From Timur the Lame via «12» to the ADR

The most noble captain of the world in the 14-earlier 15 centuries (Timur Lang, Tamerlan, Temir Aksak) - named "Sovereign of the World" in his lifetime. The controversy surrounding his role in the world history continues unabated.

Around Timur"s figure "12"

To begin with, the number of rules as set forth in Timur"s "Code of Laws" that accompanied him in course of the life enabling "me to climb to the heights of power, strengthen conquests and made me worthy of the throne," is twelve. Side by side, there are "twelve principles I have never evaded" that "extolled me to the throne, and the experience suggested me that a ruler ignoring these principles cannot profit from his greatness".

The point is about twelve ethical standards of Timur that made it pleasing to God "lay a crown on my head and fortify me as to the throne "("Autobiography"). These include Timur"s "division of devotees into 12 classes" which are assessed by him as "twelve signs of the Zodiac and twelve months of my reign". Figure 12 is mentioned in "Code of Laws" in different formats. For instance, it says that "when a persona from my harem fell ill seriously, twelve offspring of the Prophet, engaged in prayers solely, gathered together and each of them granted her a year from their lives, the female patient recovered to live twelve years more".

It has to be kept in mind that everything is expounded strictly and elaborately in "Code of Laws" and "Autobiography". Is it coincidental that figure "12" as interlink between regulations and principles of Timur"s reign appeared on pages of important documents? Nonrandomness of this figure for Timur is echoed even in Tatar legends about him. In one of them the ruler chose "twelve from his servants" and ordered them "to go to all twelve cardinal directions".

It was Timur"s special treatment of figure "twelve" that urged us to look at "Dictionary of Symbols" by Juan Eduardo Kerlot, a Spanish writer and arts critic of the 20 century. He associates the figure with the same twelve months where a year is "more than a mere symbol for it serves as a prototype of all cyclic processes (a day, a fragment of human life, a golden age and decline of culture, cosmic cycle, etc.). "All cycles" consist of rising and declining phases, i.е. evolution and involution". Rising and declining phases for the year or signs of the Zodiac "with its twelve units such as the year (or wheels of Zodiac) "may be distributed as 6 plus 6 (symmetrical splitting) or 8 plus 4 (asymmetrical splitting)". The first splitting is "to a greater degree, more geometrical". Usually, the year appears in the form of "an old man inside the circle with its two or three external rings providing information about names of months, labor cycles in line with every month, signs of the Zodiac, etc." Note that systems or schemes based on the circle or cycle tend to gain the number "twelve" in the form of finite limit".

It"d be appropriate to remind of the heroic epos of Oghuzes (a group of Turkic tribes engaged in ethnogenesis of Turkmens, Azerbaijanis and Turks) "Kitabi Dede Korkud" consisting of 12 legends (Dresden manuscript). There is also a certain parallel with "elements" of Buddhism, in particular, with the twelve-member formula of genesis, or 12 nidan. Touching upon "calls" of the well-known shamaness Milladaroz nicknamed "long plaited", a Tajik woman from kishlak Kulba-Payan" (mid. 20 century), a researcher from Tajikistan, O. Murodov admitted as interesting her "mentioning" of "twelve sinless Mansurs".

The "chain of twelve" could include the twelve labors of Hercules (from the myths of ancient Greece); twelve tribes of Israel (according to Torah); twelve apostles (Christ"s pupils by the Gospel); twelve imams in Shiism as spiritual and political successors to Prophet Mohammad; twelve rays emanating from a mound of High Grave (Chersonese region of Ukraine) going back to the pre-Scythian period.

It"d be expedient to refer to Charles W. Ernst, a present-day American researcher, one of the directors of the Center for Near East and Moslem Civilization (University of North Carolina, USA). He quotes five daily additional prayers to five obligatory namazs of the tutor of Sufi brotherhood Chisht-ti Burkhan ad-Din Garib (14 century): "Late prayer is made in-between two dreams. First they are asleep, then get up (post-midnight) to perform twelve circles of prayer with six peace wishes" citing "what they know from the Koran".

