Cemeteries and memorials to visit Shahrisabz

The grave that Tamerlan reserved for himself near his sons remained forgotten for a very long time and was rediscovered by chance in the 1940s. Its extreme sobriety is the opposite of the mausoleum in which he finally rests, the Gur Emir of Samarkand, and was more suited to his desires: just a tombstone engraved with prayers in a small, cool and silent crypt, the walls of which also bear inscriptions engraved in stone. It is one of the most interesting places to visit in Sharisabz, having been spared by the reconstruction.

From the birthplace of Timur there is only a small cemetery where turtles and snakes try to make good cleaning. Beware of tall herbs. Following the track, you can go back to Shahrisabz.

The "house of power and will" was built by Tamerlan for Djahangir, his favourite son, who died prematurely in 1375. Tamerlan's pain was immense and explains the construction of the mausoleum which, according to Clavijo, was decorated with gold and azure. The ensemble was largely destroyed by the Emir of Bukhara, together with the White Palace. But the mullahs managed to save some of it by making the Emir believe that the mausoleum of Jahangir supported that of a saint. Another son of Tamerlan, Omar Sheikh, lies in the deputy mausoleum.

This mausoleum, built by Ulugh Begh in 1437 for his family, is square in shape, surmounted by a cylindrical drum decorated with kufic inscriptions on which rests a blue dome. The interior is beautifully decorated with geometric, epigraphic and floral frescoes. Next to the family tombstones of Uulough Begh are the graves of the Sayyid, a dynasty from Termez, descendant of Hussain, grandson of Mohammed, who gave their name to the mausoleum.