Timur is regarded as a military genius and as a brilliant tactician with an uncanny ability to work within a highly fluid political structure to win and maintain a loyal following of nomads during his rule in Central Asia.
He was also considered extraordinarily intelligent – not only intuitively but also intellectually.
In Samarkand and his many travels, Timur, under the guidance of distinguished scholars, was able to learn the Persian, Mongolian, and Turkish languages (according to Ahmad ibn Arabshah, Timur could not speak Arabic).
More importantly, Timur was characterized as an opportunist.
Taking advantage of his Turco-Mongolian heritage, Timur frequently used either the Islamic religion or the sharia law, fiqh, and traditions of the Mongol Empire to achieve his military goals or domestic political aims.
Timur was a learned king, and enjoyed the company of scholars; he was tolerant and generous to them.
He was a contemporary of the Persian poet Hafez, and a story of their meeting explains that Timur summoned Hafiz, who had written a ghazal with the following verse:
For the black mole on thy cheek

I would give the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.

Timur upbraided him for this verse and said, "By the blows of my well tempered sword I have conquered the greater part of the world to enlarge Samarkand and Bukhara, my capitals and residences; and you, pitiful creature, would exchange these two cities for a mole."
Hafez, undaunted, replied, "It is by similar generosity that I have been reduced, as you see, to my present state of poverty."
It is reported that the King was pleased by the witty answer and the poet departed with magnificent gifts.

A persistent nature of Timur's character is said to have appeared after an unsuccessful raid into nearby village, thought to have taken place at the early stages of his illustrious life.
The legend has it that Timur, wounded by an enemy arrow, found shelter at the abandoned ruins of an old fortress in the desert.
Lamenting his fate, Timur saw a little ant carrying a grain up the side of a collapsed wall.
Thinking that the end was close, Timur directed all his attention to that ant and watched how troubled by the wind or the size of her cargo, the ant fell back down to the ground each time she climbed the wall.
Timur counted overall 69 attempts and finally, on the 70th try, the little ant succeeded and made her way into the nest with a precious prize.
If an ant can persevere like this, Timur thought, then surely a man can do the same.
Inspired by the diligent ant, he decided that he would never again lose hope, and eventually the chain of events, coupled with his persistence and military genius led to him becoming arguably the most powerful monarch of his era.

There is a shared view that Timur's real motive for his campaigns was his imperialistic ambition.
However, Timur's following words: "The whole expanse of the inhabited part of the world is not large enough to have two kings" explains that his true desire was "to amaze the world", and through his destructive campaigns, to produce an impression rather than to achieve enduring results.
This is supported by the fact that besides Iran, Timur simply plundered the states he invaded with a purpose of enriching his native Samarqand and neglected the conquered areas, which may have resulted in a relatively quick disintegration of his Empire after his death.

Timur used Persian expressions in his conversations often, and his motto was the Persian phrase rāstī rustī (راستی رستی, meaning "truth is safety" or "veritas salus").
Timur is regarded as a military genius and as a brilliant tactician with an uncanny ability to work within a highly fluid political structure to win and maintain a loyal following of nomads during his rule in Central Asia. He was also considered extraordinarily intelligent – not only intuitively but also intellectually. In Samarkand and his many travels, Timur, under the guidance of distinguished scholars, was able to learn the Persian, Mongolian, and Turkish languages (according to Ahmad ibn Arabshah, Timur could not speak Arabic). More importantly, Timur was characterized as an opportunist. Taking advantage of his Turco-Mongolian heritage, Timur frequently used either the Islamic religion or the sharia law, fiqh, and traditions of the Mongol Empire to achieve his military goals or domestic political aims. Timur was a learned king, and enjoyed the company of scholars; he was tolerant and generous to them. He was a contemporary of the Persian poet Hafez, and a story of their meeting explains that Timur summoned Hafiz, who had written a ghazal with the following verse:
For the black mole on thy cheek

I would give the cities of Samarkand and Bukhara.
Timur upbraided him for this verse and said, "By the blows of my well tempered sword I have conquered the greater part of the world to enlarge Samarkand and Bukhara, my capitals and residences; and you, pitiful creature, would exchange these two cities for a mole." Hafez, undaunted, replied, "It is by similar generosity that I have been reduced, as you see, to my present state of poverty." It is reported that the King was pleased by the witty answer and the poet departed with magnificent gifts.
A persistent nature of Timur's character is said to have appeared after an unsuccessful raid into nearby village, thought to have taken place at the early stages of his illustrious life. The legend has it that Timur, wounded by an enemy arrow, found shelter at the abandoned ruins of an old fortress in the desert. Lamenting his fate, Timur saw a little ant carrying a grain up the side of a collapsed wall. Thinking that the end was close, Timur directed all his attention to that ant and watched how troubled by the wind or the size of her cargo, the ant fell back down to the ground each time she climbed the wall. Timur counted overall 69 attempts and finally, on the 70th try, the little ant succeeded and made her way into the nest with a precious prize. If an ant can persevere like this, Timur thought, then surely a man can do the same. Inspired by the diligent ant, he decided that he would never again lose hope, and eventually the chain of events, coupled with his persistence and military genius led to him becoming arguably the most powerful monarch of his era.
There is a shared view that Timur's real motive for his campaigns was his imperialistic ambition. However, Timur's following words: "The whole expanse of the inhabited part of the world is not large enough to have two kings" explains that his true desire was "to amaze the world", and through his destructive campaigns, to produce an impression rather than to achieve enduring results. This is supported by the fact that besides Iran, Timur simply plundered the states he invaded with a purpose of enriching his native Samarqand and neglected the conquered areas, which may have resulted in a relatively quick disintegration of his Empire after his death.
Timur used Persian expressions in his conversations often, and his motto was the Persian phrase rāstī rustī (راستی رستی, meaning "truth is safety" or "veritas salus").
Timur