Comment is needless here, for there is evident nonrandomness of figure "12" in Timur"s reserve. It"d appropriate here to deal with the musical palette with its twelve-format nuance. A closer look at the palette makes it possible, strange and improbable it is, to draw an invisible line to ... Timur and focus on some aspects of his life activity.

Lyrical digression?

In the first half of the 20 century, outstanding originator of the modern professional musical art of Azerbaijan Uzeir Hadjibekov retraced the heritage of prominent musicologist, composer, poet and calligrapher of the 13 century Safiaddin Urmavi who made a great contribution to the treasury of the world musical theory. He pointed out that the musical culture of the Near East that reached its height in the 14 century and "rose proudly in the form of twelve-column and six tower-shaped erection with its view on all four cardinal directions: from Andalusia to China and from mid-Africa to the Caucasus". The said 12 columns composed 12 main Mukams, and 6 towers - 6 Avazats"(63): Avaz (avazat- Arabic, plural from Persian avaz - literally "singing in voice") - tonal system.

The point is that S. Urmavi named by the British musicologist, composer, conductor and expert in the Arab musical culture of the 20 century Henry George Farmer as "a pioneer" of the theory of systematics school", brought order to the system of sonic complexes" forming the basis of "the Azerbaijani music, as well as the one of the entire Near and Middle East". With this principle in mind, he succeeded in creating a perfect table (tabulatura) to demonstrate scales of 12 frets (magams, maqams) and 6 avazs.

It is interesting, isn"t it? Especially as we compare the information to twelve circles of prayer with six peace wishes of the Sufi brotherhood Chish-ti. It seems to be more interesting or, perhaps, more cognitive in case of specific "introduction" into these "musical twelve" where the mentioned Sufi makams and hals appear.

Soviet musicologist of the first half of the 20 century Alexey Ogolevets revealed that- 12-stepped temperation (Lat. "temperatio" which means "proportionality, proper correlation") provided the "universalization of 12-phonic tonal system". Advancing along "harmonic circles", the tonal system seizes "6 circles" in its development depleting its 12-phonic limits to enter the "zone of total dispersion". Sequence of sounds in a second interval in 12-stepped is locked through 6 steps: an octave interval is formed to oppose the source sound.

Now the point is about an interesting correlation to lead us back to 12 magams and 6 avazes. Soviet and Russian organist, musicologist Alexander Maykapar specified that "movement along tonalities based on tempered intervals may be exemplified by a circle. When traversing all 12 steps we find ourselves on the same point (sound) we started with". А. Maykapar fortifies his idea with two drawings. The first drawing ("fifth circle") appears in the form of circumference with circles of dieses and bemolles inside while 12 rays from the center are directed toward notes. The second drawing ("fifth spiral") is a spiral in the form of three interwoven (or one inside another) oval (ellipses). Symbolically, the spiral implies "schematic image of the Universe evolution". It is time to look back at Timur"s multifaceted image and try to catch separate nuances of this colorful historical figure.

Timur"s ovals

As has been noted, the so-called sustained system of "circular" sounding is most apparent in the music that soaked up elements of Sufism (or vice versa?). Subtlety here lies in the fact that there were elliptic circles on Timur"s signs. Spanish diplomat and traveler Rui Gonsales de Clavijo, by order of Castilian king, don Enrique the Third, who headed an Embassy to Samarkand in 1404-1405, described the Timurian emblem as follows: there are "three circles" inside the circumference in the form of 0 located: two upper"- horizontal; lower under them - vertical. "The same circles are on Timur "seals" with a word "truth". Timur instructed to stamp this sign on "coins" which extended to peoples he "levied tribute", as well as on "all things having been produced on his order". According to Clavijo, this sign meant that Timur was a king of "three parts of the world".

Like it or not, an association comes to our mind with a drawing attached to the Maykapar"s research, specifically a spiral in the form of three mutually related ovals (ellipses). None of them is vertical, yet, the general background is concordant with the Timur"s sign. However, there is not yet a unified view on what was meant under Timur"s circles.

