khaldun and Tamerlane Significant Points

Timur is presented not as a barbaric ruler, but as a cultured and well-educated ruler. The ruling system that he has established appears to be a very sophisticated government system. There is a well-established justice system, and an organized government with various levels and division of labor with various personnel at the different levels. When greeting Ibn Khaldun, Timur treats Ibn Khaldun very courteously and with the proper cultural reverence. He is also a very curious person, asking Ibn Khaldun many questions about his home country, indicating that Timur is a well-educated person, values education, and is interested in acquiring knowledge. In many ways, it is as if Timur is the civilized ruler himself, not the barbarian other.

In matters of warfare, Timur is a very aggressive fighter, destroying many cities. However, in this reading, he is portrayed as a very kind conqueror who is very forgiving. He grants amnesty to the people who had been left behind by their king in the citadel which they were defending, because they asked for it. However, he does plunder the city, take all of the valuables, destroys and burns anything that is not valuable, and ultimately burns the city to the ground. However, he is very generous towards the people, if not the buildings and the physical cities that he conquerors.

Quotation and its Significance “I am not satisfied. I desire that you write for me [ a description of] the whole country of

the Maghrib – its distant as well as its near-by parts, its mountains, and its rivers, its villages and its cities- in such a manner that I might seem actually to see it” – pg. 35

“ordered his secretary to have it translated into Mongolian – pg. 38 The fact that Timur orders his secretary to have Ibn Khaldun written description of

Maghrib into Mongolian suggests two things. First, since he has the written work translated to Mongolian, this means that there is a writing system that has been established and there are people who are educated and able to write and read. This often only occurs in civilizations that have settled in one place and are able to have division of labor and have these writing forms developed. To have a literate, even if only in the elite class, means that the city is settled and fairly well developed. The second point is that the Mongolians have established their own language, rather than use an already formed language of other people.

Question What does the title “Maghribi Malikite Cadi” mean? Why is Timur so nice and accommodating to the people he has conqueror? Is this a

skewed view of Timur and his actions?