Things to see and do Route de la soie

Architectural masterpiece, commissioned at the beginning of the seventeenth century by the Shah Abbas, this wonder of safavide art covered with blue ceramic tiles (kächi) similar to turquoises in the Khorassan region, is the most sumptuous monument left by the founder of the Abbasian dynasty. sides. The Cheik Lotfollâh mosque seemed to be too small! Built in 1611, it will only be completed after the death of its founder, despite the eagerness of the founder to work the architects night and day. It is in particular to save time that the decorations of the decorations are not, as in the other buildings of the same time, mosaics of terracotta terracotta, but colored tiles assembled to create the final drawing. And the aesthetics of Muslim art can detect many defects due to the haste of craftsmen.

Mosque of courtyard and apparel, the Shah mosque fits perfectly into the splendid imperial ensemble of the square although, beliefs oblige, it could not be built on the north-south axis but slightly oblique, which explains the uniqueness of the plan developed with a portal of bias over the rest. of the southwest-oriented building towards Mecca. But, once returned, the plan remains the same as in other Iranian mosques.

The huge entrance portico (27 m high) is framed with two very narrow minarets (42 m high). Magnificent illustration of the monumental architecture, it combines the decorative elements mixing with glazed and stalactite fade, in the image of the interior of the arc of its half-dome. Raise your head to the sky to appreciate ornamental wealth. See in particular the wonderful white arabesques and gold on the blue background on the outer wall of the portal. The large fry of silligraphy calligraphed on cobalt blue background is equally remarkable.

Once in the large inner courtyard, beyond the portico, note the four huge iwan, top vaulted rooms, open on one side. Overlooking the large prayer hall and the whole, rises the huge dome (52 m high) to the majestic bulb with turquoise varnished earthenware. Have fun under the dome to check the exceptional acoustics of the places (you must be able to hear 7 times the echo of your voice!) and admire the hypnotic arch. One of the arcades of the East iwan opens on a madrasa (Koranic school) located behind the central courtyard of the mosque. Like Iranian madrasas, it is centered around a rectangular courtyard surrounded by cells for students. The southwest wall, cobalt blue and saffron yellow, is also remarkable. In recent years, Madrasa has been home to a courageous photographic exhibition dedicated to the Muslim victims of terrorism worldwide. Throughout the day, Imams are also present to discuss and answer theological (not political) questions of visitors to inform their knowledge of Islam. With a steep door, after a tip left to the guard, the spiral staircase leads you to the base of the big dome. Ispahan then extends to your feet. Beyond the Place de l 'Imam, the ostracized ochre city of turquoise coughing deploys its charms on a backdrop of mountains… Nevertheless, to enjoy the view of the Imam mosque, go to the upper floor of the Ali Qâpu pavilion also located on the square.

Like another great conqueror, Genghis Khan, Tamerlan wanted to be buried soberly: "Just one stone and my name on it," he said, and his tomb had been prepared in a crypt in Shahrisabz, his hometown. But history decided otherwise. In 1401, Muhamad Sultan, Tamerlan's favourite grandson and his appointed successor, built a four-minaret architectural complex consisting of an inner courtyard bordered by four iwans and overlooked by a madrasah to the east and a khanaka to the west. The madrasa was dedicated to the education of the sons of noble families destined to work in the administration. In the khanaka, residence of the dervishes, there was also a domed mosque. Today, only the traces of the foundations bear witness to these constructions, but one can admire the still richly decorated portal on which is inscribed in Persian: "Built by the weak slave Mohamed, son of Mahmud, of Espahan". When, in 1403, Muhamad Sultan, still young, perished during a campaign in Persia, Tamerlan had this mausoleum built, the most beautiful there is, for the one in whom he had seen his successor. When the first dome was completed, Tamerlan decided it was too small, had it destroyed and ordered a new, larger dome to be built, which was completed in less than two weeks. Ruy Gonzales de Clavijo recounts how the workers worked there day and night, and describes Tamerlan, sick and bedridden, coming twice in person to supervise the work. In February 1405, Tamerlan in turn died and his body, embalmed with musk and camphor, was temporarily and secretly buried in the khanaka next to his grandson. It was not until four years later, when the battles of succession were settled, that the royal remains returned to their present residence in the crypt of the mausoleum. On this occasion, Tamerlan's spiritual master, Sheikh Mir-Said-Bereke, was also buried. He was later joined by other Timurids, including two of Tamerlan's sons, Shakhrukh and Miranshakh, and his grandson Ulugh Begh. The latter added a gallery through which the mausoleum is now accessed and began the construction of another mausoleum, of which only ruins remain, and a crypt that can be seen behind the Gur Emir. It was also Ulugh Begh who brought back from Mongolia the block of nephrite that covers Tamerlan's tomb, and who had the mortuary slabs surrounded by an openwork marble barrier. The real tombs lie in the crypt. Like all the constructions of Tamerlan, the Gur Emir is grandiose. The volumes, simple, are of imposing size. The outer dome is 32 m high and a 3 m high Sufi inscription surrounds its base: it reads: "Allah is the only God and Muhammad is his prophet. "On this drum rests a stretched dome, 12.50 m high and 15 m in diameter, entirely covered with blue glazed bricks that sixty-four ribs dotted with yellow and midnight-blue rhombuses seem to stretch towards the sky. The interior of the mausoleum is even more sumptuous: firstly, the translucent green of the onyx walls, once decorated with gold and lazurite, then the blue and gold Qur'anic inscriptions that surround the room, and finally the dome, which the geometric gold decorations on a soft blue background make "like the firmament", in the words of the historian Cheref-ad-Din.

