Samarkand

Samarkand

Samarkand – is one of the most beautiful and ancient cities of the world founded at VIII century B.C. The name Samarkand from ancient Sanskrit means “crossroads of commercial roads”. It`s a gold cradle of world civilization, it was a trade bridge between East and West of Great Silk Road, it was the center of commercial relations, science, old traditions and different cultures.

The city is located in an altitude of 700 meters above sea level. The population is more than 500 thousand inhabitants.

Gur-Emir mausoleum

Gur Emir “the grave of emir” was built in 1403 for the honor of favorite grandson of Timur whose name was Mohammed Sultan. This is a dynastic shrine of Timurid`s family. Under the unique blue dome covered with 64 ribs there are gravestones of Timur, his third son Miranshah, fourth son Shokhrukh, his grandsons Mohammed Sultan and Ulugbeg, his spiritual teacher Mir Said Baraka and more recent tomb of Said Omar. The internal part is decorated with papier-mâché. Around the mausoleum you can see the ruins of ancient madrassah and khanaga for dervishes. The entrance portal built by the order of Ulugbeg was added later in 1422.

Reghistan square

Reghistan “sandy place” is the main cultural center and visit card of Samarkand. This architectural complex has three monumental buildings. Ulugbeg madrassah built from 1417 to 1420 was a real Oriental academy of Renaissance period in Central Asia. Sherdor madrassah “holding a lion” (1619-1636) was built by the order of the governor Bakhadur Yalangtushbiy. The portal of this madrassah impresses all visitors with its décor. The decoration is represented with a tiger trying to catch a deer, this style is very unusual for Islamic architecture. The third building is Tilla-Kari madrassah “decorated with gold” was built also by the order of Bakhadur Yalangtushbiy 1646-1660. It combines a madrassah with a wonderful mosque inside. Internal part the mosque is decorated with gold in a style called “kundal” that is unique in the territory of whole Uzbekistan. At the corner of this madrassah there is a crypt of Sheibanids XVI c. the first Uzbek governors who ruled in Samarkand. The famous festival called (Melodies of Orient) takes place here in Reghistan.

Bibikhanum mosque

Bibikhanum “the first wife” is the biggest historical mosque in Central Asia built for beloved wife of Timur whose name was Saray-Mulkkhanum. The mosque was built from 1399 to 1404. This huge mosque could accept 12 000 people every Friday, but nowadays we can see only four preserved parts: the portal, two lateral mosques and the main part Kuk Gumbaz (Blue Dome). In the middle of the yard there is a lectern made with marble stone brought from Mongolia by Ulugbeg, that kept during a long an ancient manuscript of saint Koran. The favorite wife of Timur is buried in front of entrance portal in a small mausoleum of women representatives of Timurid`s dynasty.

Shakhi-Zinda necropolis

Shakhi-Zinda “Alive King” is one of the most important religious centers in Samarkand. The history of this place is connected with Kussam ibn Abbas who was a cousin of Prophet Mohammed. He came here to make propaganda of Islam but he was killed. He is buried inside of this architectural complex. This complex was formed from XI c. till the beginning of XX c. This necropolis is a real museum of mosaic and majolica decoration masterpieces. You can admire there amazing decoration of Shirin Beka and Shodi Mulk mausoleums, well combined Double dome mausoleum, unrepeatable majolica art masterpiece in Usta Ali Nasafi mausoleum and original wood doors of Kussam ibn Abbas mausoleum, where the inscription says “The doors of paradise are open to all believers”.

Ulugbeg observatory

Samarkand is considered as one of the most important centers of astronomical science. Ulugbeg a grandson of Great Timur who became a governor when he was 15 years old, ordered to build this observatory. The construction lasted from 1424 to 1429. The original building had 3 stairs and round form. Nowadays we can see only underground part of the observatory with sextant. The sextant was built by a great mathematician of that period Giyosidin Djamshid. Till the beginning of XX c. the observatory was lost. In 1908 Russian archaeologist V. Vyatkin found the sextant. The construction covering the sextant was built by Russian engineer Lebedev. The work of Ulugbeg “Ziji Kuragani” was translated into many languages and it played an important role in the development of astronomy in whole world.

Rukhabad mausoleum

Rukhabad “adobe of spirit” is a mausoleum built for the honor of Burkhaniddin al-Sagardji. He was a great scientist of Islam who made propaganda of Islam in China in XIII c.. When Timur conquered Western China he ordered to transport his tomb to Samarkand. The mausoleum was built at XIV c. by the order of Timur.

Khazrat Khizr mosque

Khazrat Khizr is considered as a protector of travelers. The foundations of the mosque dated back to XI c. The actual building was built on these foundations at XIX c. The main architectural particularity of this mosque is its ceiling made with wood and painted into different colors. From the aiwan of this mosque you can have a beautiful view to old Samarkand.

Saint Daniel mausoleum

The local people call him Khodja Daniyar. This biblical prophet lived in Babylon in actual Iraq. He is famous with a story of pit full the lions. When Timur conquered Middle East he ordered to transport his tomb to Samarkand. But this historical fact still stays mysterious. The mausoleum XIX is built on the hills of ancient Afrasiyab. Inside a mausoleum there is 18 m long tomb of Saint Daniel. Near the mausoleum there is a pistachio tree that is more 500 years old.

Afrasiyab museum

Afrasiyab “on the shore of Siab” is an ancient name of Samarkand. This mound with the territory 219 hectares was ancient Samarkand founded at VIII c. B.C. It had a population more than 200 thousand people at XI c. and was an important commercial center situated at crossroads of Northern and Southern roads of Great Silk Road. But as all flourished cities it had the end destroyed by Genghis khan at XIII c. During archaeological excavations the historians found wall-painting fresco of VII c. that belongs to Zoroastrian culture. It is exhibited now in a museum opened in 60 s called Afrasiyab. At the same time you can find there ceramic ossuaries where the fire-worshipers were keeping the bones of dead people.

Imam al-Bukhari mausoleum

Khazret Imam al-Bukhari was a great Islamic scientist who wrote the second important book in Muslim world after Koran “Al-jome as Sahih” (the collection of hadiths). He was born in 810 in Bukhara, when he was 16 he went with his family to Mecca, but he didn`t come back. During 40 years Imam al-Bukhari travelled in Middle Eastern countries to collect hadiths “the sayings of prophet”, and then he came back to Bukhara. After a conflict with local governor he was exiled to Samarkand, but the governor couldn`t accept him and he moved to the village called Khartang in 25 km from Samarkand, where he passed away in 870. There is a mausoleum made with onyx built in 90s for his honor visited by Muslims from all over the world.

Ubaydullah Ahrar Vali mausoleum

Khodja Ahrar Vali was a famous 19 th representative of Nakshbandiya Sufi chain. He was born in Tashkent, in 1426 when he was 22 he was sent to Samarkand to study in Ulugbeg madrassah in Reghistan square. Later Ahrar Vali went to Herat where he became a disciple of famous Sufi Khodja Said Kosim at –Tabrizi. Khodja Said Kosim sent him to Hissar Mountains where Ahrar Vali became a disciple of Khazret Yakub al-Charkhi. (Now the tomb of Yakub Charkhi is located in the territory of Tadjikistan). He lived during the period of Timurids and he was a political figure as well. Khodja Ahrar was a spiritual teacher of Sultan Abu Said a great-grandson of Timur. He passed away in 1489 in Samarkand and he was buried in Sufi center built by him in the village called Kafshir. He passed the silsila to his disciple Sheikh Muhammad Zahid as-Samarqandi.

Near his tomb there is a madrassah of Nodir Devan-Begi built at XVII c.