Shahrisabz, known in antiquity as Kesh, is today a small, provincial town. But it was here that Timur Chromy was born, known in Europe as Tamerlan, the conqueror of Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and the Transcaucasus. I came to Shahrisabz especially to see with my own eyes the monumental ruins of the palace erected on the orders of Timur at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The Dorus-Siadat complex is also worth visiting, with Timur's empty crypt.