Field Study Uzbekistan
History
Samarkand city history, architecture and the culture
Address Asia Uzbekistan Samarqand Province
Overview
The ideal introduction for first-time visitors to Samarkand, this attraction-packed private tour covers top Silk Road-era sights. Highlights include the lavish, mosaic-covered courtyards of the Registan, 15th-century Ulugh Beg Observatory, the ancient mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda, and the iconic Timurid mosque of Bibi Khanym.
Stop At: Gur Emir Mausoleum, Oksaroi St. 1, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
See the magnificent mausoleum of Amir Temur. The entrance portal and the interior decoration are the highest points of the architectural development in Central Asia. Take great photos and explore the interior and the surrounding areas of Gur-Emir mausoleum.
Duration: 1 hour
Gūr-e Amīr or Guri Amir (Uzbek: Amir Temur maqbarasi, Go‘ri Amir, Persian: گورِ امیر), is the mausoleum of Tamerlane the conqueror located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The mausoleum has an important place in the history of Turkic-Persian architecture for being the precursor and model for later Mughal architecture, such as Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra, which were built by the Persianized descendants of Tamerlane. This building has now been restored and has become a tourist attraction in the city of Samarkand.
Stop At: Registan St, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
The heart of Samarkand, "the pearl of the orient" are the names of this magic place in Samarkand - Registan. We will explore the courtyards and the interiors of each madrasah. Great for photography.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
The Registan (Uzbek: Регистон, Registon) was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan (ریگستان) means "sandy place" or "desert" in Persian.
The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis - and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture. The square was regarded as the hub of the Timurid Renaissance.
Madrasahs
The three madrasahs of the Registan are: the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636), and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660). Madrasah is an Arabic term meaning school
Stop At: Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand Uzbekistan
The necropolis which means "dead city" is located in the hills of the ancient city Afrosiab - first settlement of Samarkand. This place is considered to be the workshop of the local architects and the craftsmen which is why it is a "gem of Samarkand". We will see many mausoleums of Timurids family and the unique architectural style of each building.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 11th – 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning "The living king") is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried here. He came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach Islam. Popular legends speak that he was beheaded for his faith but he didn't die, took his head and went into the deep well (Garden of Paradise), where he's still living.
The Shah-i-Zinda complex was formed over eight (from the 11th until the 19th) centuries and now includes more than twenty buildings.
The ensemble comprises three groups of structures: lower, middle and upper connected by four-arched domed passages locally called chartak. The earliest buildings date back to the 11th – 12th centuries. Mainly their bases and headstones have remained now. The most part dates back to the 14th – 15th centuries. Reconstructions of the 16th – 19th centuries were of no significance and did not change the general composition and appearance.
The initial main body - Kusam-ibn-Abbas complex - is situated in the north-eastern part of the ensemble. It consists of several buildings. The most ancient of them, the Kusam-ibn-Abbas mausoleum and mosque (16th century), are among them.
The upper group of buildings consists of three mausoleums facing each other. The earliest one is Khodja-Akhmad Mausoleum (1340s), which completes the passage from the north. The Mausoleum of 1361, on the right, restricts the same passage from the east.
The middle group consists of the mausoleums of the last quarter of the 14th century - first half of the 15th century and is concerned with the names of Timur's relatives, military and clergy aristocracy. On the western side the Mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aga, the niece of Timur, stands out. This portal-domed one-premise crypt was built in 1372. Opposite is the Mausoleum of Shirin Bika Aga, Timur's sister. Next to Shirin-Bika-Aga Mausoleum is the so-called Octahedron, an unusual crypt of the first half of the 15th century.
Near the multi-step staircase the most well proportioned buildings of the lower group is situated. It is a double-cupola mausoleum of the beginning of the 15th century. This mausoleum is devoted to Kazi Zade Rumi, who was the scientist and astronomer. Therefore the double-cupola mausoleum which was built by Ulugh Beg above his tomb in 1434 to 1435 has the height comparable with cupolas of the royal family's mausoleums.The main entrance gate to the ensemble (Darvazakhana or the first chartak) turned southward was built in 1434 to 1435 under Ulugbek.
