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Timur was often portrayed as a barbarian. However, Timur was a complicated character and he was a well-educated and intelligent man. It seemed that unlike most he could read and write, and he spoke three languages, and these were Turkish, Mongolian and Persian <ref>Manz, Beatrice Forbes. The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane. (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999), p.109</ref> His own religious views are unknown but like many Central Asian nomads he may have been sympathetic to the Sufis, a mystical branch within Islam. However, this pacific and contemplative sect did not moderate Timur’s obsession with war and conquest <ref> Marozzi, p. 213</ref>. He was a great patron of the arts and his reign was to make the beginnings of a cultural renaissance in Central Asia. Under his patronage Central Asian cities such as Samarkand became flourishing cultural centers, which attracted scholars, artists and tradesmen from all over Asia.  Timur’s patronage established the Timurid style of architecture, one of the world’s greatest architectural styles. The arts of mosaics and ceramics also flourished in Central Asia. Tamerlane’s His mausoleum, the Gūr-e Amīr, is one of the gems of Islamic art. His successors in the Timurid Dynasty were also great patrons of the arts. The helped to establish a school of Persian miniature painting in Central Asia which are masterpieces of Islamic Art<ref> Manz, Beatrice Forbes “Tamerlane and the symbolism of sovereignty". Iranian Studies. 21 (1-2): (1998) 105–122</ref>. The Timurids built many magnificent Mosques and Palaces, in cities such as Herat (Afghanistan) which were very influential in Islamic architecture. Timur and his descendants did much to create a culture in Muslim Central Asia that was to decisively shape that region for many centuries.