Samarkand - Crossroad of Cultures

1.

"Samarkand - Crossroad of
Cultures" is the official
moniker used to descri be this
city as a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Samarkand
conjures up images of ancient
times and sounds almost
myth ical. However, th is is no
fairyta le: Samarkand today is a
lively city that cherishes its
traditions. Archaeological
excavat ions have revealed a
history which dates back
3500 years; the town of
Afrosiab was founded in the
7th century BC. The area was
continuously inhabited and
served as a melting pot of
diverse cultures.

2.

3.

eg
• Regi s t a n b e c a m e a m ajor
s q u a r e of Sa m a r k a n d in t h e
14th c e n t u r y. Regi s t a n m e a n s
"a s a n d y p lace". E a r lier, a river
c h a n n e l flo,ved t h r o u g h t h
a r e a , forming s a n d a n d s ilt
de posi ts. Six s t r e e t s c r o ss a t
Regis t a n . W h ile u n d e r Te m u r
the s q u a r e w a s a c o m m e r c ia l
a n d c ra ft s c e n ter, it b e c a m e a
spi ri t ua l c e n t e r u n d e r Ulugbeg.
Ulugbeg c o n s t r u c t e d a m ajesti c
m a d r a s s a h a n d s Sufi K h a n a k a
'v ith a h u g e dom e . The old
b u ildi n gs on Regis t a n h a d
falle n in to d is r e p a i r by t h e
17 th c e n t ury a n d t h e governor
of S a m a r k a n d , Yala n g - t u s h - b iy,
b u ilt S h e r -Dor M a d r a s s a h in
t h e pla c e of Ulugbeg's k h a n a k a ,
a n d la t e r b u ilt Tiliya-Kari
M a d r a s s a h a s'v ell.

4.

Tillya-Kary Madra ss ah
• In the n1iddle of the 17 th century,
the cathedral inosque of Bibi
I<hany1n lay in ruins and
San1arkand needed a ne\v
inosque. Yalangtush-biy ordered
its construction o n the Registan.
The n1osque \Vas planned to
operate as a inadrassa h as \vell.
Construction lasted aln1ost
t\venty years and \Vas finishe d in
16 6 0 . The ric he st gilding o n the
d on1e, \Valls and n1ih rab
surpassed all o the r fan1ous
buildings in Centra l Asia. For this
reason, the inadrassa h \Vas n a1ne d
Tillya-l(ari, \vh ich ineans "coated
\vith gold ". The d o n1e of the
inosque remained unfinished up
to the 2 0 t h century. At the same
tin1e, its faded facing \Vas
restored.

5.

-Madras sa h
• Th e m a d r a s s a h of Ulugbeg w a s
u n d e r co n s t r u c tio n from 1 4 17 1 4 2 0 . Its h u g e portal h a s a n a r c h
of 1 5 m in wid t h . Th e m o s a ic panel
above t h e a r c h s h o w s a symbolic
s k y with five a n d ten pointed s t a r s .
Th e m a d r a s s a h h a d a platform for
a s t r o n o m ical o b servatio n s before
Ulugbeg 's o b servatory w a s built,
a n d h a d fifty cells for o n e h u n d r e d
s t u d e n t s . Sh eik h Khodja Akhrar
a n d poet Djami were a mo n g t h e
o u t s t a n d i n g g rad u ates of tfiis
m a d r a s s a h . In t h e 2 0 th ce n t u r y t h e
n o rth easte rn a n d s o u t h e a s t e r n
mi n a r e t s were repaired , n ew d o me s
were installed , a n d t h e portal a r c h
a n d t y mp a n were restored.
SherwDor. Madr-ass a h
• Sher-Dor Ma d r a ss a h wa s co n structed
from 1619-1636, in a style imitating
Ulugbeg 's Ma d r a ssah. Ribbed domes
on high to\vers soared over the two
storied facade on the sides of the front
portal. Islamic inscriptions ,
geometrical and floral ornamentation
decorate the interior . Especially
interesting are the tymp a n s of the
portal arch. They are decorated \:\rith
a n anthropomorphi c depiction of the
s u n a n d tiger attacking a fallo\v deer .
Hence, the name of Sher-Dor "having tiger s ". This pattern \:\ra s
nearly lost by the middle of the
2Qtl1 century a n d h as been restored.

6.

:tUJ'l'-Zl han gnt Mosqu e
a -s$Gn
a n d m a uso leu m of Bibi -Kha n y m
• Bibi-Khanym Mos q u e was
c o n s t r u c t e d t o mimic t h e
design of t h e Amir Te mu r a sa
cathedral m osque of
Samarkand. It was intended
t o out-rival everything h e
had ever s e e n . Architects,
a r t i s t s and c r a ft s me n from
conquered countri e s were
involved
i n t h es ec ocnosmp
t r ulex
c t i .o n
of t h i s grandio
Ele p h a n t s were u s ed for
lifting and transp o rtin g
heavy loads. The m o s q u e was
c o n s t r uct ed over five years.
When Temur returned after
his wes t e r n campaign, h e
was very disappointed by t h e
c o n s t r u c t i o n and ordered t h e
reconstruction of t h e portal,
which he deemed n o t high
enough.
I n t h e end, t h e cath ed ral m o s que
was given o n e of t h e greate s t p o rtal s
of t h a t era. I t s a r c h was flanked with
powerful pylo ns, with mi n a r e t s u p t o
SOm i n height. The front e n t r a n c e
had bronz e doors with t h e
i n scrip tio n: "The s o u n d of t h e s e
h u g e doors, ma d e from t h e a llo y s of
s ev en me t a ls , c a lls t h e prayers of
s ev en c li ma t e s i n t o t h e house of
Islam ".