The Image of the Ruler as a “Figure of Memory”: Genghis Khan and Amir Timur

This article explores the transformation of the images of two great rulers, Genghis Khan and Amir Timur, in the historical memory of post-socialist Mongolia and Uzbekistan. It analyzes how these figures are employed by contemporary states in the processes of nation-building and the construction of political legitimacy. Using a comparative approach within the logic of «most different cases», the study identifies parallels between two culturally and historically distinct countries that, in the context of redefined identities following the collapse of the USSR, adopt similar strategies of sacralizing the historical past. In Mongolia, Genghis Khan is portrayed as the spiritual founder of the nation and a symbol of cultural and political continuity, while in Uzbekistan, Amir Timur is represented as the architect of imperial power and international influence. The study draws on diverse empirical materials – including museums, monuments, textbooks, academic and official publications – to demonstrate the institutionalization of personality cults in educational, cultural, and state policies. Through the images of these rulers, mass perceptions of national identity, social unity, and historical greatness are shaped, turning memory politics into an effective tool for both internal and external legitimation of power.