Amir Timur This drawing is similar to
a statue in the middle of Tashkent depicting the national hero Amir Timur, who
was actually a terrible man. With the advent of the Republic of Uzbekistan in
1990, the government needed to promote nationalism, so they created a history
of a people that didn't really exist before and Amir Timur is part of that history.
He was indeed a historical figure, but he didn't even like the Uzbeks. In any
case his persona is now gracing this 500 so'm note, worth about 50 cents and
enough to buy 5 loaves of bread or 5 rides on the tram, metro, or bus.