Southeast of the square, facing the Ali Qâpu Palace. This small jewel, completed in 1619 by Mohammad Reza Isfahani (son of the architect of the bridge to the Thirty-Three arches), owes his name to a prestigious theologian and required just over fifteen years of work. Of smaller proportions than the large mosque, it is coated, both inside and inside, of ceramics with rare tons, the mosque presents very beautiful arabesques. The glazed dome dome is decorated with blue flowers and white arabesques on a cream or pink background depending on the time of day. A unique vision that radically changes the turquoise tones that one is accustomed to seeing on the cupoles of Muslim medieval monuments. Even if the aesthetics will be happy to say that the rose perfectly enhances the turquoise and arabesque arabesques in the extraordinarily complex route that decorates the dome finely. Do not hesitate to offer some time of contemplation and return to different times of the day because the ensemble changes radically from the angle of the sun. Sit on the portal and its rich mosaic of geometric patterns, complemented by a stalactite vault with a particularly fine purpose. Note the absence of an inner courtyard and minarets. We move very quickly from light to darkness through a narrow corridor, designed to protect the faithful from indiscreet eyes and symbolizing a path towards the heavenly vault. Then you access the sanctuary, composed of a unique and vast prayer room. The darkness contrasts sharply with the clear colors that could have been observed outside, on the dome or on the portal.

Here we discover the science of the mural mosaic art, true jewel of the Persian fade. See in particular the large ceramic tiles to the flowered arabesques of artistic calligraphy. The blue and yellow dominate the walls as well as the ceiling while calligrapher Ali Reza gives the drums the full measurement of his art. In this regard, the Sheik Loftollah mosque is considered an outcome. Clou of the show, this aura of light filtered by high musharrabiehs placed in the drum supporting the dome and letting appear on the walls the "tail of the peacock". Take the time to walk in this square room of 19 m aside to vary the colors, colors, shadows on decorations according to the angle of entry of sunlight by the windows. The use of light weighs as much in decorations as all the mosaics or mosaics, making the prayer room a masterpiece.

As in the Shah mosque, architects had to face a problem of alignment of the building and, so that the mirhab could look at Mecca, it was necessary to abandon it parallel to the plot. The entrance corridor to the prayer room also serves to conceal the 45 degree angle change.

The mosque, once completed, was reserved for the private use of Sheik and his relatives, hence his nickname of the king's oratory. You will notice the total absence of minaret, strange for a mosque, but the muezzin appeal was useless because only Sheik came to pray under the dome.

Bordered by tchaikhanas and mulberry trees several hundred years old, behind the foliage of which can be seen the sumptuous facades of the madrasah and the khanaka Nadir Divanbeg, the Liab-i-Khaouz is a place of life and conviviality in the heart of the old city, an ideal starting and finishing point for walks in Bukhara.

