Monuments to visit Shahrisabz

Ak means "white", but was understood as "noble", because white was by no means the colour of Tamerlan's palace, whose walls were covered with azure and dark blue majolica. The first contact with this huge square was disappointing. Indeed, not much remains of the sumptuous palace that Clavijo's story allows us to imagine. The ruins of the portal are immense - 30 m - and still covered with majolica tiles, but the 22 m high vault did not resist the earthly attraction. The depredations are ancient, since it was the Emir of Bukhara who had the building destroyed in the 16th century: the palace, whose construction lasted more than a quarter of a century, cast a shadow over it. There is of course a legend about the architect of this palace : in the first version, once the palace was finished, Tamerlan asked the architect if he was capable of building an even more beautiful palace, the boaster answered yes, and was immediately thrown from the top of the walls; in the second version, the architect was supposed to inscribe at the foot of the arch, the following sentence: "The Sultan is the shadow of Allah" but, on one of the sides, he ran out of room, which gave: "The Sultan is the shadow"! In each tower, a spiral staircase climbs to the top from where there is a splendid view of the city and the snow-covered peaks to the south. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to climb the palace gates to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city and its surroundings.

The "house of meditation and contemplation" was built in the 13th century by a Muslim traveller who came to convert the local population to Islam. His descendants turned it into a madrasa, where the grandson of the Sufi sage taught, and where the grandson of Tamerlan's father was educated. For this reason, the emperor, upon the death of his father, decided to make it the burial place of the master and his disciple. The madrasa was enlarged and transformed, and the two mausoleums were covered by two domes. The complex was later completed by Ulugh Begh.

The-door covered market, the typical architecture of the shops located at the intersection of the shopping routes, was closed to the public at the time of our passage. It is expected to reopen its doors in the near future and host national souvenirs and crafts stands. In contrast, the new bazaar is cruelly lacking in charm. Again, it was not opened at the time of our passage but the locations for some fruit and vegetable stands were already marked. It is lined with empty shops that should surely host souvenirs and craft shops.

Before it was a caravanserai, the building housed a madrasa. In recent years, it hosted a carpet and clothing market where many backgammon players met all day. At the time of our visit, the caravanserai was being completely renovated. It has reopened and now hosts a restaurant (not the best in the country) and some traditional music concerts. Nothing exceptional.

This small khanaka built at the very beginning of the th century welcomed the dervishes. The small mosque is surrounded by cells where, at the beginning of the century, studied and lived des.