Timurid Renaissance
| Date | 14th century - 16th century |
|---|---|
| Location | Timurid Empire (Central Asia and Persia) |
| Participants | Timurid dynasty |
The Timurid Renaissance was a period in Asian and Islamic history, following the Islamic Golden Age, and spanning from the late 14th to the early 16th centuries, which saw the revival of the arts and sciences under the Timurid Empire. Its movement spread across the Muslim world. The French word renaissance meaning "rebirth", is used to refer to a period of cultural revival. The use of this term to describe the Timurid period has not been without reservation, with some scholars seeing it as a swan song of Timurid culture.
The Timurid Renaissance took place slightly earlier than the Renaissance of Europe. The glories of which have been described by some as equalling the Italian Quattrocento. The Timurid Renaissance reached its peak in the 15th century, after the end of the Mongol invasions and conquests.
Based on Islamic ideals, the Timurid Renaissance includes the rebuilding of Samarkand, the invention of Tamerlane Chess by Timur, the reign of Shah Rukh and his consort Gawhar Shad in Herat, which rivaled Florence of the Italian Renaissance, the period of the astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Begh along with other polymaths and Islamic scholars, and the establishment of learning centers by Sultan Husayn Bayqara. The reign of Timur led to a revival in classical Persian art. Large-scale building projects were undertaken, creating mausoleums, madrasas, and kitabhane - medieval Islamic book workshops. Mathematical and astronomical studies were reinvigorated, and by the beginning of the 16th century, mastery over firearms was achieved.
Major commissions during Timur's lifetime were the Summer Palace in Shahrisabz, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the construction of the Registan. As a result Samarkand, which had previously been a center of scholarship and study, and had been destroyed during the Mongol conquest of Khwarezmia, became the center of the Timurid Renaissance and Islamic civilization in general. The city of Herat also became an important center of intellectual and artistic life in the Muslim world during this time.
The Timurid Renaissance differed from previous Buyid dynasty cultural and artistic developments in that it was not a direct revival of classical models, but rather a broadening of their cultural appeal by including more colloquial styles of the Persian language. In terms of architecture, the Timurid Renaissance was inherited by Mughal India, and significantly influenced other Islamic Gunpowder Empires like Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran.