Things to see and do Central Asia

Unlike the dome of the chapeliers, that of joailliers was located inside the shahristan, the inner city of the Middle Ages, between the Mir-i-Arab madrasas and the madrasahs Oulough and Abdul Aziz Khan. Even today, jewellery merchants are not far away. Indeed, there is a small gold market in the Khodja Nurabad street, next to the large carpet market. In the cupola of joailliers a few jewels but of poor quality; most shops sell handcrafted souvenirs.

Going back to the Hakikat street north, Tim Khan is on the right after the Bazar bazaar. This covered market dates back to the end of the th century. Here you can find the finest hand-woven silk silk and a wide selection of carpets from all origins. The weaving trades are presented at the bottom of the tim.

North of the Magok-i-Attari mosque, Polymerase-i-Telpak Furushan, or dome of the chapeliers, was located in the raba, or the outside city, just at the southern door of the shahristan. We sold all kinds of hats, embroidered tioubetek or fur hats, but also books. The tomb of the Holy Man, Khodja Ahmed-i-Paran, reminds merchants that it is other wealth than material. Despite its name, the dome of the chapeliers houses carpet sellers today.

Before the Arab conquest were at this location a market and a Buddhist temple, then a fire temple dedicated to the moon. The first mosque was built in the th century - which is the oldest in Central Asia - on the ruins of the temple, as it was used at that time. It was completely rebuilt in the th century and refurbished in the th century. In 1839, it was discovered by Shishkin, the same archaeologist who had uncovered the Samani mausoleum in the cemetery. Excavations also made it possible to revive the southern portal that dates back to the th century mosque. Shishkin also discovered traces of the th century Fire temple and the oldest Buddhist temple. Over the centuries, the ground level had risen by several metres and Magok mosque had found half buried underground. Already, for the construction of the portal, which dates back to the th century, the entrance had to be adapted to the change of the street level, and a staircase at large steps descends down to the entrance of the mosque. The mosque bears a very vivid name reflecting its history: agok means underground and attor, merchant. The mosque now serves as an exhibition hall for carpets. To the east, the wells fall into the land to the place where the Buddhist temple was.

Following the west on the west side of the basin, you arrive at the Tak-i-Sarrafan dome, known as the "coupole dome". It was built in 1538 and housed the Jews changers and only empowered to engage in this occupation, the Uzbeks considering that it is a misfortune. If mosques and madrasahs are the heart of Bukhara, merchant domes are the nervous system. It was because of the trade and the taxes that flowed from it that the city was experiencing such a rise. These massive constructions with unusual bulbs dating from the th century have a very functional architecture. Located at the intersection of the streets, it has high ogival entrances which allow traders and camels loaded with goods to move freely. The covered galleries in which the shops are located intersect in a central hall surmounted by a high dome. It is more expensive than outside, and the heat-laden visitor greatly appreciates the qualities of business-promoting architecture when a smart merchant invites him to sit down in the light store. There are now three of these merchant domes named tâk dating back to the time of the Chaybanides. In the past, the shopping streets that led to these domes were also lined with shops and protected from the sun by mats of reeds. Drowned in an eternal dust, the traffic was exotic as it could, mixing four-foot four of all sizes and walking. Armin Vambery, who in the th century was one of the few foreigners able to walk freely in the city, said that without the brilliance and magnificence of the markets in Tehran or Isfahan, the markets in Bukhara were striking by the diversity of races and costumes that were met there. Located in the south of the raba, or the outside city, on the left bank of the Shährud Canal and at the junction of the arteries leading to all the doors of the city, this covered market enjoyed a particularly favourable location. The marchande was part of a series of constructions designed in the early th century, including a mosque and baths. The coupole of the changers is now invested by souvenir merchants. Crossing the southern portal, we enter the Jewish neighbourhood, but most of Bukhara's Jews have migrated to Europe and the United States since independence.

Surrounded by tchaïkhana and mulberry pluricentenaires, the Liab-i-Khaouz is a place of life and conviviality in the heart of the old town, the ideal starting point for excursions in Bukhara. Behind the foliage of mulberry trees is the sumptuous facades of madrasas and the khanaka Nadir Divanbeg. The pool provides freshness even during hot summer hours. At the time of its greatness, Bukhara had around such basins, of which Liab-i-Khaouz is one of the few survivors. Caught by the tourist business, it is now flanked by bars on three sides and camel statues on the fourth. Traditional tapchan were mostly replaced by tables and chairs in the west. The aksakal, or the old ones, who gathered there in dozens, were gradually turned back to the right of the basin to accommodate the tourists, now much more. That has not changed their habits: Take the time and play the domino for hours, smiling in the passage of groups of all nationalities. They know that the basin was born of a first expulsion: a legend tells us how, at the location of the basin, was once the home of a Jewish woman. In no way did he want to move, was the plans of the vizier who decided to dig a canal under his house. The vizier won the game, because the house eroded by the humidity eventually collapsed. This little banale history of expulsion marked the city's inhabitants, who called the Khaouz Bazur Basin: the stress pool. In addition to being one of the few basins to have crossed the centuries, it is also one of the largest in the city: it is 45 m long and 36 m wide. Three buildings border the basin. In the north, a little in retreat, La Koukeldash is the oldest, it dates from the middle of the 1620 th century, while the madrasas and the khanaka nadir, which are facing east and west of the basin, were built in, along with the water plan.

The Madrasas Koukeldash, built in 1568 by Pte Koukeldash, is the grande of the city. it measures 80 m on 60 m and consists of 160 cells on two levels. For some time, she became a museum dedicated to the writer Saddridin Aïni.

On the right of Madrasas Koukeldash, there are other mosques and madrasahs. In the east of the basin, the Nadir-Divanbeg madrasas is distinguished by the two immense sémourgues or simorgh that adorn its portal. These fantastic birds with a blue and green plumage, which keep a biche in their greenhouses, seem to be flying to a sun god, reminiscent of the facade of Madrasas Dor in Samarkand. The upper porch is characteristic of the caravanserais, and was apparently not intended to open onto a madrasas. But it is said that the khan on himself during the inauguration and, admiring the caravanserai, félicita Nadir-Divan-Begi for his religious zeal to build so beautiful madrasahs. It was unthinkable to contradict the episode, and although there was no study room or mosque, the caravanserai became a madrasas. In fact, this transformation was undoubtedly caused by the decline in the commercial activity of Bukhara in the th century. Today cells are transformed into souvenir shops and craftsmen's workshops. Iskandar Hakimov and Erkin Juraev design puppets in very expressive national costumes. In summer, concerts are also organized. Finally, in the west, the nadir Nadir Divanbeg welcomed the pilgrims. They stayed in the cells around the central mosque, now transformed into art gallery and souvenir shop.

Between the basin and the Nadir-Divanbeg Madrasas was erected, on the occasion of its th anniversary, the statue of Khodja Nasruddin, a half-hearted character, a wise half, perched on his donkey and holding a small piece of bronze between her fingers.

It is probably the most beautiful place in the city, and in any case the most monumental. The Mir-i-Arab madrasas faces the immense Kalon mosque and its terrible minaret, «the tower of death». Many historical films have been filmed in these places, and even if the cavaliers of Mohamed Chaybani Khan are not there every day, the students of la and pilgrims who go to the mosque take charge of the atmosphere.

Kalon minaret. Five times a day, four muezzin grimpaient the 105 steps of its inner staircase to call for prayer. Their voices were over 8 km and the other minarets would catch the call within a radius of 16 km. Nicknamed «the tower of death», this minaret built in 1127 by the Karakhanide Arslan Khan was not only used to call the faithful to prayer. In the th century, it was its summit that prisoners of death and other impure people were thrown. The minaret also served as a point of observation during the day and a lighthouse at night. Every evening, a water-filled basin was lit in the centre of the rotunda located at the top. The caravans arriving from the desert could thus find themselves, such as the vessels approaching the ports. Genghis Khan, who had quickly appreciated his strategic importance, spared the minaret while no other monument in Bukhara survived his passage. 48 m high, with foundations set to several metres in the ground, the minaret carries its name well, Kalon meaning "large". With a slightly conical shape, it is decorated with a succession of brick rings with different geometric motifs. These bricks were made with camel milk and bull blood! However, this terrible beauty did not prevent General Frounze from firing the barrel on the symbol of the power of Saint Bukhara. Severely damaged, the minaret was restored in the s. In the 1970 s, an earthquake was no more lenient and lost his head, restored since the care of UNESCO.

Kalon Mosque. This imposing Jami mosque, the largest after Bibi Khanoum, was rebuilt several times. It is reported that a first raw brick mosque was built in 713, probably at the location of a Buddhist temple or fire, a frequent appropriation in this century of religious conquest. The mihrab of the Kalon mosque would have been located more in the east, at Ark's level. In the 2nd century, the mosque, with an area of ha, was rebuilt according to new plans. The many pillars supporting the structure were wood, a rare commodity that forced to reduce the surface to one hectare. It was reported that a fire was killed in the 1220 th century, or even that the minaret was écroulant the détruisit almost completely, in any case, it was rebuilt in the XII by Arslan Khan and destroyed again when Genghis Khan passed away in. In 1514, chaybanide Khan, Abdullah Khan, built a new mosque whose dimensions (130 m out of 80) responded to "gold number"; in 1545, his successor made the mosaic of mosaics decorate. The huge inner courtyard and the galleries covered by the 288 domes could accommodate more than 10 000 worshippers. The mosque has seven doors, one facing sunrise, two face to bedtime and two on each side of the side. In the right wing, a deep sink passes to contain holy water; It is paid in a huge stone cut that keeps it fresh. Pilgrims drink it by making a vow. In the centre, a rotunda to the eight doors - symbolizing the gates of paradise - was built by the last Khan in Bukhara in memory of the martyrs who perished on this site during the destruction of the mosque by Genghis Khan. During the Soviet period, from 1924 to 1989, the mosque remained closed and was transformed into a warehouse and planting during World war II. The blue dome, Kok Goumbaz, dominating the mihrab, and its portal were restored through funding from UNESCO, told us a man who was meditator in the shadow of a cupola, and it is also for that, he added, that she was not made to worship, and that non-believers can still admire the culte. more beautiful mosques.

Madrasas Mir-i-Arab. It was built in 1535 by Sheikh Abdullah, the Yemeni religious leader and the spiritual guide of Ubaydullah Khan. The Khan was subsidised by the sale of 3 000 Persian prisoners, Shi'a Muslims who were considered infidels and could therefore be sold as slaves. In Soviet times, this madrasas was the only one authorized to provide religious teaching in Central Asia. Today, it has a considerable reputation and there are many students there. Access is forbidden to visitors. From the outside, its appearance is impressive and its two blue domes echo Kok Goumbaz from the Kalian mosque. Khan Khan and Sheik Abdullah Mir-i-Arab were buried there.

The summer residence of the Bukhara/is located in a huge park of over 6 ha, 5 km from the city. A first palace surrounded by gardens was built by the Amir Akhad Khan at the end of the th century. Alim Khan, his son, added a new building in 1914. The last episode of Bukhara was educated in St. Petersburg, and his way of life was felt. He commanded a palace that was probably at the forefront of modernity, mixing Russian architecture with the decorative style of Central Asia. The result is surprising. The visit consists of three different bodies of buildings, transformed into museums: the Appartements Khan apartments and reception rooms, the octagonal palace and the harem. The reception Pieces of the Amir Alim Khan, built in thread, are an input from Russian architects working in the courtyard of the Amir. The white room is a unique work, its walls are entirely covered with finely ciselé white gantch on a background of mirrors. The construction of this glass palace boukhare lasted three years, during which the architect rejected the entrance of the site. When Alim Khan finally saw the result, he was captivated and, taking into account the old ancestral habits, decided to kill the architect so that he could not bring his art to others. Fortunately, Chirin Muradov, the architect of the white room, was warned in time and managed to escape. At the entrance, a high boudoir is decorated with niches niches, which are painted with unusual and beautiful bouquets of colorful flowers. The walls and ceiling of the games room and the waiting room are entirely decorated with gilded panels, covered with an extraordinary and a somewhat oppressive mosaic of mirrors. The banquet room is the most original and sumptuous, it consisted of four sets of decorative walls, one for each season, that one changes thanks to a mechanism no one remembers but, in any case, the other three sets disappeared after the revolution. In these rooms there are various gifts offered to the Amir, including an original glass-free refrigerator. The mirzo-khona, or the secretaries room, is the most sober of pieces, its three-door mirror is, it seems, magic. By looking at it, we must make a vow, which takes place within 40 days… At the end of the building, the veranda displays a beautiful collection of antique vases from all sources. The octagonal palace is a museum dedicated to national costume, where apparat, colourful khalat or dark parandja are displayed in the middle of photos of the princely family. The garments were usually made by women, but the patterns of gold yarns were embroidered only by men. The octahedra room for guests was originally decorated with the gold leaf; after the revolution, gold was replaced by bronze and won in Russia. The harem houses the museum of embroidery. The different decorative techniques are illustrated by one of the finest collections of suzani in Uzbekistan. Before the harem is a large water plan. It was reported that the Amir would set up himself in the dome dome that borders this basin to watch his wife bathing, and chose the elected man from his heart by launching an apple.

Lost in the streets east of the Liab-i-Khaouz, this small monument remains too frequently away from tourist walks, sanctioning its relative relative distance from other interesting sites. Tchor Minor means "four minarets". In fact, they were four towers that marked the entrance of a disparue, which was now disappeared, built in 1807 by a wealthy Turkmen merchant. Each turret symbolized a city: Termez, Denau, Kounia-Ourgentch and Mecca. Originally, la consisted of 59 cells and was led by Sheikh Sufi, Khali Niaz Kholi, one of the most respected and influential naqchbandi in the early th century. In one of the turrets, a staircase leads to a vaulted room that will open the guard, which also keeps the souvenir shop on the ground floor.

The city was fortified as soon as it was created. The Ark was a citadel surrounded by high walls, and the shakhrestan, the inner city, also possessed its place. And to protect itself from the nomadic attacks, the oasis of Bukhara was surrounded by a wide circle of tens of kilometres. It was consolidated in the th century after the Arab conquest. In the image of the city, these fortifications were frequently destroyed and rebuilt. At the end of the th century, Ismail Samani again rebuilt the wall surrounding the Bukhara oasis: " As long as I am alive, he said, I'll be the walls of Bukhara. During the reign of Abdul Aziz Khan, in 1540, the imposing walls protecting the city of the outside world were 12 km long and 11 m high, with 11 solid doors in two paved sides of turrets which remained closed during the night. The walls endured some affronts during the feudal wars but protected the city until the Russian conquest. In 1920, the Bolshevik army left only a few kilometres away, of which we still can see large swathes in the bazaar area and in the southwest of the city. The best preserved parties are just north of the mausoleum Ismail Samani, around the Talipoch Gate, once decorated with gold nails, and one of the only two that survived until the contemporary era. It was behind this door that, until the arrival of the Russians, the slave market, was replaced by the great Bazar bazaar. On Sunday, the bazaar goes far beyond the Allées Park where fowls is also organized.

Nicknamed the «pearl of the Orient», the mausoleum of the Samanides has long been forgotten at the bottom of a cemetery. When the Shishkin archaeologist was born in 1930, on the occasion of the development of Samani Park, he was drowned in the middle of other graves buried under several feet of land, which earned him to be spared by the Mongolian tornado and through a thousand years of history. Today the necropolis disappeared, a park was built around the mausoleum, and a basin was dug to restore its original configuration. The Soviets admired the power of its architecture and wanted to make it a museum. The Uzbeks, however, worship the founder of one of the most prestigious Central Asian dynasties. It is even said that Ismail Samani, buried in the mausoleum, continued to reign for a long time on Bukhara from his grave. The sheikhs or imams came to see him and waited for his answer to make decisions about the city. The pearl of the East is a witness to Bukhara's golden age. Built in the early th century by Ismail Samani, for his father Akhmad, this dynastic tomb is the oldest Muslim mausoleum not only in Central Asia but perhaps in the world. Its precise dating would determine whether the tradition of building a mausoleum for Muslim dynasties was born here, or in Iraq, with the tomb of the caliph Al Mountasir. Its architecture retains a sogdienne influence but incorporates revolutionary construction techniques for the time. The mausoleum is designed as symbolic representation of the universe: a cube of just under 11 m beside the four identical facades, symbol of earth and stability, surmounted by a half-spherical dome which is the sogdienne representation of the universe. Above the door of the mausoleum is represented a circle in a square: the fire symbol of eternity. The decorative techniques made of bricks assembled by groups of four or five in different senses also constitute an innovation that will mark the following centuries. The mausoleum has 18 different combinations, including three dimensions. Its proportions and decorative motifs meet the dynamic square principle, an architectural discovery that gives the whole power and rarely ever harmony. According to the position of the sun, the pieces of bricks give the monument a different light and appearance, in spite of the sobriety of its shape. The manufacturers used baked brick, cemented with egg yolk and camel milk. This unusual material and its scholarly assembly allowed the monument to cross more than one millennium without suffering earthquakes. The pilgrims do three times the tower of the mausoleum by reciting prayers. Some tourists also, because it is said that if you wish to return to Bukhara… the wish is realized.

In Samani Park, head to the bazaar since the Bolo-Khaouz mosque. It will be renamed, in fact a chapel, as a place as revered as the mausoleum Ismail Samani. Chachma Ayoub means «job source». According to the legend, Job, the prophet of the Old Testament, would have raised a source of pure water by planting his pilgrim's stick at that place and then, upon his death, he was buried near the source. There is another tomb of the prophet near Damascus, but it is a contradiction that bothers historians more than pilgrims. The history of this source, like that of many other holy places in Central Asia, is transmitted mainly by oral tradition and the few texts are often written for propaganda purposes. Researchers have also noted that the cult of the Ancient Testament prophets is more frequent in the Muslim world than in Christian countries, a phenomenon they attribute to the influence of nestorians or to the Yemeni legends of South Arabia. In any case, the Koranic texts have made Ayoub the pattern of the sources and will find it more than once where a source of pure water springs. The recent archaeological research has established that there is a conflict built here from the th century, but the current building dates back to the th and th centuries. It consists of four main rooms in which the gurkhana, the source of holy water, and the parts intended for pilgrims are located. Near the entrance of the gurkhana, an inscription attributed the construction to Amir Hadjaj and thanked Tamerlane for his kindness. On the wooden floor, another inscription reported the arrival of the Prophet Ayoub and his death in Bukhara. This is the only building in Bukhara that dates back to Timur's time. The conical dome, built in the XIV, is typical of the architecture of Khorezm and was executed by artisans of Kounia Ourgench that Timur had brought back from his military campaigns. The lantern dome was added in the th century. The source, known for its curative virtues, is supposed to cure skin diseases. Today, it is home to a museum dedicated to the history and different water supply techniques in Bukhara.

The two madrasahs Supercritical-i-Khan and Abdullah Khan are located southwest of the Bolo-Khaouz mosque. The smallest of the two, the madrasas Supercritical-i-Khan, dedicated to Abdullah Khan's mother, was built in 1566 at the beginning of the emir's reign. It is a madrasas in classical architecture, with a level of cells where students lived as well as a mosque and a courtroom, or darskhana, giving on an inner courtyard. Today there are the same craftsmen and souvenir shops as in other Madrasahs madrasahs. Madrasas Abdullah Khan dates back to 1588. Also built by Abdullah Khan, but at the pinnacle of his glory, his appearance releases more power than his modest neighbour. Madrasas presents a traditional pattern, a large courtyard surrounded by cells, but architects have complicated the structure by increasing the number of cells at the corners of the buildings thanks to surmontés-surmounted classrooms. The "lantern of Abdullah", located in the north wing, is an example of these architectural discoveries. This octahedral room is surrounded by two-storey high-floor galleries. The. entrance can be closed, but it is possible to enter it by the left side. Unless the conservators have taken away, you will be able to enjoy this veritable labyrinth in freedom and discover the star decorations of the inner domes of the mosque and the darskhana, or the students'graffiti at the beginning of the century.

After crossing the west of the vast and deserted Place square, the trees surrounding the basin and the minaret of the Bolo-Khaouz mosque make it a very valuable shade. Marble marches descend to the dark but refreshing waters of the basin built in the th century and gave its name to the mosque (khaouz). The iwan is placed on twenty pillars of karagatch wood whose unusual finesse gives the whole air look. The decoration of the wooden ceiling walls, as well as that of the painted stalactites adorning the angular ends, make this mosque one of the most beautiful in the city. When the Amir went to Friday prayer, carpets were laid on the ground, from the Ark gate to the entrance to the mosque. The mosque itself dates back to 1712, the high iwan of 12 m, which makes it one of the highest in Central Asia, was added to the 1917 th century and the minaret in. The latter has been badly aged, increasingly penetrating with a small tower in Pisa; It is now reinforced by a wooden frame connected to the ground by channels.

It was built, ten years before the Bolsheviks's arrival, by Muhammad Rahim Khan, says Firouz. Just like at the Sitori-i-Mokhi-Khoza Palace, the marriage of Oriental styles with the luxury of St. Petersburg is wonder and testifies to the fascination of the last/by the sumptuous life of the czars. The palace, completely fenced out of walls, consists of a large garden in the north-west quarter, a large reception room, official lounges, the khan apartments. In total, more than a hundred pieces, galleries in all directions, courtyards lined with iwan… A desert splendour where gold decorations of huge rooms and emptied of their furniture would almost dazzle.

Also in Ichan Kala, facing its west gates, stands the minaret Bikadjan Bika, dating back to 1894 and measuring 20 m. It overlooks a small cemetery where the tomb of a saint, Sheikh Qalandar Bobo, is built, decorated with traditional poles. The mausoleum dates back to the th century.

Built in the th century, they are located in the rue Palvan Kari, which leaves the east gates of Ichan Kala. If their architecture recalls that of the doors of Ichan Kala, their appearance is much more massive and free from any coloured decoration.

Between Palvan Darvoza and Koï Darvoza there was a great bazaar where animals, horses, sheep, camels, and slaves were sold. Still today, a bazaar takes place in Dichan Kala, still very colourful but the goods fortunately changed. By leaving Ichan Kala by the East door, the bazaar is left and two minarets stand in the alignment of the door. The first is Sayyid Niyaz Shalikarbey Mosque. The whole was built between 1835 and 1845, making it one of the oldest minarets in Uzs. Its majestic summit decorated with irakis, small niches dug in the structure to give relief to the decorations, looks more like the minarets from the Registan to Samarkand than to other minarets in Uzs. A little further, the minaret Palvan Kari handed over 3 m to the first with a height of 21 m. More recently, it was erected in 1905 and takes its name from the rich merchant carrying out its construction as well as that of the adjacentes and adjacent mosque. A simpler architecture than the previous one, it seems more massive and its couronne crown less impressive. Looking towards Ichan Kala, we see the impeccable alignment of the two minarets of Dichan Kala, with the minaret of the mosque of Friday in Ichan Kala. A little further is the Abd-al Bobo mosque, which houses some old tombs, including the Khorezmshah Atsiza of Gurganj of the th Century. The mausoleum was built in the years following the Arab conquest to host the body of Abdal Bobo, from Bukhara and Great preacher in Uzs.

Pahlavan Makhmoud (1247 - 1325) is the patron saint of the city. An extraordinary character: fur of his state, he was also an extraordinary wrestler and a poet. Born from the tribe of Kungrad, he is considered the spiritual founder of the dynasty. His tomb was built at the site of his fur studio and, in 1810, was included in the dynastic mausoleum of the kungrad/. A high portal leads to an inner courtyard with the khanaka surmounted by a drum and a turquoise blue dome, a summer mosque and the buildings that houses the tombs of the mother and son of Isfandiar Khan. In the courtyard there is also a well where the young married people want a child. The majoliques that decorate the interior of the khanaka are of breathtaking beauty. The walls and the cupola are entirely adorned with blue and white végétales in which the poems of Pahlavan Makhmoud are inserted. These majoliques were made by the famous Samurai Djinn. The tomb of Pahlavan Makhmoud lies in an adjoining room, located on the left of the large hall. The pilgrims come in front of the skeleton grid which protects its tomb. The tombs of/Abdul Gazi (1663), Anoucha (1681) and Muhammad Rakhim are placed in khanaka.

Opposite the entrance to the caravanserai is the harem of Tash Khauli, the «stone palace», which until recently also served as an entrance to the palace. After a few works, it is again accessible by its usual entrance, in a left lane just after the Madrasas Mourad Inak. The Citadel in the heart of the inner city, Tash Khauli, was built from 1831 to 1841. Behind the high walls, the Khan was built this new palace with a courtroom, administrative buildings, the royal apartments and a harem. Nurmuhamad Tadjikhan, the hapless architect who signed this magnificent book, had a rare but frequent spell in his profession. He had the insolence to tell the episode that it was impossible to finish the palace in two years; in retaliation, the khan decided to make him impaling. His successor probably promised to be quicker, but he did eight years to complete the book. Artisans craftsmen were renowned for the quality of their majolica decorations and their work in wood; the iwan of the harem, as well as those of the judging hall and the courtroom, are the best illustration of their perfect mastery. From 1841 onwards, the "stone palace" became the main residence of the Khan of Uzs.

The harem. Its five simple column iwan overlook a long courtyard lined with a thread of summer and winter apartments. Five iwan, one for the khan and the other four for each of his women… The figure made many generations of tourists dream, but it is very classical and does not take into consideration captives that stayed in bulk in the courtyard of the courtyard, nor the occasional rights of cuissage against which the last episode, Asfandiar Khan. The apartments of the Khan and its women all have the same architecture: a high iwan open to the northeast, to avoid the setbacks sun rays of the summer months, and a small adjoining piece expected to keep a tolerable temperature during the winter months. The slaves and family members of the kidnapped women lived in the pieces and the small iwan lining the inner courtyard. The ensemble was decorated by the best craftsmen at the time, the talent of which none of the construction seems to have escaped: neither the grill windows of the winter parts nor the finely carved wooden columns nor the wooden walls of the ceiling painted ceilings. The walls of the iwan, entirely decorated with blue and white majolica, are due to the master craftsman Abdullah Djinn who also carried out the Ark mosque. The resemblance of style is obviously striking, but the proportions are more important here. Once again, the walls of the iwan are painted with cold colours, while the ceilings have warm colours. The majolica patterns of the five iwan are all different. At the bottom of the harem opens a room at the ceiling supported by ten columns of wood; it houses the Craft Museum. To access the public part of the palace where the courtroom, the throne hall and the court are located, the ruelle and the ruelle passe between the harem and the Madrasas Mourad Inak. The door is a little further on the right.

The courtroom and the court. Right by entering the palace, a corridor leads to the courtroom, or ishrat khauli. The black wagon exposed to the bottom of the corridor is a present of Nicolas II to his eastern vassal, the last episode of Uzs, Asfandiar Khan. He suffered from a shameful disease and his doctor, who had to hold his head, would have told him that the only way to treat himself was to eat pucelle… He used to move in the city in this carriage, that the inhabitants had called "black death". The courtroom is a square courtyard nestled in the south of a iwan in a column as admirable as those of the harem, always the work of Abdullah Djinn, the genius of the Décoration Makhmoud mausoleum. Two locations for yurts enabled guests to receive the guests in winter. Passing through a maze of corridors leads to the courtroom, or arz khauli. And for those who did not admire the majoliques of the harem of the harem or the reception room, those of the khauli khauli offer a breathtaking catch-up session. The court had two exits, one for acquitted and one for convicts. The khan sometimes received in a quartile placed on a brick elevation in the middle of the courtyard. At the bottom of the courtyard, a small door leads to dark galleries where exposed doors and columns are displayed in several monuments of Uzs.

In the west, the Madrasas Mourad Inak was built between 1804 and 1812 under the reign of Koutloug Mourad Inak, by the grandfather of Allah Kouli Khan. The episode Koutloug Mourad Inak wanted to be buried in his madrasas, but death surprised him while he was in Dichan Kala, the outer city. The law prohibiting the death of a death in the inner city, Allah Khan found an end to this problem of «borders» by tearing down the walls of the city which separated the madrasas from the outside city. There was no objection to the khan being buried in the vestibule of his madrasas. It was the first madrasas of Uzs to have two floors of cells. Another particularity is built on another madrasas dating from 1688: The Madrasas Khodjamberdibi which, during the new construction, was built and renamed Khourdjoum. He was taken away from the domes and the portal, and then moved into his surroundings. It is now a terrace in the Portail Mourad Inak Portail. The arches of the cells are visible in the front of the grande. The large underground sink located in the courtyard fed the entire inner city with pure water. Today the children have cleared the tickets that the pilgrims have thrown there and no one drinks more of their water. In the season, a puppeteer offers a small show to tourists for whom some benches were placed in the courtyard.

The Madrasas Allah Khan was built in 1834 against that of Koutloug Mourad Inak, forming the traditional couple of madrasahs madrasahs. One of the largest in the city, it hosted the library of Uzs. At that time, Allah Kouli Khan wanted to completely reorganise the city's entrance. He broke the enclosure of the inner city and built a whole range of commercial and religious buildings, moving the centre of the city close to the palace Tash Khauli. The new ensemble included a huge caravanserai, a tim (covered market), baths as well as a madrasas and mosque. Caravanserai was transformed into a supermarket by the Soviets. A curiosity! It overlooks a tim to 14 domes. A gallery with 6 domes crosses the Madrasas Allah Khan and leads to Palvan Darvosa, the East Door, which opens onto the outside city and the bazaar. The madrasas Allah Kouli Khan really only has a wonderful portal of deep blue. Inside, around a rectangular courtyard of 30 square meters, the cells spread over two floors, as in the Madrasas Mourad Inak.

Located east of the mosque on Friday, Madrasas Abdullah Khan was built in honour of the 17-year-old Khan, who died fighting Turkmen after a short reign of five months. The madrasas hosts a museum of natural history and each of its cells is set around a theme: cotton, silk, fruit… The museum also has a rich collection of stuffed animals, including birds and reptiles. A few curiosities of the amateurs, like a two-body sheep!

Facing madrasas, Ak's Mosque, 1838, was built on foundations dating back to the mid th century, contemporary Anusha Khan baths, located right next to and in service. The small mosque flanked by a mini minaret is marked by iwan on three sides. It is closed to visits.

Just before you reach the East door, the left leads to a place where two madrasahs are faced.

Always going east and on the right side of the street. From the outside, nothing, or almost anything, can predict the grandiose character of the Friday mosque. The monotony of a long blind wall is interrupted by a huge door with two doors, finely worked wooden, a 33 m tall minaret dominates the whole. The interior is more than surprising: a forest of carved wood columns supports the ceiling of the mosque. Each pillar seems to have its history, one of the most famous being the one from India. Its decoration is abstract, as Islam wants, but it is clear from human representation. By taking the time to study the various ornamentations, we can discover the Zoroastrians symbols, the Buddha's representations, etc. The rich pilgrims or merchants coming into business at Uzs offered the mosque a carved column in the style of their city, replacing another too old column. The oldest, about, date from the th and th centuries. In total, the mosque has 213 columns, all of different ages and motifs. Some, sometimes from other buildings, had to be rallongées or shortened. They are based on a carved marble base, ensuring stability and protecting them from soil moisture. The architecture of the Juma mosque corresponds to the archaic style of the first mosques that were places of assembly. It commented on the Koran, but it also discussed other issues relating to the organisation of the social life of believers. The mihrab is placed in the centre of the immense 55 m long room and 45 m wide. Light penetrates through two octagonal openings breakthroughs in the ceiling. As a result of recent and rather unfortunate restoration, the glass openings were sealed and replaced with lamps.

At the entrance to the palace, on the other side of the square, lies the madrasas of the poet lion, known as Firuz. The immense portail portal overlooks a first courtyard surrounded by a cell floor, a space for merchants who today houses shops of artisans and souvenir shops. The construction follows the traditional square plan but is characterized by a voûte of 8 domes, the largest of Uzs. Through a second portal, the first courtyard leads to the intérieur interior, which houses a museum dedicated to Ferouz, and an exhibition relating to khanate during the th century. In the second court, a family of équilibristes offers small shows.

Back to the main street, on the right after the madrasas Matniyoz Divanbeg transformed into a restaurant of the Hotel Uzs, you arrive at the mausoleum Sayyid Alla Uddin of the th century. It is the oldest monument of Uzs. A mausoleum with dome and portal was built in the early 1303 th century around the tomb of Sheikh Sufi Said Alauddin died in. A ziatkhona, a small piece by which one accesses the tomb, was assistant under Allah Kouli Khan in the th century. The tomb covered with majolica on blue and white plant grounds is the work of Amir Kulal, a Ceramist ceramist who would have buried at the side of the Sheikh but who died in Bukhara and stayed there. Despite the presence of two graves, one body rests in the tomb.

By leaving the Mausoleum and continuing towards the east, the Madrasas Kozi Kalon (1905) is home to a museum of music dedicated to artists of the Khorezm, such as singer Olmakhon Khaiotova.

The old fortress opens its doors on the west side of the central square. The site of the fortified palace was inhabited in the th century. For more than a millennium, several palaces were periodically destroyed and rebuilt in the same place. The oldest still standing construction is the Ak Baron Bobo Tower, dating from the th century. In the th century, Arang Khan, the son of Anusha Khan, built around the ruins of this fortified tower a throne hall and the walls protecting the palace from the outside and inside the city. The whole was destroyed in the th century. It was under Altuzar Khan, the founder of the Kungrad dynasty at the beginning of the th century, that the construction of the current palace began. The official residence of the//included several inner courtyards where the mosque, the guard, the chancery, the throne Hall, or Kurinish Khana, the Mint and the Harem. The empty space behind the large doors of the palace once included different inner courtyards. In the first, visitors were antichambre, in the second one held custody, and then came the chancery. On the right of this great courtyard, now deserted but in the course of restoration, is the Summer Mosque (1838). Its immense iwan with six columns with walls covered with blue majolica is of breathtaking beauty: epoxy tiles with plant arabesques and geometric drawings made by renowned master craftsmen of the th century, Abdullah and Ibadulla Djinn. The Mint, located at the bottom of the inner courtyard, is now transformed into a museum. In the th century, working in finance at Uzs had only a distant relationship with the life of a "golden boy." In order for their knowledge to be scattered, those who attacked the pieces were prisoners in the old citadel, leaving only after their death. It was in the second inner courtyard, Kurinish Khana, built in 1804, that the khan received his subjects from high walls. The throne hall itself consists of a long empty room with high ceilings. The silver-leaf throne, which was in the large niche of the coin, has unfortunately been «emigrated» in Russia, and the Uzbek authorities are trying to repatriate it. Carved and gilded gantch (wood) decorate the walls and ceiling is also richly decorated with polychrome geometric motifs. The two-column iwan, open to the north to enjoy cooler winds during warm months, is decorated with cold colours made with cobalt powder for blue or copper for green. The ceiling is, in contrast, decorated with warm, yellow and red colours, symboles symbols of the sun and fire. The sun or stars, often symbolized on ceilings, enshrine the tide as an intermediary between earth and heaven, thus God. Wooden doors and columns are completely carved. Their champagne and excavated base allowed them to be mounted on their marble or wood bases, by isolating the stone wood with camel wool to the properties, as they were, resistant. The bases of the two columns of the iwan are in engraved marble; on one of the two blocks one can read a poem by the historian Khivite Agekhi. The yurt in which the khan liked to receive some of his hosts in winter was about the rise of bricks in the middle of the courtyard. Some claim that this iwan was the harem, but the women's apartments were actually in the northern part of Kounia Ark. They were built at the end of the th century by Muhamad Rakhim Khan II and are unfortunately closed to the public. From the interior of Kounia Ark, one accesses through a little staircase at Ak-Sheikh-Bobo, «the tower of the white Sheikh», built in the th century and thus named in memory of the Sheikh who lived there in the fourteenth. Both a royal residence, a tower of custody and a watchtower, it offers a panoramic view from its iwan on the floor. Look at all the monuments of Ichan Kala and, to the west, part of Dichan Kala.

Climb to the Death row of the Second World War by taking the road between cinema and Hotel Oybek. The wrecks which, in 2008, were all gathered at the foot of the monument, lay on the dunes of the tasks of rust. Cannibalized to consolidate roofs and house fences, they only offer the sad spectacle of ship skeletons. On the winding of the monument and passing through the city, we come to the old cannery behind which there are still some isolated shipwrecks.

3 km south of Khodjeli and about 30 km south of. This huge necropolis, which is more than two thousand years old, mainly houses Muslim tombs, as well as nestoriennes tombs, since we rediscover carved crosses on certain buildings. Most of the tombs are in ruins, some are under restoration, such as those of Khalif Erdjep and Bugar Jumart Kassab. The mausoleum of Nazlimkhan, built in the th century, is half buried underground. Its inner dome is entirely covered with blue majolica, its walls are decorated with kk bricks and azure blue glazed. It is reported that a young princess and the architect of the mausoleum are buried there; they fell in love with each other during the construction of the mausoleum, but the father of the princess opposed their union. Desperate, the princess threw from the top of the dome under construction and fell into the middle of the mausoleum. Mad of pain, the young architect was also killed. A huge 17 m long tomb, the mausoleum of Shamoun Nabi would, it says, contain only the bone of the leg of the holy man. We say it's actually a dinosaur bone. Visible on the nearby hill, the zoroastrian city of Giaour Kala was an important step on the silk roads. It was destroyed by Mongolian armies.

The museum has a unique collection of Soviet avant-garde and post-avant-Garde paintings compiled by Igor Savitsky. Despite the risk of being denounced as anti-communist and being deported to Siberia, he succeeded in saving more than 90 000 works of artists repressed during the Stalinist period, works he entreposa in the archives of the, museum. , was far from Moscow and his totalitarian power, and paintings were forgotten from the world, such as a buried treasure in the desert sands. They reappeared only with perestroika and, in 1988, a first exhibition was presented at the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Here we can see works by Robert Falk, Evguenni Lysenko, Liubov Popova, David Chterenberg, Alexandre Volkov, Alexandre Nikolaev, said Ousto-Moumin, Vassili Rojdestvenski or the works of Sokolov during his years of the gulag… as well as a collection of copies that belonged to Fernand Léger and include works like the fountain of the innocent. It is a treasure that alone justifies travel to. The new building, very well placed, is the fruit of the hard work of Marinika Babanazarova, and has taken almost 20 years to come. New wings should open, but within an impossible time to define at the moment. Despite the wealth of the collection exhibited, be aware that only 3% of the total works combined by Igor Savitsky have joined the museum. The rest is based on the premises of the old museum, which you can visit by appointment with the sum of $ 40, not too much in view of the cultural treasures it contains. Finally the museum has a floor dedicated to karakalpak crafts. Again, it is a unique collection of jewellery, fabrics, clothing: 8 000 pieces in total to present this unknown people, including Uzbekistan. In short, a model museum, which is to be hoped to allow a certain increase in tourism in an isolated region and outside the usual circuits.

Built in 1851, under the reign of the Khan Amin, it was one of the largest madrasahs in Central Asia, with a square courtyard of 38 m side for a building measuring a total of 72 m out of 60. A construction in the image of the khan, the most illustrious leader of Uzs: he conquered Merv and imposed his law on the Belliqueux Belliqueux before dying mourir during a battle on the Iranian border, leaving Uzs to the nomadic attacks for the following decades. The impressive building maintained that, to put it in place, a part of fortification walls was destroyed. The one hundred and twenty-five cells spread over two levels received two hundred and sixty students until 1924. The tympans of the high portal and the two floors of cells in the facade are decorated with blue majolica motifs. The construction of madrasas offered Soviet historians an illustration of the struggle of classes under litigants. After two years of exhausting work, the workers who, of course, did not receive any money, would révoltèrent: most of them were peasants, they could no longer take care of their fields and the famine hazardous. The revolt was suppressed with khivienne: Matiakoub, the leader of the rebellion, was wrapped in a moist and buried beast living under the foundations of the minaret. The recent history of madrasas is not necessarily more cheerful, since the Soviets made a prison in the 1930 s and 1940 s. Today the madrasas has become the Hotel Uzs and can accommodate a hundred tourists.

The grave that Timur confined himself near his sons remained forgotten for a very long time and was rediscovered by chance in the 1940 s. Its extreme sobriety is at the opposite of its mausoleum, the Gour Emir de Samarkand, and responded better to its wishes: just a gravée tombstone stone in a quiet, quiet crypt, whose walls also bear inscriptions carved in stone. Two unidentified bodies are now resting in Tamerlane Square.

The visit of the Oulough Begh observatory may seem to be one of the most disappointing in Samarkand. Unfortunately, it is so little to be seen from this famous observatory that some'will break ', which would be a mistake, because the only view of the underground part of the giant sextant is worth visiting: a 11 m arc lined with marble parapets where the degrees are indicated. Long lost in memory, the location of the observatory was rediscovered at the beginning of the century by Viatkine, a master of archaeology buff, whose tomb we can see at the entrance to the site. Oulough Begh was a scholar, both poet and mathematician, considered one of the greatest astronomers of his time. While the telescopes were still unknown, he wrote an astronomical catalogue where the coordinates of more than 1 000 stars were recorded. He knew the cycle of rotation of planet Saturn as well as the duration of the stellar year with less than one minute error. But his son, allied to religious fanatics, ended his work by murdering her in 1449. Not happy to remove the man of science, who dared to discuss God's existence with his students, the fanatics destroyed his achievements and, above all, the most disrespectful: the observatory which housed the world's largest sextant: 90 °, while the usual sextants are 60 °.

The circular shaped building, 45 m high, had three levels whose walls decorated with frescos were telling the heavens and the solar system. Descriptions of the time bitterly regret their destruction. A small museum at the entrance to the site recounts the life of the principal scientists and poets of the timurid era as well as that of the most famous astronomers. To get there, take one of the buses that goes back the road from Tashkent, at the exit of the market, in front of the Khazret Khriz mosque, and get off at the statue of Oulough Begh.

Numerous photos and history of excavations on the hill, as well as exposure of the main pieces uncovered. The centrepiece of the museum is a th century fresco, a unique work of its kind, and one of the few available to archaeologists and historians to study the painting of the Islamic period.

It is impossible to miss this huge Soviet style Building that contrasts painfully with the Registan. The museum covers the history of Samarkand and Sogdiane from antiquity to contemporary times. Exhibition of contemporary crafts and paintings, numerous archaeological discoveries and a beautiful collection of costumes. A room is devoted to the poet Alisher Navoi, native of Herat and considered the inventor of Uzbek poetry and theatre. In a ground floor room, since 2006, there has been an original Finding in Uzbekistan: a collection of Empire furniture with a sofa, office and several chairs. This furniture was brought back from France in 1814 by Tsar Alexander I after the victory of the coalition on Napoleon. He gave a gift to one of the dignitaries in the Tsarist regime. The grandson of the latter, the Academician Belinkov in prison, but after his death, his widow decided to sell the furniture to an Uzbek kolkhoz director, Aron Moissevitch, to Moscow in 1946. He was kept in the family until 2006, when furniture was assessed, restored and left to the Samarkand Museum. Note the very beautiful office struck on each side of the "N" hidden of laurels whose Russian and Uzbek experts thought, a time, that it belonged to the Emperor Napoleon himself.

The square courtyard of the Abd-i-Daroun ensemble is a haven of peace for prayer, and for the rest of the tourist exhausted by heat and kilometres. In the centre of the courtyard, in the shadow of a few hundred-century trees, a basin reflects the mausoleum, the cells of the khanaka welcoming the pilgrims, and the iwan of the summer mosque. The mausoleum of the Sultan selçuk Sanjar was built on the tomb of the tomb of the th century Abd-al Mazzeddin. The Pyramid roof hall is the oldest part and dates back to the th century, the prayer room dates back to the time of Oulough Begh. The façade is decorated with geometric motifs, blending blue bricks and blue glazed bricks. The khanaka also dates from the time of Oulough Begh. The summer mosque with its iwan to the ceilings decorated with geometric and floral motifs dates back to the end of the th and has returned to a place of worship. Very beautiful and ancient tombstones stone tombstones are gathered near the wall at the entrance to the cemetery. The Abd-i-Daroun ensemble is often confused with the Abd-i-Biroun mausoleum at the exit of the city. " Daroun "means inside - implying the walls of the city - and" biroun "outside. It is reported that Abd-al Mazzedin was a man of man, a ascetic who served as a judge of the inner city. His father, Abd-i-Biroun, who sat in the lobby, at the entrance to the room where his son was lazlo, was buried outside the city.

Set on the edge of the Falaise cliff overlooking the river Syab, the long mausoleum with five domes would have a more soothing view if a factory had not imposed itself below. Staying for a long time, he was still under renovation in 1998. In 1996, Patriarch Alexis, of passage to Uzbekistan, gathered on the tomb of Saint Daniel. The «Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel» is the only place in Samarkand that unites all three faiths, Muslim, Christian and Jewish. It was built in the early th century by Timur, which brought back the bones of the saint of his campaign in Asia Minor. Eugene Schuyller, in 1873, although he did not mention the mausoleum, reported that des had lived in caves uncovered on the cliff of Afrosyab. This is probably one of the caves that can be seen right next to the mausoleum and used as a millikhana. The grave measures 18 m! It is said that the bones of the saint continue to grow a few centimetres each year… At the head of the tomb, you can see decorative elements of koranic calligraphy engraved in stone. At the foot of the steps, near the river, a small dome building houses a source of holy water. The believers do their? and lager them.

The ancient city of Afrosyab, whose foundation dates back to the end of the 220 th century BC, is based on a plateau of ha, north of Samarkand. Baptized Maracanda by the Greeks, this ancient city took the name of the mythical king of Touran described by the poet Firdaussi in the Shahnamé. Since the th century, generations of archaeologists have studied the traces of the different civilizations that lived there, from the ancient iron age to the Mongolian conquest. The Franco-Uzbek archaeological mission, led by Professor Paul Bernard from 1989, then by Franz Grenet and Mukhammadjon Issamiddinov, worked mainly on the very rich prémongole period. You can see the result of their excavations in the museum at the entrance to the territory, which bears the name of the hill. The foundations of the city present a typical pattern of the ancient Asian cities, usually located on agricultural land and near a river, with a long enclosure surrounding a very large area, encompassing a very dense residential area and a zone of official buildings, «the high city» where the palace is located. The ramparts built on the edge of the cliff were more than 5 km long. Consolidated under the Achéménides, they were partially destroyed around the doors during attacks by Alexander the Great, and rebuilt with square bricks. Even today, one can see a part of the Hellenistic fortifications, an impressive ramparts to the killers in the form of arrows. The walls were built in the original barracks and originally included an internal gallery on two or three levels of soldiers. As for the rampart area, it was 13 km! Excavations, together with the study of testimonies reported by the Greek historian Arrien, found the palace of the achéménides satraps in the northern part of the city. It was at a banquet in this palace that Alexander the Great murdered his companion Cleitos. A few years ago, the young son of archaeologist Mukhamadjon Issamiddinov, who often accompanied his father on the excavation site, discovered a golden silver plaque that was part of the ornament of a buried harness in loess. In-depth excavations have uncovered more than two hundred of these ornamental pieces and a document that permits precise dating. In 1220, the rider who hid his harness too visible in the bottom of this well, at the gates of the city, was forced to flee the Mongols who besieged the city. Perhaps he was hoping to put him in the shelter after the war, but he certainly did not imagine sending a message over the centuries. During the kouchan period and the development of the Silk Road, the city sogdienne enjoyed real development. In the museum you can admire a th century fresco discovered in the palace of Varkhouman. A procession of ambassadors offering present to the Sovereign of Samarkand, perhaps on the occasion of his marriage: Bactrian pleasure on camels, Tûrks with long hair, double pappus Koreans, and a Chinese princess with her next. When Arab conquerors captured the city in the th century, the palace was destroyed, as was the Fire temple, the fabled «temple of idols» of Samarkand, whose archaeologists found traces under the mosque built in the th century. These successive constructions on the same foundations create an incredible underground enchevêtrement, which sometimes reaches 10 m deep with five different levels of construction, sometimes more. In the th century, the Mongolian conquest ended almost two millennia of city existence on this hill of loess and, after the destruction of the irrigation system and the arrival of water, the inhabitants climbed towards the bottom of the town where the new Samarkand de Timur was founded.

The unusual and asymmetrical appearance of this mosque perched on the hill of Afrosyab immediately draws attention. The iwan at the colonnade and the entrance to cupola date back to 1854. In 1919, the architect Abdukadir Bini Baki added a portal and the minaret. This mosque, dedicated to Elie, the patron saint of travellers and groundwater, was built on the site of another mosque, which was built at the site of one of the oldest holy places in the city, at the time préislamique. It is indeed close to this place that the running water canal of the ancient city of Afrosyab was used, and it is known that the Zoroastrians priests were responsible for irrigation and everything related to water, one of the sacred elements of ancient religion. From the iwan, the view is stunning on the Shah-i-Zinda. But business tourism help, you are now asked 1 500 hospitals for a cliché!

The necropolis of the "Living King", Shah-i-Zinda, is a ruelle that climbs on the hill of Afrosyab and which once led to the gates of the ancient city. A little ordinary street at the edge of which, in the 676 th century, the mausoleum of Qassim-ibn Abbas, a Muslim missionary and cousin of the Prophet Muhammad arrived in Sogdiane in with the first wave of Arab conquerors. Qassim-ibn Abbas was beheaded by the infidels when he was in prayer, and the legend tells him that he would then have taken his head and went down to a well leading to heaven where he would chair a «court of souls» surrounded by two assessors. Legend repeats the fire myth of the Enfers justices: Solaire solar, Srôsh and Rashn, or even that of the «living king» dating before the Islamic conquest, and tells how after his death King Afrosyab continued to reign in the kingdom of the dead. Arab conquerors and the missionaries of Islam thus approprieront many zoroastriennes, manichéennes or nestoriennes beliefs to make them benefit from the heroes of the new religion. In the th and th centuries, many tombs and tombs were built near the mausoleum of the St. and the towering mosque. During the capture and destruction of the ancient town of Samarkand by the Mongols, only the tomb of Qassim-ibn Abbas (also known as Kussam or Kutham) was spared. At the time of timurid, in the th and th centuries, the noble families and members of the family of Timur were built at mausoleums near that of Qassim-ibn Abbas, the Islamic belief that the proximity of the tomb of a saint ensures protection in the beyond. These new constructions gave the street its current configuration. The street appears to sink into the earth because, over the centuries, the debris of the buildings of the ancient city involved in earth raised the ground level of several metres. The impression is even more striking from the outside, when you see the blue bulbs coming out of the hill, such as huge and unusual mushrooms. The poetic route from the grand pishtak to the mausoleum of Khodja Akhmad would have liked romantic;; It is also a discovery of different decorative techniques and architectural styles from the th to the th century.

The entrance gate, or pishtak, is flanked by the first chortak, a small passage surmounted by a dome supported by four arches (literally: " chortak "), where the following inscription can be read: " This majestic set was built by Abd-al-Aziz Khan, son of Oulough Begh, son of Shakhrukh, son of the Emir Timur in the year 838 of H. " (1434-1435). In fact, it was Oulough Begh who was the real builder on behalf of his still-aged son.

On the right, the Madrasas Davlet Kushbegi, dating from the early th century, is transformed into a souvenir shop. Left of madrasas, a mosque dating from the th century.

At the foot of the forty steps of the «paradise of heaven» or «the fishermen's staircase», there is a mosque with finely carved iwan and colonnades where the believers come to listen to the imam's prayers. It was at this location that Beheaded-ibn Abbas was allegedly beheaded.

The staircase leads to the mausoleum of Kazy Zade Rumi, on the left, built between 1420 and 1435 for the tutor of Oulough Begh. Regarded as Plato of his time, Kazy Zade Rumi would not, in fact, be buried here: the skeleton found in the mausoleum was that of a woman, perhaps Tamerlane's nurse. It is the largest building on the whole. The prayer room and the mausoleum are surmounted by two very high domes. The beauty of the whole must not make it forget to count the stairs of the stairs, like the pilgrims, who are once again counting on them back. If they find a different figure, they may not be able to access paradise… unless they go back times the stairs to the knees by reciting a verse of the Koran at each walk. The staircase was built in the th century at the location of the ancient walls surrounding Samarkand at the time. It rises to the second chortak, dating from the th century and erected at the site of the ancient wall of Afrosyab.

The first mausoleum to the right of the second chortak is that of the Emir Hussein, also known as Tuglu Tekin, son of a Turkish named Kara Kutkul and famous Turkish commander that Timur took for model while claiming his descent. Timur built the mausoleum in 1376, when Tuglu Tekin died as a martyr in the th century.

The mausoleum of Emir Zade (son of the Amir) faces him, and dates back to 1386 and accommodate the remains of an unknown son from Timur. Just above, on the same side, the mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aka (1372) was built on the order of Tourkan Ata, sister of Timur, to bury her daughter. The emperor, for whom his niece had a lot, made the following inscription: " It's a grave where a precious pearl has been lost. " Tourkan Ata was also buried there, alongside her daughter. It is the oldest mausoleum in the complex and also the oldest building in the Samarkand of the Timourids. The names of the three architects from Samarkand and Bukhara are inscribed in the turquoise niche of the portal, beautifully decorated with majolica and sculpted terracotta terracotta. The interior is fully decorated. The dome is cut by a octagonal star, a symbol of the sun surrounded by eight planets. The ceramics is of origin, and surprisingly well preserved for a mausoleum over six centuries old. Their colours take different shades depending on the hours of the day and the orientation of the sun.

In contrast, in the mausoleum of Chirin Bika Aka (1385), the second sister of Timur was founded under a dome whose base has 16 sides. The facade is decorated with dark blue grill mosaics. The interior decoration was performed by an artist from Azerbaijan. A surprising and unique fact for this period when, in Uzbekistan, Sunni Islam was practised, while Azerbaijan was Shiite. Equally surprising, on the façade, on either side of the portal, inscriptions in Arabic are not surahs of the Koran but the words of the Greek philosopher Socrates. It reads: ' Socrates said: people are saddened in all (?) circumstances. '»»»»

On the same side, the octahedral mausoleum remains a mystery. Dating back to the th century, it was considered a mausoleum but no human debris was found there. According to another assumption, it could be a minaret, but its architecture in large rotunda offers no evidence that proves it. We don't know much about the following three mausoleums, left of the aisle. The first date of 1385 and bears the name of the architect Nassafi Nassafi. The next one, built in the same year, bears the name of Oulough Sultan Begum. The last one is most certainly attributed to Emir Burunduk, one of Timur's best captains. He would be more than five years old.

The third chortak opens on the north end and last part of the necropolis. Left, the Tuman Aka Mosque, dating back to 1405, and the adjoining mausoleum built in 1404 for Tuman Aka, the youngest bride of Timur's wives. On a square base, the turquoise blue dome rests on a high cylindrical drum. If the mosaics of the portal can recall Chirin Bika Aka mausoleum, the originality of the decoration is based on the use of purple colour, which is extremely rare at the time. The interior was voluntarily left white, which is also unusual, and the decorations are limited to a few frescoes of landscapes under the cupola. Above the door of finely carved wood, it can read: " The tomb is a door that everyone crosses. " In the face of the Tuman Aka Mosque, the door in fine-filled elm wood, once fortified with gold, silver and ivory, is the work of Maître Youssouf in Shiraz. Known as the «gateway of Paradise», it has been open for over 600 years on the kingdom of Qassim-ibn Abbas. Excavations have uncovered, on the right wall of the corridor, remnants of the wall of the old th century mosque, one of which can be seen the minaret above and on the right. It also dates back to the th century, which makes it the oldest monument of the whole, and the only one of that time in the Shah-i-Zinda. Past the «gateway of Paradise», the corridor leads to the mosque Qassim-ibn Abbas. The mihrab is decorated in mosaic, a technique that was used in Samarkand at the end of the th century and whose artisans in Central Asia will become virtuosos. Vernissée tiled mosaic pieces represent leaves, flower petals, fine branches or inscriptions, and are assembled without interstice. The next room is the ziaratkhana or prayer room. Behind a wooden fence, in the gurkhana, lies the tomb of Qassim-ibn Abbas, dating from the th century and entirely decorated with majolica. It reads: «The one who died following Allah is not dead: Indeed he is alive. " Archaeologists, too, have done research and discovered a well of 18 m in depth. The decorations of the room may seem original so they are erased. In fact, they were completely restored in 1995, but the degree of humidity is such that all the work was wasted in the following months. An air conditioner has been installed to try to remedy the problem, but just look at the corners of the walls and the ground to realize the vanity of the attempt. To save what remains, it is strongly discouraged to rely on walls where even fingers are put.

Leaving the tomb of the saint, right on the right and at the Tuman Aka mausoleum, stands the Kutlug Aka Mausoleum, 1360, home to another of Timur's women. Its portal is decorated with chiselled warrior and vernissée

Close the northern end of the necropolis, the mausoleum Khodja Akhmad dates back to 1350. It is the oldest Shah-i-Zinda mausoleum after that of Qassim-ibn Abbas. His portal was decorated with blue and white majolica by the Samarkand craftsman, Fakhr Ali.

Located just opposite the Bibi Khanum mosque across the road, the Tamerlane's women's mausoleum, slender and rather lonely, is also a pilgrimage place for women in Uzbekistan. It was erected in the late th century and houses, in its octagonal crypt, three coffins of women. The interior has also been "perfectly" restored. In other words, with a very strong gilded and web, which away a little to the authenticity of the whole. And as with the mosque, since the end of the restoration work, it is no longer possible to mount on the roof of the mausoleum to have a general view of the Bibi Khanum mosque. But staff sometimes seem more open to discussion on the topic. Translated: if there are not too many people and you find agreement on the tip, everything remains possible.

For the traveller arriving by car from Tashkent, Bibi Khanum's immense blue dome behind the compact and colourful crowd is one of the first images of Samarkand la. It was in 1399, when he returned from his campaign in India where his troops had set fire and blood to the temples of Zoroastrians and Hindus Infidels, that Timur decided to build the Masjid-i-Jami mosque, known today as Bibi Khanum, daughter of the Emperor of China and favored wife of Timur. The best architects and artisans from the Khorassan, Azerbaijan and India were attelèrent to the construction of what was to be the largest mosque in Central Asia. The best location of the capital and Timur laid the first stone on the best day, the fourth day of Ramadan 801 (10 May 1399). Ninety-five elephants, which Timur had brought back from his conquests in Indouhistan, were fighters huge blocks of stone needed for construction. According to Cherif Id Din, there were four hundred blocks of five metres height! Entrusting to the supervision of the grandiose project to his most loyal collaborators, Timur left for new conquests in Asia Minor, and returned to Samarkand only in July 1404. The versions differ as to the sequence of history. According to Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, Ambassador of Castilian and end observer to Samarkand in August 1404, Timur's first wife was actually named Cano. She was daughter of Chiacao, emperor of Samarkand province and former king of Persia and Damascus, and it was in honour of Cano's mother that the mosque had been built. Clavijo tells how, upon his return from Asia Minor, Timur judged the portal too low and destroyed it then rebuilt. The workers who would be arriving day and night were treated fairly badly. To those who worked in the pits, meat was thrown like dogs, sometimes adding coins so that they continued their hard work. According to the historian Sharaf ad-Din, when he returned in 1404, Timur entered a black fury because Bibi Khanum, who was to be a woman of head, had built a madrasas and a mausoleum for herself just in front of the mosque. As subsequently shown by archaeological excavations, Tamerlane's fury was perhaps due to the fact that the portail portal had not been constructed in parallel with that of the mosque. Whatever was the real reason for the wrath of the Emir of Iron, the legend grabbed it and tells the following story: While Timur guerroyait away from his land, Bibi Khanum decided to make a surprise by erecting the highest mosque ever built. She supervised the work herself and fervently wanted them to be completed for the return of her husband. Asked to hurry, the architect ends up pulling her a kiss in exchange for his promise to finish the work on time. The kiss, though given through the hand, was so hot and so hot that Bibi Khanum still wore a mark on her cheek when returned her husband's emperor. He offusqua more from the sashimi than he is happy with the huge mosque. He entered a mad fury and ordered his soldiers to seize the architect, but the traitor went on top of one of the minarets and flew to Persia forever. Bibi Khanum was rushed from the top of another minaret, and Timur gave the order that in his empire all women wore the veil so that their faces no longer tried men when the husbands were in war.

In its construction, the complex consisted of four marble paved galleries, covered by 400 domes and supported by 400 columns of marble which surrounded a huge inner courtyard of 130 m on 102 m. Two 50 m high minarets were located on each side of the entrance gate, up to 35 m high, as well as the portal of the large prayer hall up to 40 m. each outside of the court. In the north and south, two smaller mosques, each adorned with a dome perched on a luxuriously decorated cylindrical drum, looked at the centre of the courtyard where, on a marble stand, Osman's Koran: the second largest Koran of Islam, dating from the th century, that Timur was reborn from Damascus. It is said that the surahs were written in such a large character that the imams could read them from the top of the colonnade. It is also said that, barely finished, the mosque already began to degrade. The precipitation of architects was probably for something and the earthquakes, one of which had its epicenter at the very center of the mosque, did the rest. In 1868, Russian shells were endommagèrent the great dome of the mosque. Armin Vambery, the faux dervish that was able to visit Samarkand five years earlier, in 1863, described a monument that was already very damaged and which served as a garage for service carriages linking Kokand to Karchi. Ten years later, Eugene Schuyller, an American diplomat, also went to Samarkand and described the courtyard of the mosque, transformed into cotton markets, but in the centre of the inner courtyard, the great marble stand on which the Koran Osman was asked was still there. He also brought together popular belief that to heal back pain, it was necessary to crawl between the nine short and thick pillars that supported stand. Another superstition wanted the sterile women to come to glisser in the morning to be able to procréer. Even today, we can see women crawling between these pillars… conservators have worked for more than forty years to rebuild the mosque to gradually restore its original forms. The three domes appeared, but those of the North and south mosques already lost their blue ceramic decorations. Since April 2003, the entrance gate, which was once masked by tangles of scaffolding, is again visible, and the two flanking minarets have also been restored. We better appreciate the quality of the architecture that plunges the visitor directly into the courtyard by three degraded monuments in the portal. During the course of the work, it was possible to climb at the top of the minarets with a slight bachshish to the workers. It seems that the rise is now banned. In the courtyard, the interior of the East Dome still retains some paintings and ceramics of origin but the restoration works began during our passage and should be completed at the time of the publication of this guide. And it is to be feared that the latest frescoes disappear under the rolls of paint. The large cracks circulating around the other buildings around the central court give an idea of the scale of the work that has been carried out at the entrance gate, which remains to be carried out here. It will take ten years of work to restore interior decorations, recreate the colonnade and complete the ornaments of the entrance portal. Ten years to say again about the Bibi Khanum mosque: " His dome would be unique if there were the heavens, and unique would be its portal if there were the Milky Way. '»»»»

Sixty years ago, the Registan was the heart of Samarkand, and a compact and colourful crowd is competing around the numerous shops that proventriculus the madrasahs. The tireless Swiss traveller, Ella Maillard, had the opportunity, during his visit to Samarkand in 1932, to stay in the madrasas Tilla Kari, whose cells then hosted visitors to the. The Madrasas Shir Dor, for her part, served as a place of detention for basmatchi - Muslims opposed to Soviet Power - awaiting execution. Here, like around the Gour Emir, the houses were demolished to make clear. One might think of the decor of a deserted theatre: the huge three and beautiful Madrasahs Begh Begh, Shir Dor and Tilla Kari have a large empty square and on the fourth side, a little in retreat, are the seats that greet visitors during their lighting and light shows. In the th century, the six major arteries that left the city gates crossed at this location, on a vast place of sand, literally: . Not that the sand tapissât the whole place, but it was thrown in abundance to absorb the blood paid during the public executions. Timur wanted to facilitate trade and encourage merchants, who were paying heavy taxes, to come to Samarkand. He built a street lined with shops that crossed the city apart and a huge bazaar. Continuing his work, his wife, Tuman Aka, built a tim, a large covered market for domes. During the reign of Oulough Begh, at the beginning of the th century, the Registan became the official place for Samarkand. His new status was accompanied by a great deal of work, cutting the market to domes and building a madrasas, khanaka, caravanserai and mosque. It was on this square that public executions and all official demonstrations were held. It was also a strategic place and, at the end of the th century, the Ennemis volcanic ennemis, Babur, the last of the Timourids, had installed its staff at the top of madrasas of Oulough Begh, the real centre of the city.

In the th century, Samarkand was under the authority of the Bukhara khanate and lost the status of capital conferred on it by Timur. The monuments of the Registan, neglected, slowly fall into ruins. In the th century the governor of Samarkand, Yalangouch Bakhadour, gave prominence to his current aspect by building two new madrasahs on the location of caravanserai and khanaka. A painting of Vereshagin, a famous Russian painter, gives an image of the atmosphere in the late th century. In a work soberly called Tarjestélévisionouiout, one can see a crowd gathered in front of Madrasas Dor, admiring a dozen high pickets adorned with heads planted at their top. The restoration work started in the early th century closed and repaired the outrages of time and earthquakes. Today a new danger threatens these monuments: the remontées of the water table beset the bottom of their walls, and the remontées of water le the mâché paper which supports the decorations. Since the restoration, new seismic shocks have caused cracks that widen year in and year out, and regularly, scaffolding and metal tubes strengthen the structure of threatened monuments. Conservators will have to face new work so that the "place of sand" never deserves its name and, in fact, work takes place almost every day to ensure the survival of the monument. For the time being, the Registan remains the largest and most elegant architectural ensemble in the Islamic world and, according to Georges Curzon at the end of the th century, the entire world, «as no site, no Western city has on three sides of first-order Gothic cathedrals».

La Oulough Begh. The Madrasas Oulough Begh is the oldest of the three. Built between 1417 and 1420, it is recognisable to its northern minaret, slightly inclined, as if it were to support the sky, a role assigned to these two giant 33 m high minarets which flanking the portal and never greeted imams. The guides like to tell how, during the restoration, Russians tried unsuccessfully to rotate the minaret on its basis to give it right. The portal, decorated with a mosaic of carved bricks and enamelled bricks in the colours of the sky, is a huge vessel in the direction of the sky. Majoliques of majoliques, five- or ten-branch @, a few rare keys of yellow, green… look lost in this enchanting spatial geometry. Wings such as minarets are entirely covered with girikh, geometric motifs. Inside, about cells spread over two levels form a square courtyard. At the corners of the building, high court rooms were surmounted by domes now destroyed. In 1417, the madrasas of Oulough Begh was the largest university in Central Asia. More than pupils studied the Koran, but also astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and literature. The so-called "Plato of his time", Kazy-Zade-Rumi, came to teach astronomy there. Oulough Begh, enlightened governor, both mathematician, astronomer, poet and politician, also came in the yard of the madrasas arguing with the students. This openness to non-religious materials brought his death, his own son, allied to fanatical nuns, who killed him in 1449. " Owls had taken the place of students in these cells, and instead of silk curtains, their doors were strained with spiders'canvases. " The description dates back to 1711. At that time, the sumptuous Samarkand appeared to be dormant. The market, which took over the right of city in the centre of the city and entered the buildings, flooded the place du Registan with Detritus; brought by the wind, the sand also into and the level of the ground is mounted more than two meters! In 1873, Eugene Schuyller highlighted the dilapidated state of madrasas, which has only one floor, as well as the apparent optical illusion of minarets. It is in order to repair this "illusion" that the architects responsible for restoring monuments in the th century tried unsuccessfully to redress the right minaret. The bottom of the court is occupied by a mosque.

La Dor Dor. The Madrasas Dor Dor was built only two centuries later. At the beginning of the 1635 th century, Yalangtush Bakhadour, a vizier of Imam Kouli Khan and governor of Samarkand, probably wanted to awaken the sleepy city and left its imprint, destroyed what remained of caravanserai and khanaka and was built, between 1619 and, a madrasas on the other side of the square, in mirror with that of Oulough Begh. If the esthètes judge the Pure Dor Dor less pure in its proportions and ornaments, it is, however, that attracts the eyes when you arrive on the square of the. Its fire-lions-lions with a light portal as the sun come to respond to the starry vault of Madrasas D's:: the power of the sun facing the infinite of space. A legend tells us that the architect responsible for the construction of Shir Dor dies for violating the laws of Islam which prohibit figurative art. But the Sogdiane, which is the heart of Samarkand, has always been able to combine harmoniously the different religious and cultural influences it underwent. Some see in this lion-tiger the sun a allegorical representation of the power of Yalangtush Bakhadour, also referring to the symbolism of the zoroastrianism and the cult of fire. It was this lion-tiger that gave its name to madrasas: Shir Dor means "who wears the lion". The width of the two buildings is identical, but Madrasas Dor, built on the foundations of the ancient khanaka, is slightly lower than Madrasas Begh Begh. On each side of the portal, two domes in bulb au on the air relief coiffent the study rooms. Many inscriptions adorn the portal and drums of domes: " You are the great warrior, Yalangtush Bakhadour, if you add the numbers of your name, you get the date of the foundation. And also: " He raised a madrasas such as the earth was brought to the zenith of the sky. Or: " Never over the centuries, the clever acrobat of thought, by the string of fantasy, will reach the forbidden summits of minarets. " The inner Courtyard, entirely decorated with geometric motifs and green floral floral floral floral motifs, houses two floors of cells. Today students have been replaced by carpet sellers and suzani with the unquestionable commercial talents that paressent on the takhta or play cards, waiting for tourists. For a few hospitals, the gardien keeper will bring you up to the roof where the view plunges inside the courtyard.

The mosque Tilla Kari. In front of the stands, the Madrasas Tilla Kari, lower and the facade longer than the previous two, closes the north side of the place du Registan. On its left, the blue dome of the mosque distinguishes madrasas from its two neighbours. It is at this mosque that madrasas owes its name: Tilla Kari means'covered gold '. Just admire the stunning decorations of the interior of the dome to see that this nickname is entirely justified. The high portal and the two levels of cells are decorated with majoliques, interlaced floral motifs and solar symbols that echo the tones of the mosque Shir Dor. Yalangtush wanted to provide Samarkand with a Friday mosque worthy of its rank, that of Bibi Khanum being in ruins. He built a large deputy mosque in a madrasas, so that he could accommodate the greatest number of faithful in public ceremonies. La was built at the site of the caravanserai built under the Timourids, and whose foundations were preserved. The work lasted over 10 years, from 1646 to 1659, and the mosque was covered with gold. It is the youngest monument of the square and, probably, because of the imbalance created by the dome of the mosque at the angle of a facade of 120 m, the most surprising. Of the three madrasahs, it is the only one to have outward-looking cells, such as the Mir-i-Arab madrasas in Bukhara. The walls, the dome, the mihrab are entirely decorated with red and gold floral motifs on overseas blue background. The dome is particularly impressive, the concentric circles of gold leaves on a blue background seem killed le eyes. The ceiling is as flat as a table, but the decorations in the eye show it vaulted. Here too, students'cells and the adjoining halls of the mosque are home to souvenirs and antiques stores. However, a space was reserved to present photographs taken before and during the restoration. Between La Dor Dor and the Madrasas Tilla Kari stands the burial monument of the Dynastie dynasty, or dakhma of the Chaybanides. A simple cube cube covered with grey marble, he was once in the madrasas of Khan Chaybani.

The mausoleum of Al-Boukhari became one of the places of pilgrimage of Islam. Born in Bukhara in 810, Abu Abdullah Mahamed-ibn Ismail Imam al-Boukhari is one of Uzbekistan's most revered saints. During a long journey of over 15 years, the return of the great pilgrimage of Mecca, he meglio more than 600 000 words of the Prophet, the Hadith, throughout the Muslim world. Today the pilgrims are pressent again around his grave. The mausoleum at the blue dome was completely rebuilt in 1998. Today it is surrounded by an immense inner courtyard lined with iwan. The basin and the centuries-old trees surrounding it are all that remains of the old site. President Islam Karimov took the decision to shave everything else, including the old tomb, to make the mausoleum a new Mecca. The work was funded by Saudi Arabia. The best craftsmen in the country participated in this renaissance. In particular, you will be able to admire all the different carved wood doors, as well as the decorations fortified with gold and the majoliques of the mausoleum, which testify to the talent of the contemporary craftsmen. It remains that the monument is somewhat overshadowed by its modernity and ambition with the other mausoleums in Uzbekistan, and that visitors can have difficulty, if pilgrims are not at the meeting, to feel the same religious fervour as in other monuments in the country. In any case, proper dress, head covered for women, is required to enter the complex.

Built near the tombs in the th century, the mosque took the name of a saint of the VIIIe, whose name Tamerlane would have brought back the body of Baghdad. Tourists are tolerated but the mosque is in operation, proper attire is recommended to visit it. If the crypt of Timur is closed, it is the custodian of the mosque that must be addressed to you. You will probably find it sitting in the shade of a tree in the courtyard of the mosque, drinking tea.

The «house of power and will» was built by Timur for Djahangir, his favorite son, who died prematurely in 1375. He was only 22 years old when a horse fell to him. The pain of Timur, which saw in him his successor, was immense and explained the construction of the mausoleum which, if one believed the descriptions of Clavijo, was richly decorated with gold and azure. An Arab proverb appears on the pediment: " The wise acts with noble intentions, while the fool counts on noble intentions. " The cone shaped dome recalls those of the Khorezm. An architecture influenced by craftsmen forced to leave Kounia-Ourgentch, the conquered capital of Khorezm, and to follow Timur in 1379. Timur planned to be buried in Dor US Siadad, but his body finally rested in Samarkand. The whole was largely destroyed by the canton of Bukhara, at the same time as the White Palace. But the mullahs succeeded in saving one part by believing to the Amir that the mausoleum of Djahangir supported that of a saint. Another son of Timur, Omar Sheikh, who died in 1394, was built in the deputy mausoleum.

Built by Oulough Begh in 1437 for his family, this square shape mausoleum is like a miniature replica of the mosque that faces him. It is surmounted by a cylindrical drum decorated with coufiques inscriptions on which a blue dome is built. The interior is beautifully decorated with geometrical, épigraphiques and floral frescoes. Alongside the family tombstones of Oulough Begh are tombs of Des, a dynasty from Termez, descended from Hussain, the grandson of Mohammed, who gave their name to the mausoleum.

The mosque was built by Oulough Begh in front of the Mausolée Koulial mausoleum in 1435. Before renovation, there remained only the inner dome, 22 m high; it is 36 today. She gave her name to the mosque: Kok Goumbaz means "blue dome". The acoustics are perfect. The walls and inner dome are entirely covered with polychrome geometric motifs. Notice the glazed bricks of the external portal, the old and new bricks are clearly distinguished. The original technique that allowed the gradient of blue would have been lost, perhaps it is too expensive. To obtain the same decorative effect, three small bricks are needed in replacement of an old brick gradient. Twice a year, several thousand people gather there to pray.

The «House of Meditation and Contemplation» was built around Mazar Shamseddin Koulial. The whole was raised by Timur in 1373, for his father Taraghay and a famous Sufi, Sheikh Shamseddin Koulial, who was the spiritual master of his father. The two mausoleums are surmounted by almost identical domes. The whole was completed by Oulough Begh.

The covered market of four doors, the typical architecture of the shops located at the intersection of the shopping routes. One part is covered, the other in the open air. It offers the whole range of fruits and vegetables in the region, in a very authentic atmosphere. Although Shahrisabz's production does not contain any specific items to the city, this bazaar is a good opportunity to find a low price for traditional clothing, especially manteaux and Uzbek caps, accessible at more favourable prices than Samarkand.

Located in one of the narrow streets of the old town behind the Shahrisabz hotel, this small khanaka built in the early th century welcomed the dervishes of passage. The small mosque is surrounded by cells where, at the beginning of the century, studied and lived des. The location has not been too restored and has kept its charm.

Ak means "white" but understood as "noble," because white was in no way the colour of Tamerlane palace whose walls were covered with azur azure and dark blue. The visitor's first contact with this huge square, set up in the park in the late 1990 s, is disappointing. There is not much of the sumptuous palace that can be imagined by the story of Clavijo. The ruins of the portal are immense - 30 m - and still covered with majolica tiles, but the 22 m high vault has not resisted the earthly attraction. The damage are old since it was the Emir of Bukhara who destroyed the building in the th century: the palace, whose construction lasted more than a quarter of a century, made it shadow… there is, of course, a legend about the architect of this palace: in the first version, once the palace finished, Timur asks the architect if he is able to build an even more beautiful palace, the spavento answers yes, and is immediately thrown off the high walls; in the second version, the architect was supposed to enter at the foot of the ark, the following sentence: «The Sultan is the shadow of Allah», but on one side he missed him, which gave: " The Sultan is the shadow "! The architect invoquer the Koran which bans the decorative symmetry, you guess… In each turn, a spiral staircase climbs at the top where the view is splendid on the city and the snow-capped summits in the south.

In 2007, the ruins of the palace were residences from a grid that you only cross with 1 500 hospitals (0,8 € approx.), but you can just as easily look at the grid. On the other hand, you will have to enter the enclosure if you want to climb the doors of the palace (1 500 supplémentaires extra) to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city and its surroundings.

By taking the street from the other side of the central square to the Madrasas Kilichbek, then turning two to the right, you arrive in this small, idyllic area at a small mosque in the late th century. Currently in renovation, it is accompanied by two iwan supported by 7 poles, supporting a prayer room. The woodwork of the iwan are well damaged, but it is an opportunity to see paintings in their state of origin. The court is pierced by a vast basin, and a 11 m minaret, completely rebuilt, dominates the whole. Under the basin would be Juma Masjit, a native of Samarkand, who preached Islam and came to death in Karchi. In addition, two th century tombs decorated with Arab motifs add to the site's obsolescence.