The pool provides coolness even in the hot summer hours. At the time of its size, Bukhara had about 100 such basins, of which the Liab-i-Khaouz is one of the few survivors. Taken over by the tourism business, it is now flanked by restaurants on three sides and camel statues on the fourth. The traditional takhtans have mostly been replaced by western-style tables and chairs. The aksakal, or elders, who used to gather there in tens, have gradually been pushed to the right of the basin to make way for the now much larger number of tourists. This has not changed their habits: watching the time go by and playing dominoes for hours on end. There is a legend that tells how the basin was once the home of a Jewish woman. She had no desire to move, and she interfered with the plans of the Wazir, who decided to dig a canal under her house. The Wazir won the game, because the house, which had been eaten away by dampness, eventually collapsed. This unusual story of eviction left its mark on the inhabitants of the city, who named the basin Khaouz Bazur, the basin of constraint. In addition to being one of the rare 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 line the basin

To the north, slightly set back, the Koukeldash Madrasa is the oldest, dating from the mid-16th century, while the Madrasa and the Nadir-Divanbeg Khanaka, facing respectively the east and west of the basin, were built in 1620, at the same time as the water body. The Kukeldash Madrasa, built in 1568 by Kulbaba Kukeldash, is the largest madrasa in the city; it measures 80m by 60m and comprises 160 cells on two levels.

To the east of the basin, the Nadir-Divanbeg madrasa stands out for the two huge semurgues, or simorghs, that adorn its portal. These fantastic birds with blue and green plumage, holding a doe in their talons, seem to fly towards a sun god that is reminiscent of the sun god on the façade of the Chir Dor Madrasa in Samarkand. The high entrance porch is characteristic of caravanserais, and was apparently not intended to open onto a madrasah. But it is said that the khan was mistaken at the inauguration and, while admiring the caravanserai, congratulated Nadir-Divan-Begi for his religious zeal in building such beautiful madrasas. It was unthinkable to contradict the Khan, and although there were no study halls or mosque, the caravanserai became a madrasah. In reality, this transformation was probably caused by the decline in commercial activity that Bukhara suffered in the 17th century. Today the cells are transformed into souvenir shops and craftsmen's workshops. In the summer, concerts are also organized there.

Finally, in the west, the Nadir-Divanbeg khanaka welcomed pilgrim dervishes. They were housed in the cells surrounding the central mosque, now transformed into an art gallery and souvenir shop.

The site is accessed by road along the Palestinian camp of Al Bass east of Tyre. It is 500 m south of the roundabout Al Bass. This site is very broad. In summer, under a sun of lead, the visit can be busy, so come early in the morning.

Once inside the site, you must take the Byzantine path made of rafters limestone slabs. On both sides, there is a vast Romano-Byzantine necropolis that includes a large number of sarcophagi and buildings and funeral pens. The whole was built between the second and the Ve s. of our era.

A first sarcophagus was exhumed in 1940 by French soldiers stationed in Tyre, but it was necessary to wait a few years before the whole necropolis was discovered. It is rich in hundreds of marble or stone sarcophagi. With bas-reliefs, they are now exposed to the National museum in Beirut. This is the case of magnificent tombs tracing episodes of the life of Achille, according to Homer's Iliad. Engraved on marble, the name and profession of the deceased indicate that many sarcophagi inhabited the body of large purple manufacturers.

On your left, the funeral chapel dates back to the th century. It consists of a small courtyard with a fountain, a semicircular room (its soil is paved with marble). Unlike the Byzantine path, the tomb-tower dating from the th century is distinguished. C.C.

At the end of the Byzantine road - shortly before it gives way to the Roman way - rises a monumental arc, high 20 m, built of sandy stone by the Romans in the second century. He collapsed in the Fifth or the th century during one of the earthquakes. There is a very clear distinction between wheel traces in the limestone Paving of the Roman track. To the south of this route, the pedestrian pavement retained its pavement in chevron. It was lined with a row of shops sheltered by the aqueduct that brought fresh water from Ras el-Ain to the city (6 km from Tyre).

The kings fountain is preceded by a small mosaic courtyard. This funeral complex is decorated with several niches and various basins. The deceased was buried behind the fountain. To the south of this fountain, the blues of the Blues include a mosaic where the blues'victory is inscribed.

480 m long and 160 m wide, the Tyre racetrack, built in the th century as a hair pin, is one of the largest and best preserved in the Roman world. Its stone stands on the ground allowed for up to 20 000 seated spectators. Spina, like long wall, marked the centre of the track. In his midst, a granite obelisk was found (now raised) and a little further the statue of Hercules. Later, a Byzantine chapel was built on the abandoned site. In Roman times, races attracted passionate crowds. Pending the departure, ten tanks took place at the end of the spina for which they had to do seven times the tour. During the fall of the Roman Empire, the racecourse was abandoned and buried over the centuries under six metres of sand.

