From the modern wonders of Tashkent, we make our way by bus to the magical city of Samarkand. This ancient city invoikes visions of The Arabian Nights and its current beauty does not disappoint. The Registan, which is the main complex and tourist attraction includes three ancient madrasas or Islamic Universities. The beautifully restored blue and green tiles which completely cover the facades do not disappoint in grandeur or volume. Nearby, the mosoleums in the complex of Shah-i-Zinda are perhaps not as large or as restored as the Registan, but the beauty of the well-maintained tiles and brickwork is equally if not more stunning. A couple of days running around Samarkand leaves us both satisfied and looking forward to what we might find in Bhukara.
Moseleum of the Timer, or Tamerlane, the Turkol, Mongol conqueror.Timor’s grandson, who inherited the throne, was a champion of science. This observatory included a giant sextant which tracked the movement of celestial objectsMosoleumTimor’s mosoleum and ruins of the greater complexStatue of Ulugh Beg, ruler and astronomerShah-i-Zinda beautifulShah-i-Zinda mosoleum comples, amazing tileworkShah-i-Zinda layers of brick and ceramic tilesShah-i-Zinda mosqueRainy morning does not deplete the beauty of the Shah-i-Zinda More Shah-i-Zinda Beautiful mosoleum tilesPresident’s mosoleumFrom the President’s mosoleumEach night in Samarkand, they light up the Registan in brilliant colorBeautiful light show Registan, SamarkandCrazy 3-Dimensional light-up mural at our little hotel in Samarkand…they definately believe in ornamentation here…Registan…Amazing, the size and beauty of the Registan are difficult to capture in a photo..Breathtaking. In general, it is (or was) prohibited to depict animals and people in Islamic art in this area of the world but the Persians who were hired to design this madrasa didn’t realize this and so we have the beautiful tiger mosaics…Inside one of the madrasas in the RegistanInside the old mosque of the madrasaBeautiful tile work inside the madrasaThese beautiful “screens” are a common element inside the madrasas
Kathleen