Symptomatic is the selection of this sign for the Banner of the World as a symbol of Roerich Pact by famous Russian artist, mystic philosopher, writer, traveler and archeologist of the 19-20 centuries Nocholas Roerich. Note that the Roerich Pact is history"s first international agreement on protection of cultural heritage of mankind (signed in Washington, 1935 by representatives of 20 countries of South and North America). In Roerich"s words, the Banner depicts "against the white background "three" united amaranth Spheres as a symbol of "Eternity and Unity". Touching upon the sign of "Trinity", N. Roerich points out that it is located not only on " Tamge" (tamga is an ancestral, family sign meaning "stamp", "seal" - author"s note) of Timur or on "Samarkand"s emblem" but on the Temple of Heaven in China, Buddhist banners, rocks of Mongolia, on Jesus" breast in the picture "Christolatry" (15 century) by Flemish painter of German origin Hans Memling, Caucasian blades, etc. "Some say it is the past, the present and the future integrated into the ring of Eternity, -N. Roerich holds, - for the rest, another interpretation seems to be more explicable: the religion, knowledge and arts within the ring of Culture." The Banner N. Roerich authored is specified by him as a symbol of "the entire Civilized World", so he called "to take urgent measures" in order "to secure the noble heritage of the Past against any perils, for the sake of the glorious Future ".

True, senior researcher from the Roerich International Center Alexander Barkov ascertains that "it is the prerogative of highly-developed civilizations only to interpret the symbol of the Roerich" Banner "Trinity of Times in the Ring of Eternity". The Sign proper "is a good bit older than these conceptions," and its "oldest meaning" seems to be "integration of extremes." It is the overlapping of a medium link that gives rise to the triad where "mediator" has qualities of "the two extremes". Symbolically, this trinity involves three, partly superimposed circumferences which perfectly complies with a notion of "aborning life".

A spiral in the form of three interwound vertical ovals in a picture by A. Maykapar is put in our mind. German poet and thinker of the 18-19 centuries, Johann Wolfgang Goethe described it in a beautiful poetical form:

End of his is a beginning of reflection

And that what is given both in the beginning and the end,

That is what lies in the middle again.

The birth of a new life may perfectly be reconciled with the same Trinity as fostered by N. Roerich: the past, the present and the future, i.e. interdependence. The point is about the birth of a life, succession. Isn"t that? It is no mere coincidence that the sign on some coins of Timur"s epoch sometimes "changes its location", i. е. In some cases the two vertical circles are at lower step; real "mutual circular displacement".

As viewed by the author, to have a fuller idea about some fragments of the perception of the Timur"s sign, it"d be appropriate to look at views of the French philosopher of the 20 century and expert in symbolism Rene Guenon (adopted Islam and ordained into a Sufi order). Reasoning about the symbolism of "Far-Eastern traditions" (Chinese), he emphasized the role of "triunity", i.e. "Great Triad" composed of "Heavens, Earth, Man"" where the man is "a mediator between the Heaven and Earth". In other words, there is "any manifestation" between "Essence" (Heavens) and "universal Substance" (Earth), which is typical for the Hinduism tradition. In geometrical format, the given Triad is presented in the form of triangle with vertex down. That"s to say, there are three points: two up, one down with under between.

Timur and... the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic

Timur delivered a fatal blow to the Ottoman Empire; this notwithstanding, throughout subsequent centuries, he was perceived as an inspirer of the Turkic world (Turan) unification. This is clearly echoed in considerations below.

In 1905, the Azerbaijani scholar, philosopher, artist and physician Alibey Huseynzadeh set forth three principles need for survival and progress of the Azerbaijani people: Turkism, Islamism and Europeanization. In his words, "this path means that that we should be encouraged by Turkic sentiments, believe in Islam and "enrich ourselves with fruits of modern European civilization". It was Huseynzadeh who first ever in the Turkic world put forward the tree principles.

Some years later Mohammad Emin Rasulzadeh, future Chairman of the National Council of Azerbaijan who declared the independence of the Azerbaijani People"s (Democratic) Republic in 1918, wrote that "the ideology of Turkism is in the foreground as a political system". In his words, "the whole system of social ideology" is switching, step by step, from the religious system of Islamism to the national system of Turkism. Likewise changed the phraseology of "the Turkic press" previously called "the Moslem one". In 1915, M.E. Rasulzadeh declared "nationalism" as "a basis of our path." "Every nation, - he holds, - needs three principles for its progress: language, religion and epoch". According to our language we are Turks; according to our religion, we are Moslems. As Moslems, "we, Turks, are members of international of Islam, for we worship Allah and enjoy the common culture". In an attempt "to live independent life", it is essential "to furnish ourselves with modern sciences and arts". In other words, "to set sights on sound and enlightened nation, it is essential to recognize three principles: Turkization, Islamization and modernization".