For the traveller arriving by car from Tashkent, the huge blue dome of Bibi Khanum rising behind the compact and colourful crowd on their way to the market is one of the first images of Samarkand the Timurid. It was in 1399, on his return from his campaign in India where his troops had set fire to the temples of the Zoroastrian and Hindu infidels, that Tamerlan decided to build the Masjid-i-Jami mosque, known today as Bibi Khanum, daughter of the Emperor of China and Tamerlan's favourite woman. The best architects and craftsmen from Khorassan, Azerbaijan and India worked on the construction of what was to be the largest mosque in Central Asia. The best location in the capital was chosen and Tamerlan laid the foundation stone on the most auspicious day, the fourth day of Ramadan 801 (10 May 1399). Ninety-five elephants, which Tamerlan had brought back from his conquests in Hinduhistan, maneuvered huge blocks of stone needed for construction. According to Cherif id Din, there were four hundred and eighty five-metre high blocks! Entrusting the supervision of the grandiose project to his most faithful collaborators, Tamerlan set off on new conquests in Asia Minor, and did not return to Samarkand until July 1404. According to Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, a Castilian ambassador and keen observer who visited Samarkand in August 1404, Tamerlan's first wife was actually named Cano. She was the daughter of Chiacao, emperor of the province of Samarkand and former king of Persia and Damascus, and it was in honour of Cano's mother that the mosque was built. Clavijo recounts how, on his return from Asia Minor, Tamerlan considered the gate too low and had it demolished and then rebuilt. The workers who took turns day and night were treated rather harshly. Those who worked in the pits had meat thrown at them like dogs, sometimes adding coins so that they could continue their hard work without respite. According to the historian Sharaf ad-Din, upon his return in 1404, Tamerlan fell into a black fury because Bibi Khanum, who must have been a strong-willed woman, had a madrasah and mausoleum built for herself right in front of the mosque. As later archaeological excavations showed, Tamerlan's fury may have been due to the fact that the madrasah's portal was not built in parallel with the mosque's portal. Whatever was the real reason for the Iron Emir's anger, legend has taken hold of it and the following story is told: while Tamerlan was fighting far from his lands, Bibi Khanum decided to surprise him by erecting the highest mosque ever built. Asked to hurry up, the architect ends up getting a kiss from her in exchange for her promise to finish the work on time. The kiss was so torrid and so hot that Bibi Khanum still had a mark on his cheek when the emperor returned. This one went into a frenzy. The felon architect climbed to the top of one of the minarets and flew forever to Persia. Bibi Khanum was thrown from the top of another minaret, and Tamerlan gave the order that in his empire all women should wear the veil so that their faces would no longer tempt the men when the husbands were at war.

At the time of its construction, the complex included four marble-paved galleries, covered with 400 domes and supported by 400 marble columns, which surrounded a huge inner courtyard measuring 130 m by 102 m. Two 50 m high minarets stood on either side of the 35 m high entrance portal and the portal of the large prayer hall, which was 40 m high. Four other minarets were located at each outer corner of the courtyard. To the north and south, two smaller mosques, each decorated with a dome resting on a lavishly decorated cylindrical drum, looked towards the centre of the courtyard where the Qur'an of Osman, the second largest Qur'an in Islam, dating from the seventh century, which Tamerlan brought back from Damascus, rested on a marble lectern. It is said that the suras were written in such large letters that imams could read them from the top of the colonnade. It is also said that as soon as it was finished, the mosque was already beginning to deteriorate. The haste of the architects probably had something to do with it and the earthquakes, one of which had its epicentre in the very centre of the mosque, did the rest. Armin Vambery, the false dervish who managed to visit Samarkand in 1863, describes a very damaged monument which was used as a garage for carts. Ten years later, Eugene Schuyller also went to Samarkand and described the courtyard of the mosque, which had been transformed into a cotton market: the large marble lectern on which the Koran Osman was placed was still there. He also reported on the popular belief that, to cure back pain, one had to crawl between the nine short, thick pillars supporting the lectern. Another superstition was that infertile women would come there in the morning on an empty stomach in order to procreate. Even today, you can still see women crawling between these pillars... The restorers worked for more than forty years to rebuild the mosque to gradually restore it to its original shape. The three domes have reappeared, but those of the north and south mosques are already losing their blue ceramic decorations.

The mosque's double minaret forms the entrance of the streets of the bazaar. The very sober mosque on Friday, the only Persian to keep intact the buildings and sets of the seldjoukide periods (1051-1220), Ilkhanide (1220-1380), timouride (1370-1506), safavide (1570) 02-1736) and the most baroque turcoman, is a true museum of Islamic architecture of xie in the eighteenth century. Despite invasions, destruction, reconstructions, the ensemble retains a harmony and a wealth of styles that make it one of the most interesting monuments of the city. It is often called the old mosque by the inhabitants, in opposition to the Shah mosque, but the visit will convince you quickly that it has nothing to envy him!

