⏺17 Mordad, coinciding with 8 August, is a day of fear and terror in Isfahan

In the year 1387 CE (about 637 years ago), Amir Timur (Tamerlane) after his campaign against Iran, arrived in the city of Isfahan during a surprise attack, in retaliation against Iran for the killing of the Mongols and the Ilkhanids.

At first, the city surrendered without fighting, and Timur, as always, treated the surrendered cities relatively mildly.

But after some time, the people of Isfahan rebelled against heavy taxes and even killed several of Timur’s officers and soldiers.

Then what happened? This is where that famous story begins: Timur returned and took the city again.

He ordered a massacre of the people. About 70,000 to even 200,000 people were killed.

The story of “the mountain of skulls” comes from here. Yes, this part is mentioned both in historical sources and is considered real. It is said that it was made from the heads of the killed.

Pyramids or towers were built from skulls.

One eyewitness said that there were about 28 towers, and that each tower had about 1,500 human heads and skulls. Some sources even say up to 35 towers were built, meaning the story of a “mountain or hill of skulls” isn’t exaggerated—but the more precise version is that several large towers were made from human heads, not one single hill or mountain.

Why did Timur do this? This was not just simple brutality; it was a war strategy. Creating severe terror, preventing uprisings in the following cities, and sending a clear message: resistance equals total destruction.

Even historians say this method was part of Timur’s systematic policy of intimidation.

How big was Timur’s army?

According to historical sources, Timur’s army in this campaign was about 20,000 to 30,000 people.

In comparison, the defenders of the city were about 15,000 to 25,000.

You can follow historical podcasts from here.

Who was Tamerlane and what did he do?

#S