TamerlaneBook by Justin Marozzi
Marozzi travels in the footsteps of Tamerlane the Great (1336-1405), the last great Mongol conqueror of Central Asia, the ruler of a vast empire, and one of history’s most brutal tyrants
For all people who like reading about conquerors and how they approached life, this is quite a fun read. It really goes into a part of the world now only known for terrorism and shows us a past which had tremendous culture/power. Today, we are clearly dominated by western point of views about most things. But in the past, it looks like the West was being pushed back and quite threatened by this growth of Eastern might and power.This book however also goes to show how authoritarian power can eventually dissolve empires because of lack of capable future leadership. There were some interesting events lesser known today which would have radically changed how we perceive that region. The very rulers of India before the British came out of the same regions and had gone on to showcase what can be achieved through better governance.
After reading the book, seriously considering visiting Tartar lands, especially Samarkand and a few other cities around it. Read up quite a bit about the Aral Sea and whats really going on in those regions. Hope the region comes out of the tough times its facing with the same ingenuity and brilliance shown by the many generals who have been born in that region.
… great stuff @ SpaceX.
