Tamerlane’s Curse
Culture and History, Uzbekistan23 Comments
Russian Channel One recently showed a very interesting program which among other things told a story about the mystery surrounding the exhumation of Tamerlane’s body. The legend has it that World War II broke out because Tamerlane’s tomb had been opened by Gerasimov’s expedition two days earlier, on 19 June 1941. This was said to have activated the curse inscribed on Tamerlane’s tomb warning against opening it and released a war demon bringing misery and suffering upon the nation.
Malik Kayumov who was filming a documentary on the site said that three old men approached him to warn them off but the expedition went on anyway. When two days later Great Patriotic War began he remembered the warning but failed to find and ask the men about it. During the war Kayumov, an army cameraman at the time, managed to meet Marshall Jukov and convinced him to pass this concern to Stalin who took the issue seriously and ordered the return of the remains to Gur-Emir. The authorship of the legend is attributed to Kayumov who later produced a film based on his experiences called Tamerlane’s Curse.
To my utter shame I’ve never been to Samarkand and don’t know how much of the story is actually true(?). What I found on the web, however, is a detailed piece by Komsomol’skaya Pravda (parts I and II) published back in 2004 disclosing many previously unknown details about the reasons underlying such urgent action. Most interestingly, KP article suggests that this could actually have been a secret mission dispatched by Stalin in order to uncover the treasure buried in the tomb:
The “avaricious� version is supported, for example, by writer and historian Igor Bunin: “The objective set by Stalin of concentrating gold, platinum and precious stones in the hands of the state continued to be implemented actively. Whereas all graveyards in Russia and Ukraine were dug up and graves overturned by the mid-1930s in the hope to find gold watches or dentures, in the territory of Central Asia no such action had been taken.�
Another even crazier theory is that the party received information of the presence of some strange metal objects other than jewellery in Timur’s tomb that “glowed� in the dark and were believed to be the “weapons of the Gods�. No matter what the genuine purpose of the mission was, the materials of the expedition have been kept secret and access to the archives was denied both to local historians and to the relatives of expedition members.
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mm… it’s really an interesting story. when I visit Timur’s tomb, I heard a saying that the Soviet amry gouged the gold and other noble metal in the front gate of Timur’s tomb. But I don’t know anything about the curse…
I will keep watching this issue, but I can not read in Russian, can you translate the articles in Komsomol’skaya Pravda?
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[...] Olesya of neweurasia writes about a Russian television program about the legend of Tamerlane’s curse. [...]
Olesya, this is great; and I hear they are having trouble coming up with a good script for Indianna Jones 4, so…
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Olesya, amazing story, I had heard this anecdote before and people in Samarkand kept on going on about it (maybe because I am German).
Indiana Jones 4… let’s call Lucas Arts up and suggest that plot.
Somewhat unrelated, is it true that Russian TV features stories on Uzbekistan considerably often? I saw a proper documentary on Bukhara this morning, which happens once a year on German or British tele at most…
ЕÑ?Ñ‚ÑŒ другой Бен здеÑ?ÑŒ?
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This is soo like one of those “mystery” shows that are often aired on Discovery Channel. Funny but I saw that one too. One of the crazy uzbek “scientists” suggested that Temur’s remains actually saved Moscow from Nazi invasion. He said Stalin ordered the Temur’s remains taken out of the tomb and flown around Moscow in planes. That allegedly inflicted fear in the hearts of Germans when they were close to Moscow.
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Coincidentally, I ‘ve been reading an article about the ‘disappearance’ of the Emir of Bukhara’s treasury shortly after the Bolshevik takeover in 1920. Apparently, General Frunze ordered the whole lot to be loaded onto rail-wagons in the middle of night, shortly after the murder of the treasury officer, and transported north, never to be seen again … By all accounts, the leader of the Young Bukharans, Faizulla Khojayev, was also involved (though he was later, of course, executed during the great purge of the Uzbek CP in 1938). I’d be interested to know whether or not in the post-Soviet era there is much of a movement calling for the return of Central Asian artefacts from Russia.
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James, Ben: some mention of the curse appears in Nochnoy Dozor/Night Watch and its sequel Dnevnoy Dozor/Day Watch, the most popular blockbusters in Russia at the moment. BTW, both were directed by Timur Bekmambetov, originally an Uzbek filmmaker.
As for Russian TV, usually they don’t have much on Uzbekistan except when it comes to discussing Uzbek/Central Asian migrant workers illegally penetrating Russian employment market and depriving ‘hard-working’ ethnic Russians of their jobs. Russian MPs have long been debating the issue of somehow regulating migration flows by simplifying procedures for registration of CIS citizens but there are also nationalists who strongly oppose this development. This is what I gathered from watching a talk show with high-ranking Russian government officials on NTV a week or so ago.
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Nick,
Great observation. If there isn’t such a movement there’s got to be one!