To start your visit, focus on the exhibition of 3 D diagrams at the entrance, once passed the portal. They make it possible to fully realize the evolution of the building during successive dynasties and the construction or disappearance of its various parts.

The Friday mosque of Ispahan remains the largest mosque in Iran, with 474 original individual vaults, and enjoys complex architecture mixing ages and styles. The remains of a first mosque with climate orientation dates back to the viiith century (773) and were erected under the Reign of the Abbassides. It was in the selfjoukide era that, on order of Vizir Nizâm al-Molk, in 1080, an exceptional dome in one vault was added according to the architectural principle of the fire temples. It must be said that Nizam al-Molk, Vizir of Malek Chah, had sworn to take his place and that the mosque had been completely destroyed by his supporters. The vizir for him ordered the construction of the north pole, prodiging architecture for the time. The two buildings from the conflict were the only ones surviving the great fire of the mosque in 1121.

It is in the southern part of the mosque that the main mirhab is found, but one of the most notable iwan is certainly that of the western flank, with its sefecal earthquakes. Also note the sobriety of the many vaulted brick rooms, surrounded by the central courtyard of four iwan dating back to the xiith century. The vault of the south iwan, the most impressive, is covered with large alveoli and superb ceramics of fatherhood of xvie, xviie and eighteenth centuries. On the north iwan side, the dervish iwan, the stars are made of the precise provision of bricks. The little tower of the West Iwan serves to call for prayer. On the right of this one, the small room of the Mongolian sultan Oldjaitou (whose mausoleum is in Soltaniyé) houses a very beautiful mihrab in 1310. Also admire the beautiful calligraphy and the finesse of carved flower motifs. Located in the basement, the Shabestan (summer and winter room), completed in 1447, stretches over 50 m long and 20 m wide. The low light filtered by the translucent algae algae ensured that all night was in prayer. Finally, you can close the visit of the Friday mosque through a tower of the annexes. The mosque actually housed madrasas (Koranic schools) and water rooms for the ablutions of the faithful.

After the visit, you will have embraced what successive Iranian architectural schools have produced more beautiful and more successful over the centuries!

The Al Medina site is just a few minutes'walk from the port of Tyre. These are the ruins of the imperial Roman city which extends to the southern end of the peninsula. The site is also known as El Mina. The visit is splendid at the end of the afternoon at sunset. The lights on the main road to the colonnade are very beautiful with the sea view.

A 11 m wide Roman path, lined with columns of cipolin marble, led to the Egyptian port. This gangway was originally covered in a mosaic area forming large white circles. Because of the fragility of the materials used, we decided in the th century. to cover these mosaics of a marble slab.

On the other side of the Roman trail, the arena was extended to approximately 2 000 spectators. It was raised in the first century. Rectangulaire (which is very rare), this arena is surrounded by five rows of stands. All around, large tanks made of lime, used to serve as freshwater reservoirs.

Left of the Roman lane extended the thermal baths built on the embankment of the old port. To avoid infiltration of moisture, the thermal baths were installed on a set of limestone vaults surmounted by brick walls covered with marble and stone. Small pillars or hypocaustes, formed of pieces of terracotta, polishes the soil. The warm air, fed by a stove, was used for the different parts.

At the end of the large aisle was the Greek era (th century. The palaestra (gymnasium), which, following a fire, collapsed in the «Egyptian» port. The inhabitants built this place in public landfill and then, having gained land on the sea, the Romans took ownership to build the palaestra. One can still see the nine grey granite columns in Aswan (Upper Egypt) that were part of this building. In Byzantine times, a purple factory was created on this site.

Located near this site (see map), it is possible to visit the remains of the cathedral. Originally, the site appears to have been occupied by the famous temple of Melkart-Hercules. According to the stories, this temple surpassed all the monuments of the region. Two columns of gold and emerald were planted at the entrance to the building. Unfortunately, there's nothing left of this temple, if these are the huge columns of Aswan Pink Granite, recovered by the crusaders to raise their cathedral. It, built above a Roman track, is no longer just a vast field of ruins. Yet it was - in the th century - the place of grandiose ceremonies. Indeed, in 1187, following the resumption of Jerusalem by Saladin, the crusaders travelled to Tyre and celebrated in the cathedral of weddings and royal coronations. Similarly, in 1192 the remains of Fréderic I Barbarossa, the emperor of the West, was temporarily deposited in the cross cathedral. A grid gives access to the ruins, it is generally open. If not, the site can only be observed from the street.