Samarkand and the wonders of Tamerlane

Timur's mausoleum, Guri Amir, at night

Most countries have their historical founding heroes and, in Uzbekistan, it is Timur, or Tamerlane, as he is known in the West.  Nowhere is his presence more magnificent than in Samarkand, legendary Silk Road city and home to Timur when he wasn't off conquering vast territories and slaughtering thousands.



Timur's unfinished tomb

Tamerlane's name comes from Timur, the Lame, since one leg was shorter than the other.  This didn't stop him from becoming the most powerful ruler in the 14th century Muslim world, after conquering Egypt and the Middle East as well as Central Asia.  He died of pneumonia (or perhaps poisoning, some speculate) in 1405, on his way to conquer China.

Timur and his family built some of the most beautiful mosques and mausoleums in Central Asia, covered with majolica tiles.  One of his projects, however, a huge tomb for himself, carried a bit too much weight for its structure and partially collapsed. 
When you go inside today, it has enormous cracks in the sides and dome, held together by large concrete patches.  But, it doesn't look like the place to be in Samarkand's next earthquake.

Timur, himself, is buried with his grandson in a gorgeous mausoleum, Guri Amir.  Besides a visit to see his black granite tomb, a nighttime visit is stunning as the entire complex is lit up, showing off the beautiful blue dome to perfection.

Shah-I-Zinda

Muslim tombstone with faces

Timur's wife and sisters built another mausoleum complex, Shah-I-Zinda, with a row of smaller, but equally beautiful tombs, also covered with tiles.  Above these tombs is a Muslim cemetery which is remarkable because, contrary to Muslim law, each tombstone is engraved with the faces of the graves' inhabitants.

The center of Samarkand's glory is the huge plaza, the Registan, surrounded on 3 sides by enormous madrassas. 

The Registan

These were in ruins until the Russians helped rebuild them, somewhat to the consternation of UNESCO, which prefers to stabilize ruins rather than restore them.  Given their magnificence, I'm with the Uzbeks, though, and think, for tourists, seeing these majestic structures as they once were, beats the crumbled wrecks that were left over from war and earthquakes.  Photos of the buildings before they were rebuilt and restored show a busy bazaar in the plaza surrounded by ghostly remnants of walls and shattered domes.


Fergana women with Gail and Raisa

As we were walking around the Registan at night, we were stopped by security guards who denied us access even though people were wandering throughout the supposedly prohibited area.  But, we had tickets and, when we mentioned our guide's name, one guard came up, greeted her warmly, and turned the lights and music back on, letting us tour the complex, quiet and lovely in the glow of lights.  A group of Muslim women from the Fergana Valley wanted to take pictures with us outside one of the madrassas.  When they saw their wives being photographed, their husbands rushed up, to stop us, we thought, but they wanted to get in the picture also.

madrassa at the Registan

One of the madrassas has a gorgeous mosque, covered in gold tiles. 

mosque with gold tiles in Registan

The courtyards of the madrassas are full of commerce now, since they've been closed as schools since Soviet days.  There are lots of shops and street vendors selling metalwork, carpets, miniature paintings, suzanis and food.

display of dried apricots in market

A trip to Samarkand's large bazaar is a must.  It is divided into sections, including produce, bread, meat, spices, ironwork and so on. 

buying lemons in Samarkand's market

Women in colorful dresses hawk their goods or bargain for their purchases.  Pushcarts carry loads of paper products, melons, huge bags of spices and rice and much more throughout the market to the appropriate stalls.