The siege of Isfahan was a siege of the city of Isfahan by the army of

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

in 1387.

Background

To annex the Muzaffarid kingdom Timur would have to capture its two main cities: Isfahan and

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

. When in 1387,

arrived with his army to Isfahan, It immediately surrendered and so he treated it with relative mercy as he normally did with cities that surrendered.

Siege

Soon after, Isfahan revolted against Timur's taxes by killing the tax collectors and some of Timur's soldiers. Timur laid siege to the city and recaptured it with little effort.

Massacre of citizens

After restoring his control over the city he ordered the massacre of the citizens who resisted; the death toll is reckoned to be at least 70,000. An eye-witness counted more than 28 towers constructed of about 1,500 heads each. This has been described as a "systematic use of terror against towns...an integral element of Tamerlane's strategic element" which he viewed as preventing bloodshed by discouraging resistance. His massacres were selective and he spared those who were artistic and educated. This would later influence the next great Turkic conqueror: Nader Shah.

Aftermath

After the massacre Isfahan remained loyal to Timur and so he went to capture Shiraz. Unlike the events which occurred after the Siege of Herat Timur did not destroy any of the buildings and architecture allowing it retain its importance and influence in Persia.

References

{{coord missing Isfahan Isfahan 1387 in Asia Isfahan 1380s in the Middle East Isfahan