The most beautiful religious buildings Route de la soie

This church, with its green dome, was built in 1738.

After several years of restoration work, a community of sisters, sisters of the unity of Antioch, lived there since January 2000. Ask to meet with French sister who will be pleased to visit this moving, historic place.

The visit begins first with the oldest piece. According to the dating of the wood on the door (juniper), this piece dates back over 2 000 years. In fact, this Christian sanctuary was first a pagan temple dedicated to the moon.

Then we go through a small little door to enter the church that would be one of the oldest in Syria. Its semicircular apse was on two floors. Inside, gradually after restoration, the frescoes are returned. Left was a mill. One enters the unique nave with two stone arches. The soil dating from the Middle ages has been restored.

On the walls, frescoes in pieces depicting the life of Christ are visible. The bottom of the tower is Roman times. The rest has been completely renovated. She was certainly a watchtower. Finally, the crypt, which was a place of refuge during the massacres of the th century under Baïbar and the th century under the Ottomans. According to the legend, two survivors of the massacre perpetuated in the th century escaped through a tunnel leading to the church of Saint-Nicolas today the Great mosque.

To conclude the tour of Qara, mark a stop at the Grande Mosque (Jaamea al-Kabir). Go down the main street 300 m from the church and turn right. This is actually an ancient cathedral converted into a mosque.

The façade also shows the Byzantine origins of the building.

Déchausser before entering, women must take a veil. Good example of small small town mosque, filled with carpets. The ancient capitals decorate the two mihrab.

From the main road, take a small lane on the right just before a large triangular square. The entrance of the church is a little further on the right. Ask the key to the merchants around the square.

The two Roman officers from Syria were a rich source of inspiration for Syrian religious artists. People in the late th century in Résafé (see «Résafé»), Saint Serge gave his name to the Catholic convent of Maaloula. Here, it is the frescoes that we have to admire. They are still practically intact around the year 1000, which is already fascinating. They represent Saint Serge on a horse, Saint John-Baptiste and the Child Nursing.

The recent Shia shrine, situated not far from the Umayyad mosque, is not missing. Its gloss inside, with a prayer room with hundreds of mirrors, dive in a green light light, slice with the sobriety of other places of worship in the city. Enter the place and observe the devotion of highly expressive Shia women in the expression of their faith. Women must wear a Muslim dress.

The construction of the mausoleum spanned 50 years (from 1172 to 1218). The facade is treated more soberly than that of the adjacent mausoleum, with an arc in full hanger. A small vestibule leads to a courtyard with a basin. On the right, the iwan and, on the left, the old prayer room, which opens onto the courtyard by five bays. All rooms around the courtyard, which were the rooms of the students and masters, are arranged in the library. Jadis once contained the grave of the brother of Saladin, Sultan Al-Adil Ed ed-Din, the man who raised the Damascus citadel, dead in 1218. It houses the Arab Manuscripts section of the National Library.

From the threshold to the éblouissante style of calligraphie style and to the mouqarnas, the funeral room is found on the right. One of the guards will gladly open it with a bakchich. While the tones and themes are identical to the mosaic décor of the Umayyad mosque, the execution is more coarse. Among other remarkable elements of the decor are the mihrab à, steeped in marble, ivory and mother's length, and decorated with floral motifs, calligraphy and geometric motifs, as well as baseboards with marble scales. Completed in 1278, the mausoleum of the Sultan mameluke Az-Zahir Baïbars occupies the location of a house formerly inhabited by Ayyoub, the father of Saladin. Madrasas acts as a library, and there are many dusty books among which the works on Islam contradict Lenin's works.

Among the many holy places and shrines in Damascus, there are three of them attracting the Shia pilgrims in Iran. They are the tomb of Hussein in the Great Mosque, the nearby Rouqqaya mosque, and finally the Saida Zeinab mausoleum. Dedicated to a granddaughter of Mohammed, this mausoleum takes you to Isfahan. The profusion of money and mirrors in the prayer rooms, the rich decor of tiles, the immense golden dome contrast with the modest suburb where it is located. To get there, take a collective taxi for Saida Zeinab (15 km from the city centre, on the road to Souweida south-east of Damascus).

