Statue de Tamerlan
Tamerlane was a 14th-century military leader. He founded the Timurid Empire and conquered parts of Central Asia, the Middle East, and northern India. He commanded an army of 800,000 men and killed millions. He was also a great patron of the arts and architecture. He had all the books in the libraries he looted measured and copied before burning cities. Shakhrisabz is his birthplace. Although he made Samarkand his capital, it was here that he chose to erect his monuments to demonstrate his power to his homeland.
Today, he is considered a great national hero of Uzbekistan.