The subtlety of the Rasulzadeh"s "Trinity" is discernible in the direct cohesion with the Timur"s sign (three circles), not graphical though. To follow our previous reasoning, the Rasulzadeh"s views on the interaction aspect are akin to N. Roerich"s outlook (along ideological lines), to А. Maykapar (in terms of music), as well as to scholars that advanced a concept of the germ of life (third circle) as a derivative of the two first circles. As a matter of fact, the Rasulzadeh"s three principles are none other than the same spiral in the form of three mutually related ovals (ellipses). In the meanwhile, "the circulation" is, on the one hand, "modernization" (third circle) tied together with Turkization and Islamization; on the other hand, it is a gleam of the new life. In other words, the three principles "soak up" an individual who, remaining in the" expanse" of Turkism and Islam, follows the course of progress, both his own (as personality), society and state.

It was no mere coincidence a resolution of the ADR government in November 1918 about recognition of "the national flag consisting of green, red and blue colors with white crescent and octahedral star" with blue, red and green fields upright was followed by М. E. Rasulzadeh"s words: "This three-colored banner symbolizing independent Azerbaijan raised by the National Council and implying the Turkic liberty (blue tint of Turkism of Tengrian (heavenly) origin), Islamic culture and modernity, will always be streaming above us". Isn"t that about vertical ovals but in rectangular form that the banner enclosed?

None more so than Uzeir Hadjibekov (author of music to the ADR anthem) wrote: "The significance of our flag is accounted for by blue color - color of Turkism; green color - color of Islamism and red color- color of progress and culture". Take note of the fact that red color on the flag (mediator?) is placed between blue and green colors. It is not without purpose.

As viewed by the Azerbaijani historian and head of scientific exposition and exhibition organization department of the Museum of History of Azerbaijan, Sabuhi Ahmedov, during the ADR an image of Timur "was propagandized as a symbol of grandeur of the Turkic world," and that was vividly apparent even in the fact of symbolics of the Republic". Indeed, a supplement to the order of ADR War Minister Samed-bey Mehmandarov of 1919 described banners of infantry and mounted regiments, separate battalions and a military school. On the edge of the banner canvas (of blue color) "there is a strip tracery which was borrowed from a Timur-Lang"s grave in Samarkand"; a green ribbon has "a lance of Timur-Lang and a horse-tail as an emblem of homeland border"s protection and people"s determination to perform an exploit ad gloriam". Next came the description of atop. The cylinder was encircled with "three (!) golden, planar annuluses with its upper part being a system of seamed corbelled ring (semi-ellipsoid)". Belted with a golden orbit, a sphere (what an interesting circle!) out of blue enamel "is decorated with large and little stars: large ones on the hemisphere - 7, small - 5" (i.е. by 12(!) on each hemisphere). A spear, "general outline" was borrowed from a picture of Teymur Lang"s pike which rises above to symbolize a concept of human spirit"s aspiration toward the heavenly perfection" (isn"t "a spiritual horizontal"?).

As noted in the order, "motives to reconstruct the present sketch proved to be self-consciousness of national development of peoples and remainders of ancient Moslem architecture which vividly manifest themselves in mosques and building erected by mighty Sovereign Teymur-Lang and his educated associates in Samarkand which are highly appreciated by the cultural world and the resurgent Azerbaijani Republic, in particular" (see: State Archives of the AR, f.2900, op.1, d.1, l. 128-130. Cited: Azerbaijani Democratic Republic (1918-1920). Army (Documents and materials). Baku, 1998. p. 154-157).

Reasoning from the above, М. E. Rasulzadeh titled Timur as historical hero of the All-Turkic world". So it was no mere coincidence that the Timur"s sign - figure "12" and the spiritual-historical factor of the Timur epoch ("musical-geometrical expanse") perfectly fitted into the ADR ideology.