This small palace, dating back to the late th century, is home to an antique shop. Ask to climb on the roof, a privilege that the store leader willingly grants… and in French. There is a splendid view of old Damascus, with the Hamidiyé Souk as the horizon. Almost opposite, on the other side of the street Noureddin ash-Shahid, is madrasas An-Nouri. It houses the grave of the Great Noureddin, but the original building has almost disappeared. If the door is closed, you can see the sepulchre through the grid from the alley.

By continuing on rue Al-Moawiya (that of madrasas An-Nouri, opposite the Osmane street), at 200 m, slightly on the right, you reach Bimaristan year-Nouri.

On the road leading from the monumental arc to the city stands the cella of an important sanctuary dedicated to Baalshamin. The cult of this god cananéen, «master of the heavens», responsible for rain and fertility, grew significantly from the Seleucids. The sanctuary, built gradually, consists of three peristyle courses extending to Zénobia Cham Palace. The facade of the temple is decorated with four columns. The cella has a specially treated semi circular thalamos. Finally, one of the few statues of origin still in its place lies in the north in relation to cella.

The dimensions of the sanctuary, a large square enclosure of 175 m aside, and the state of conservation of the cella placed in its centre make this monument one of the most fabulous of the Roman Middle East after Baalbek.

Such a marvel was obviously not born in one day. It is on the location of a Hellenistic temple than in 32. The cella was dedicated to three deities: Bêl, Yarhibôl and Aglibôl, all three of the palmyrénien pantheon. This construction undoubtedly marks the affirmation of Roman sovereignty in Palmyra. It will then be necessary to wait until the beginning of the th century for the péribole to be enlarged and located in two rows of columns. The entrance gate (the one that locks up the existing counters) was completed only at the end of the th century. The latter wall included a monumental entrance (with stairs) which suffered greatly from the transformation of the sanctuary in place in the th century by the Mameluk. The spectacle of its re-replacement elements inserted into disorder proves the state of decay of the city of the day.

In the vast courtyard of the sanctuary, the eye is immediately drawn from the slightly regulator cella to the northeast. It is still partly surrounded by columns of its peristyle, especially on the east side. The peristyle was covered with slabs worn by also beams of stone. The portal, which has been restored, is of impressive size. The Syrian claw on this building is clearly reflected in the richness of the decoration (palmettes, fruit garlands, foliage…). In the axis of this portal opens the cella, large room 10 m on 30 m which constituted the heart of the temple. Facing, two thalamos, the most sacred part of the temple, which had the statues of the gods.

The left thalamos had a staircase and an annexe room. The richly decorated ceiling bears in its centre the effigy of Jupiter (the star associated with Bêl), surrounded by a first circle representing the six planets and a second bearing the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The southern thalamos is also surmounted by a monolithic bloc weighing several tens of tons, with pure geometric and floral decoration.

The fly of stairs that drove there is well preserved. Two other stairs inside the sacred chamber leading to the roof of the building. The room has a mihrab which attests the transformation of cella into mosque. By leaving the cella, you will note in the courtyard of the sanctuary, left, the traces of a bassin basin and, on the right, those of an altar. Behind the altar was identified the foundations of a banquet room near a processionnaire lane lined with stands that used to drive animals to sacrifice and climb on a gentle slope from the west wall wall.

On the right of the Portique's portico, this oratory was erected in 1689, with a rich façade of stucco decorations.

The mausoleum of Mirsaid Bakhrom is located in the park behind the market. The portal of the domed mausoleum dates from the end of the 10th century. Its decoration, made with an arrangement of bare bricks, is reminiscent of that of the Samanides' mausoleum. Today the monument is endangered by the saline rises. Look at the bricks, you can see a large deposit of salt. The mausoleum is still an important place of pilgrimage, and the faithful can come there very early in the morning.

The khanaka Kasym-Sheikh is an architectural ensemble of the 16th century, consisting of a mosque with a small blue dome and a khanaka. Kasym Sheikh's grave is behind the mosque. The khanaka for pilgrim dervishes was built by Abdullah khan, a native of Karmana. There are several tombs of saints in the inner courtyard, as was customary in the khanaka. The place is quiet and rarely frequented, you will have to charter a taxi to get there and pay for the round trip plus the waiting time of the driver.

The largest mosque in Uzbekistan was inaugurated in autumn 2014. Desired by the president, Islam Karimov, it was inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony and can accommodate 2,400 people. Made of white marble and taking up the classical architecture of the country, its mosaics represent the sky. The gold-covered mirhab is based on writings from the Qur'an and the central building is flanked by two high minarets. The ensemble is not yet very patinated and in this sense still lacks a bit of charm, but all around have been created pleasant green spaces along the Ankhor canal.

The church of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale was commissioned by the Jesuits in Bernini in 1658 and completed in 1661. Having chosen to organize the space along the small axis of the ellipse, Le Bernin placed concave walls on either side of the porch, which partially hide the building's receding walls. The whole is joyful. This is the work of a single artist, brilliant in his art, executed in a single stroke and a fine example of the aesthetics of that time.

Built in the second half of the 16th century, during the reign of Abdullah Khan II (1557-1598). Under the Soviets, the Koranic school had become an administrative building. The motifs on the façade are inspired by the madrasah of Ulugh Begh in Samarkand. The madrasa, now the largest in Tashkent, is once again welcoming students and it is worth passing under its entrance gate to admire a pretty courtyard bordered by cells on two levels. Right next door is the Grand Friday Mosque.

Built in the early 19th century, this madrasa was one of the most famous Koranic universities in Tashkent. The students studied the Koran, but also the legacy of all the great Uzbek and Muslim scholars: astronomy, mathematics, medicine, Persian and Arabic literature... In recent years, the madrasa has become a tourist attraction and now houses shops and workshops for craftsmen, wood engravers, ceramists, painters of miniatures on boxes. There are also embroidered fabrics and jewellery.

It appears as a village of isolated white houses in the desert at the foot of a mountain. Photogenic image at will creating already a mysterious atmosphere conducive to the visit of the site. A vast cemetery surrounds the mausoleum of Sultan Uvays Bobo, a giant who was said to measure no less than 12 metres! The locals can take you to the nearby Sultan Uvays Mountains to show you his footprints. It is a famous place of pilgrimage that has kept an atmosphere out of time. Feel free to go there during the Navruz period.

The mausoleum of Zenghi Ata, the black sheikh, and that of his wife Ambar Bibi were built in the 14th century on the orders of Tamerlan. This Mecca of Islam has recently been renovated and no longer has the appearance of romantic ruin that it had in the 1980s. The pilgrims are fervent and numerous, the tourists discreet. Architecture, decorations and mosaics are typical of the Timurid period. The madrasa, still in use, the small tree-lined courtyard and the mosque are additions from the 18th century, and the mosque from the 19th century. The minaret dates from the beginning of the last century. The mausoleum of Ambar Bibi is in the cemetery next to the mausoleum of Zenghi Ata. Many women come to pray there, going around the building three times while embracing the walls. The walls are covered with prayers, wishes or simple words drawn with pens on the brick. The pilgrims then choose a tree in the cemetery to whose branches they attach small pieces of cloth so that the wind can carry away their prayers and make their fertility wishes come true. This is a good opportunity to visit a funeral building that is the object of fervent pilgrimages while staying out of the tourist circuits to enjoy an authentic and local atmosphere. The best time to make the visit will be on Friday, after the Great Prayer, or during the celebration of Navruz, the festival marking the return of spring, when pilgrims are most active throughout the country.

