Timår's Invasion to Syria (803/1400-1): Backgrounds and Causes

Timår/Tamerlane (r. 771-807/1370-1405) in the third stage of his attacks, the seven-year attack, in 803/1400-1 marched to Syria (Sham). In this article, the grounds and causes of Timur's campaign to the Syria are investigated. In Timår's expansionist and religious policies, attacking the lands of Syria and Egypt was not a priority. He tried many times through letter writing and diplomacy to attract the opinion of the Mamluks to establish peaceful relations. But the reaction of the Mamluks to Timur's proposals was far from tact and diplomatic manners. The grand strategy of the Mamluks in facing Timur was neither peace nor war, while Timår was seeking to establish political and economic relations and to accept maximum support from the Mamluks. Not only the Mamluks did not accept Timår's correspondence, but also killed his emissaries and repeatedly refused Timår's request for the release of one of his generals. It was in this situation that Timår attacked Syria and started killing and destroying its cities, especially the two main cities there, Aleppo and Damascus.