Stop At: Bibi Khanym Mosque, Guzarskiy Lane, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
The gigantic mosque built by Amir Temur is standing now near the oldest bazaars in the city - Siab bazar or market. The size of the building is impressive and is one of the biggest in Central Asia at that time. We will explore the interior courtyard and the two small mosques on the sides and the main mosque in the middle.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Gur Emir Mausoleum, Oksaroi St. 1, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
See the magnificent mausoleum of Amir Temur. The entrance portal and the interior decoration are the highest points of the architectural development in Central Asia. Take great photos and explore the interior and the surrounding areas of Gur-Emir mausoleum.
Duration: 1 hour
Gūr-e Amīr or Guri Amir (Uzbek: Amir Temur maqbarasi, Go‘ri Amir, Persian: گورِ امیر), is the mausoleum of Tamerlane the conqueror located in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The mausoleum has an important place in the history of Turkic-Persian architecture for being the precursor and model for later Mughal architecture, such as Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra, which were built by the Persianized descendants of Tamerlane. This building has now been restored and has become a tourist attraction in the city of Samarkand.
Stop At: Registan St, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
The heart of Samarkand, "the pearl of the orient" are the names of this magic place in Samarkand - Registan. We will explore the courtyards and the interiors of each madrasah. Great for photography.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
The Registan (Uzbek: Регистон, Registon) was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire, now in Uzbekistan. The name Rēgistan (ریگستان) means "sandy place" or "desert" in Persian.
The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis - and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture. The square was regarded as the hub of the Timurid Renaissance.
Madrasahs
The three madrasahs of the Registan are: the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636), and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660). Madrasah is an Arabic term meaning school
Stop At: Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand Uzbekistan
The necropolis which means "dead city" is located in the hills of the ancient city Afrosiab - first settlement of Samarkand. This place is considered to be the workshop of the local architects and the craftsmen which is why it is a "gem of Samarkand". We will see many mausoleums of Timurids family and the unique architectural style of each building.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 11th – 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning "The living king") is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried here. He came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach Islam. Popular legends speak that he was beheaded for his faith but he didn't die, took his head and went into the deep well (Garden of Paradise), where he's still living.
The Shah-i-Zinda complex was formed over eight (from the 11th until the 19th) centuries and now includes more than twenty buildings.
The ensemble comprises three groups of structures: lower, middle and upper connected by four-arched domed passages locally called chartak. The earliest buildings date back to the 11th – 12th centuries. Mainly their bases and headstones have remained now. The most part dates back to the 14th – 15th centuries. Reconstructions of the 16th – 19th centuries were of no significance and did not change the general composition and appearance.
The initial main body - Kusam-ibn-Abbas complex - is situated in the north-eastern part of the ensemble. It consists of several buildings. The most ancient of them, the Kusam-ibn-Abbas mausoleum and mosque (16th century), are among them.
The upper group of buildings consists of three mausoleums facing each other. The earliest one is Khodja-Akhmad Mausoleum (1340s), which completes the passage from the north. The Mausoleum of 1361, on the right, restricts the same passage from the east.
The middle group consists of the mausoleums of the last quarter of the 14th century - first half of the 15th century and is concerned with the names of Timur's relatives, military and clergy aristocracy. On the western side the Mausoleum of Shadi Mulk Aga, the niece of Timur, stands out. This portal-domed one-premise crypt was built in 1372. Opposite is the Mausoleum of Shirin Bika Aga, Timur's sister. Next to Shirin-Bika-Aga Mausoleum is the so-called Octahedron, an unusual crypt of the first half of the 15th century.
Near the multi-step staircase the most well proportioned buildings of the lower group is situated. It is a double-cupola mausoleum of the beginning of the 15th century. This mausoleum is devoted to Kazi Zade Rumi, who was the scientist and astronomer. Therefore the double-cupola mausoleum which was built by Ulugh Beg above his tomb in 1434 to 1435 has the height comparable with cupolas of the royal family's mausoleums.The main entrance gate to the ensemble (Darvazakhana or the first chartak) turned southward was built in 1434 to 1435 under Ulugbek.
Stop At: Bibi Khanym Mosque, Guzarskiy Lane, Samarkand 140164 Uzbekistan
The gigantic mosque built by Amir Temur is standing now near the oldest bazaars in the city - Siab bazar or market. The size of the building is impressive and is one of the biggest in Central Asia at that time. We will explore the interior courtyard and the two small mosques on the sides and the main mosque in the middle.
Duration: 30 minutes