The unusual and asymmetrical appearance of this mosque perched on the hill of Afrosyab immediately catches the eye. The colonnaded iwan and the domed entrance date from 1854. In 1919, the architect Abdukadir Bini Baki added a portal and the minaret. This mosque, dedicated to Elijah, the patron saint of travellers and groundwater, was built on the site of another mosque, itself built on the site of one of the oldest holy places in the city in pre-Islamic times. It was near this site that the running water canal of the ancient city of Afrosyab passed, and it is known that the Zoroastrian priests were responsible for irrigation and all matters relating to water, one of the sacred elements of the ancient religion. From the iwan, there is a breathtaking view of the Shah-i-Zinda.

When you reach the mosque via the viaduct, recently built above the road to connect it to the bazaar, you can also visit the tomb of Islam Karimov. The former Uzbek president was buried in his hometown, a stone's throw from the Travellers' Mosque, and lies in a small pavilion with many basil plants, which are supposed to accompany the souls of the dead to the afterlife. It is a place of meditation for many Uzbeks and the tourist guides are full of praise, even if many more people think that the country is doing very well without its former dictator..

The mausoleum of Sheikh Burhanuddin Sagarji, known as Rukhobod or 'residence of the spirit', was built in 1380 by Tamerlan to house the remains of his mentor and his family. It is one of the oldest monuments in the city. Its architecture is simple: a cubic base with symmetrical sides, surmounted by an octagonal drum on which rests a conical dome 22 m high. Large dimensions that recall the Timurid origin of the building.

It is said that a lock of the Prophet's hair was buried with the saint's remains. His grave lies almost in the centre of the mausoleum, next to that of the sheik's wife, Bibi Khalfa. When he died in China, his body was mummified and brought back to Samarkand on camelback, also buried in the mausoleum under the cobblestones. The paving stones are scratched by the nails of the architect, who signed his work.

The other ten graves are those of Sheikh Burhanuddin Sagarji's children, eight boys and two girls. The tombs of the latter two can be recognized by their more tapered shape and are decorated with suras from the Koran. The east door is original, and still bears, engraved in Arabic script, Tamerlan's favourite phrase: "Allah is the only God and Muhammad is his prophet". The 14th century minaret has also been restored. Its architecture is a reflection of the entrance portal of the khanaka. Just behind it, the splendid traditional house in iwan, with colonnades and painted woodwork, is that of Khodja Muin Shukurullaev (1883-1942).

Set on the edge of the Afrosyab cliff overlooking the Syab River, the long, five-domed mausoleum would have a most soothing view if a factory hadn't been built just below it. He was abandoned for a very long time. In 1996, Patriarch Alexis, passing through Uzbekistan, came to visit the tomb of St. Daniel. The "Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel" is indeed the only place in Samarkand that attracts and gathers pilgrims from the three monotheistic confessions: Muslim, Christian and Jewish. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century by Tamerlan, who brought back the bones of the saint from his campaign in Asia Minor. Eugene Schuyller, in 1873, although he does not mention the mausoleum, reports that hermits had lived in caves in the cliffs of Afrosyab. It is probably one of those caves that can be seen right next to the mausoleum and which was used as a millikhana. The grave is no less than 18 m long! It is said that the bones of the saint continue to grow a few centimetres each year. At the head of the tomb, one can see ornamental elements of Koranic calligraphy engraved in the stone. At the foot of the steps, near the river, a small domed building houses a holy water source. The believers make their ablutions there and quench their thirst. Outside the moments of pilgrimage, it is a cool, very calm and soothing place where it is good to stop for a few moments on the way back from Afrosyab's visit.

Located almost opposite the Khodja Abd-i-Daroun complex, the 15th-century mausoleum of Ishratkhana is the burial monument of the women and children of the Timurid dynasty. It was built by Khabibi-Sultan-Beghim, wife of Sultan Abu Sayid. Its name, which translates as "house of joy", would have been given to it because of its sumptuous decorations, which can only be guessed at today. Following the earthquakes of 1897 and 1903, the central dome collapsed. In the centre, an underground crypt houses about twenty tombs.

