Timur, Stalin and the Third Day Curse - Historum

Kris · June 28th, 2007, 12:04 PM

I've been studying Cold War history for the last couple of months now and I stumbled upon something which I thought might interest you all.

While Germany was inching closer and closer to launching Operation Barbarossa, a scientific expedition was taking place in Uzbekistan. An expert in the field, Mikhail Gerasimov suggested to Stalin that the tomb of 14th century warlord Timur bin Targhay Barlas should be opened. When this was still in discussion, Stalin had been informed of a local tradition in the area wherein that if the "War God's" sleep was disturbed disaster would follow, and Timur would return on the third day to bring war. Naturally, everyone brushed this off.

On the night of June 19th, 1941 the tomb was opened. On June 21st, Stalin was informed by a German deserter that a major war would break out the next day. Stalin viewed this as simple provocative propaganda. Indeed, the war would begin on June 22nd, a mere three days after Timur's tomb was disturbed.

More about Timur:

Timur

Operation Barbarossa:

Operation_Barbarossa

If anyone is interested, I came across this story in Edvard Radinzsky's biography of Stalin which can be purchased at the following link...

Amazon.com: Stalin: The First In-depth Biography Based on Explosive New Documents from Russia's Secret Archives (9780385479547): Edvard Radzinsky: Books

**Belisarius** · June 29th, 2007, 09:03 AM

Well that's up there with Tutankhamen's curse, Drake's Drum, and the Angel of Mons. I like it.

Penelope · July 28th, 2007, 07:46 PM

What exactly was the purpose or reason for Stalin's disturbance of this Great Conquerors eternal sleep?

**Salah** · January 26th, 2011, 07:04 PM

Very thought provoking stuff.

*thread necromancer strikes again*

**jungleplanewreck** · January 26th, 2011, 07:13 PM

Why did he want to open it to begin with?

Awesomated88 · January 26th, 2011, 08:58 PM

I also heard that when it was closed, either the war ended or the Russians won a victory..I forget..

johnincornwall · January 26th, 2011, 09:48 PM

Tamerlane to me. Seems like there was an archeological expedition going on. Also seems like the Germans were preparing to attack Russia. Difficult to connect the two unless you think Hitler can make plans and move a million men to the border in 3 days.

Concurrent events.

sylla1 · January 26th, 2011, 10:02 PM

This incomplete story is indeed told at the end of that wiki article on Timur; conversely, the complement of the tale is told within the wiki entry on the Soviet archaeologist Gerasimov

Mikhail_Mikhaylovich_Gerasimov

; our Awesomated88 is right:

Quote:

In June 1941 Stalin sent Gerasimov to Uzbekistan with a team of archaeologists to open the tombs of Tamerlane and other members of the Timurid Dynasty. Legend tells that people of Samarkand protested against the opening, claiming that digging out the bodies would lead to a catastrophe - and the opening of the tomb coincided with Hitler's attack against the Soviet Union. People close to Gerasimov say that the story is a pure fabrication but the legend still persists. However, when Timur's remain was returned to the Gur-e Amir Mausoleum under full Islamic burial procedure in November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus successfully in Stalingrad, which was the turning point on the Eastern Front ...
... In popular culture (e.g., the film Day Watch), Gerasimov's exhumation of Tamerlane on 22 June 1941 is represented as the violation of an ancient curse which led to the outbreak of the German-Soviet War, whose turning point coincided with Gerasimov's eventual reburial of the ancient conqueror's skull.

Another nice urban legend, IMHO.

**NewModelSoldier** · January 26th, 2011, 10:11 PM

sylla this is entirely unrelated, but you live in Mexico? Or are you on vacation currently? Maybe you are B. Traven?

Yeah I heard of this a year or so ago when I was studying about Tamerlane and my professor mentioned it and I thought it was rather intriguing. Still, too good to be true as it turns out. With all these stories, so many questions are raised, so few answers given (if any).