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[...] Uzbekistan: Vseyusnyi Blog offers some random truisms (at least according to Nigget) of Uzbekistan: Whenever a woman tries to buy a car, the salesman will ask what kind of car she wants to buy. Before she can answer, he invariably suggests a specific car. When she asks why, he says because it is a feminine car. Nigget offers the truth: feminine means a) small, b) a special model, c) from domestic producers, and d) second-hand. Weren’t you just saying the other day how you could use a few more Uzbek anectdotes about animals? Well you are in luck my friend, and Vseyusnyi Blog can help. My words, not direct translation: So some visitors of a zoopark are strolling about, when they hear on the loudspeaker that a big nasty bear has escaped. The announcer recommends that if they happen upon the bear, grab some feces and rub it in his nose, and then use that opportunity to escape. “Where do we get that much shit?” shouts one of the zoo-goers. “… from the bear.” Classic. And much more where that came from. A photo-shoot at a weddings fashion show in Uzbekistan is brought to us by Alfisha. On the same blog: Believe it or not, there is a Roman Catholic (Polish) Church that holds concerts featuring musicians playing music by contemporary Uzbek composers on the organ. The author describes the experience in detail, noting that in her opinion melancholy tunes are exceptionally moving. The next performance is on the 7th of May, and she recommends the experience (Links in Russian). Uzbek opposition group Sunshine Coalition’s website has been designed to look like a blog, complete with the facility to contribute one’s own comments. In one of its latest posts the group has sent its jailed leader, Sanjar Umarov, birthday greetings. The post expresses regret that Umarov will not be able to spend his 50th birthday, which falls on April 7, with his friends and family (Links in Russian). Olesya of neweurasia tells us about Tamerlane’s curse. Is it true that the Soviet Union got dragged into World War II because an archeologist opened the former ruler’s tomb? [...]
“He said Stalin ordered the Temur’s remains taken out of the tomb and flown around Moscow in planes. That allegedly inflicted fear in the hearts of Germans when they were close to Moscow.�
Yeah, right. And then Elvis appeared in a space combat ship. ;)
Following Nick, one Central Asian legend that I find particularly intriguing is that of Enver Pasha (Anwar Pasho in Tajik/Farsi, see Iraj Bashiri’s bio article on the bloke: http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Enver/Enver.html ) and the place of his tomb. He was actually a pan-Islamist and ‘internationalist’ :) fighter ‘avant la lettre’.
Although much if his plans and ideas were idealist fantasies, one element is still relevant today: that the Central Asians are better off into some common — economic – zone i.e. not possible under the present regimes but unavoidable in the future.
As far as I remember, three places in Tajikistan ‘claim’ to have Enver Pasha’s last resting place: the most widespread version has it that he lays near Hissar; there’s Baljuan near Kylyab; and also Kumsangir on the Tajik-Afghan border. I wonder whether there’s any Tajik academic or popular interest in Enver Pasha.
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Ataman,
I have never heard of Anvar Podsho, but you know that could be me. I think in today’s Tajikistan every academic mind is busy trying to restore the persian identity of Tajiks. Samanid dynasty has been chosen as role model since under their rule the region flourished.
I suspect not many know about Anvar Podsho. There is a grave of Mir Said Hamadoni (some kind of Iranian ruler) in Kulyab, but nothing widely known about the Anvar guy.
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;-)
“I have never heard of Anvar Podsho … ” ! Come now!
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Enver pasha was ex-minister of Defence in Turkey, he was one of ‘pan-turkism’ idealogy supporters. He came to Bukhara to during Civil War in Turkestan and battled against Red Army. I think he taught some war tactics to ‘Basmachs’.
I dont where he was buried, but should be in the territory of Uzbekistan. It is unrealistic that he settled in Tadjikistan. He died during the war.
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Tamerlan is my grandfather,and I live in Turkey.
My grandfather Tamerlane is very great emperor of the Turkish world.
When he dies,royal family shocked this situation.And years,years
painfull years.Losing country,losing people and losing lifes…
And Ottomano empires our second country in 19.century…
And 20.century Turkish independence war,royal family members fights against the enemies of Anatolia…Because their blood says
Where is turks,there is your country…
Now we still live in Turkey,And Turkey is our country…
Cause we fight for freedom,We fight for great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturks victory…
I think every Turk must learns his life,his idea
sometimes we talk about Sekhri sabz,Samarkand,orenburg…
Listen the music about the old songs…
sometimes cry,sometimes laugh…
but we never forget our honour past,we never forget our people
We love you….
God bless Turks
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About the curse attached to the tomb of Amir Temur Kuragani:
..the book that predicts about the war and was shown to the head of expedition to Guri Amir is still kept in Uzbekistan, in special secret library of Government. The book is kept in especially made box, nobody has access to that book. Every time box opened, it will be locked and sealed again with multiple keys/seals.
I know that after 1991 the access to the book was given only once and soon the person was executed. The book remained in hands of anonymous people before 1991.
It is still believed that the book has some kind of magic power and so does tomb of Tamerlane.
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I think it’s getting increasingly clear that Naziism was a satanic and esoteric cult that was heavily into astrology and “secret” teachings of one kind or another (on those rare occasions when they weren’t getting completely stoned on some pretty weird drugs, causing them to gnaw on carpets in addition to sending their troops out on suicidal missions costing millions of lives)
Among other things they were looking for was a spear, maybe the one that supposedly had pierced the side of Christ during His crucifixion. Maybe Timur the Lame came across it on one of his many armed souvenier hunts…
Right now I’m more interestd in a library full of ancient, uncatalogued manuscripts at a Christian monastery somewhere in southern Iraq. Any takers?
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