The mausoleum of Tamerlan's wife, slender and rather solitary, is also a place of pilgrimage for women. It was erected at the end of the 14th century and houses, in its octagonal crypt, three coffins of women. The interior has again been "perfectly" restored. That is to say, with strong gilding and shiny interlacing, which takes away a little from the authenticity of the whole. And, as with the mosque, it is no longer possible to go up to the roof of the mausoleum. But the staff occasionally seems more open to discussion on the subject, with tips...

Built after independence on the site of a 16th-century mosque, the Khonakah Mosque can accommodate up to 6,000 worshippers for the Great Friday Prayer between noon and 1 p.m. At the entrance, the two minarets are 26 m high. Non-Muslims may enter and admire the woodwork and paintings that adorn the mosque, but will be kindly dismissed during prayer. Make sure you take off your shoes and wear a suitable outfit (legs and long sleeves, head scarf for women and of course no skirt).

Leaving the cemetery, take the street that enters the city, on the other side of the road. Go around the first block, turning twice to the right; the madrasa is on the left after the second turn. This madrasa, built in 1833, was partially restored in 1992. To the left of the entrance, a beautiful iwan with traditional woodwork and paintings is worth a visit on its own. Unfortunately, the rest of the building is rather abandoned and of little interest until it has been completely restored.

Dating from 1799, this madrasa was one of the few, along with the Mir-i-Arab Madrasa in Bukhara, to accommodate students during the Soviet period. Today it has closed its doors but is open to Uzbek and foreign visitors who request access. You can get an idea of the life that reigned here by entering the cells on two floors: the ground floor was used for study and the preparation of meals while the first floor was reserved for rest.

To the west, the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa, built between 1804 and 1812, under the reign of the eponymous khan, by the grandfather of Allah Kouli khan. Khan Koutloug Mourad Inak wanted to be buried in his madrasah, but death surprised him while he was in Dichan kala, the outer city. Since the law forbids the entry of the dead into the inner city, Allah Kuli Khan found a solution by tearing down the city walls that separated the madrasah from the outer city. There was no longer any reason why the khan should not be buried in the vestibule of his madrasah. It was Khiva's first madrasah with two floors of cells. Another special feature is that it is built on top of another madrasa dating from 1688: the Khodjamberdibi Madrasa, which, during the new construction, was converted and renamed Khujum. The domes and the gate were removed, and a passage was drilled through the middle of it. It now serves as a terrace at the gate of the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa. The arches of the cells are visible at the front of the great madrasah. The large underground well located in his courtyard supplied pure water to the entire inner city. Today the children come to fetch the banknotes that the pilgrims threw there and no one drinks any more of its water. In season, a puppeteer offers his little show to tourists for whom a few benches have been set up in the courtyard.

The Allah Kouli Khan madrasa was built in 1834 opposite the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa, forming the traditional couple of kosh madrasas. One of the largest in the city, it housed Khiva's library. At that time, Allah Kouli Khan wanted to completely reorganize the eastern entrance of the city. He had the inner city wall demolished and a whole complex of commercial and religious buildings erected, thus moving the centre of the city to the vicinity of the Tash Khauli Palace. The new complex included a huge caravanserai, a covered market, baths as well as a madrasah and a mosque. The caravanserai was turned into a supermarket by the Soviets. A curiosity! It opens onto a 14-dome timer. A gallery with 6 domes runs along the Allah Kouli Khan Madrasa and leads to Palvan Darvosa, the east gate, which opens to the outer city and the bazaar. The Allah Kouli Khan Madrasa is only really interesting because of its majestic deep blue portal. Inside, around a rectangular courtyard measuring 30 m by 34 m, the cells are spread over two floors, as in the Koutloug Mourad Inak madrasa.