Written and Pictorial Sources on the Architecture of Persia and Central Asia during the Era of Timur’s and Timurids’ Rule

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the most valuable source at the culture and architecture of Persia and Central Asia during the reign of Timur (late 14th — early 15th centuries) — the diary of the Spanish ambassador to the court of Timur. At this stage in the development of researching on the Persian and Central Asian architecture of the Timurid period, along with the problem of “analysis” of monuments and artistic style, the problem of “synthesis” of image of these architecture is urgent. The authors of this article propose a methodology for restoring the general impression of this architecture, which can serve as a basis for the process of “synthesis”, based on the study of the contemporary written source of the early 15th century — the diary of the Spanish grandee Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, who was part of the Spanish embassy, sent by the Castilian king Enrice III to the court of Timur at 1403–1406. Being an educated man and receptive to the new, Clavijo was able to isolate the characteristic features of the worldview of a man of the East, primarily an oriental despot, and the associated features of the art of the East. He and his colleagues in the embassy drew attention to the cunning, treachery, ingenuity, secrecy of the eastern rulers. The Spaniards were struck by the luxury, power and wealth of Timur’s state, which at that time was at the zenith of glory. The Spaniards, accustomed to the stability of architectural images in their native Spain, were amazed at the variability of the artistic images of the East. They drew attention to the love of the representatives of the peoples of the East for free draperies, giving themselves to the will of the wind, in the temporary architecture and in festive women’s clothes, that by their nature were well consistent with the decoration of architectural buildings. The Spanish envoys revealed that subservient to the first and most faithful fresh impression, tenaciously grasping the main difference between the architecture of Timur’s state and contemporary European architecture. This difference consisted in the desire to create an image that is changing, diverse, fluid, mobile, not instantly solved and full of mystery, but at the same time striking the imagination with its luxury and wealth and according to the understanding of their masters, customers and spectators. The conclusion about the specifics of Timurid architecture, made on the basis of a study of the diary of the Spanish ambassador, is supported by the authors of the article turning to the analysis of written and pictorial sources created by representatives of the studied culture itself.