Some Reflections on Timur's Invasion of Mamluk Syria

The Central Asian conqueror Timur-i lang entered the Mamluk dominions at the head of a formidable army in the autumn of 803/1400. I do not intend here to provide a narrative of the Syrian campaign. Instead I shall focus upon a number of incidents during the course of the invasion that may shed light upon the conqueror's character, outlook, and methods, and on his indebtedness to Mongol tradition. Timur proved himself to be highly resourceful in his ideological and diplomatic maneuvers, and one premise of this article is that his confrontation with the Mamluk regime involved various motives and aspirations that are specific to the Syrian theatre.