Ruy Gonzalo de Clavijo
600 years ago at around this time of year (24 March, 1406) Ruy Gonzalo de Clavijo returned to Alcalá de Henares after a long voyage. He had started out from Puerto de Santa Maria on 21 May, 1403 and travelled all the way to the city of Samarkand in the very heart of Asia.
The description of his journey is meticulously related in a treasure of medieval Castilian literature entitled 'Embassy to Tamburlaine', which is on a par with the famous 'Travels' of Marco Polo.
The visit by this worthy Castilian made a strong impression on Khan Timour, also called Lenk or 'the lame one', who was the leader of the Mongols and emperor of Samarkand, and known in the west as Tamburlaine. López de Hoyos addressed the Senate of the City of Madrid, in a letter detailing the description of Madrid that Clavijo had given to Khan Timour.
"...The great Lion of Spain, my lord, has a city called Madrid the Ursaria, which is today the strongest, because it is walled, and rises up from fire and water, and can be reached through a great Closed Gate, and Your Highness should know that in this city there is a court where the magistrates are Cats and the procurators are Beetles, and the Dead walk the streets."
There is no doubt that the Khan was completely won over; so much so that he founded in his empire a city with the name of Madrid, which has today become a district of Samarkand. A few years ago our illustrious traveller from Madrid was paid the honour of having one of the main avenues in the city named after him.
The reason for sending an embassy so far afield was due to the political strategy of Henry III of Castile, who intended to form an alliance with Tamburlaine against the Ottoman Turks. This was the response to a previous visit by an ambassador from the Khan, named Mohammad Alcaxi, who brought a letter describing the Mongol victory over Bayezid I near Ankara on 28 July, 1402, and came bearing gifts which included several slave girls from the harem of the vanquished Sultan.
Today's relations between the two countries have been formalised with the creation of the 'Clavijo-Tamburlaine Spanish Uzbek Friendship Society' which is currently organising a series of lectures to commemorate the anniversary of the voyage.
The houses of Ruy Gonzalo de Clavijo are located in the Plaza de la Paja square, almost on the corner with the Calle Segovia, facing a charming city garden which is part of the Anglona mansion.
