Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Mausoleum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Gur-e-Amir, Persian for Tomb of the King, is Timur's mausoleum in south-west Samarkand and one of the most beautiful and influential buildings in Central Asia: it became the model for the Mughal tombs of India, from Humayun's Tomb in Delhi to the Taj Mahal, built by Timur's descendants. The complex was begun by his grandson Muhammad Sultan in the late 14th century with a madrasa and khanqah; Timur started the mausoleum in 1403 when Muhammad Sultan died of battle wounds. In 1405 Timur himself died at Otrar on his way to attack China, and since winter snows made it impossible to carry him to the tomb he had prepared at Shahrisabz, he was buried here. His grandson Ulugh Beg completed it, and it became the Timurid family crypt, with Timur, his sons Shah Rukh and Miran Shah, his grandsons Ulugh Beg and Muhammad Sultan, and his teacher Sayyid Baraka. A soaring ribbed turquoise dome crowns the tomb. Inside, the chamber is covered in gold, onyx and marble, with cenotaphs in the centre, Timur's in dark green jade, once the largest piece of jade in the world. The real graves lie in a crypt below.
Visit twice if you can: by day for the gilded interior, and in the evening when the dome is lit. Allow an hour. It is ten minutes' walk from the Registan. It is a tomb, so keep quiet and dress modestly. The chamber is dim; photograph without flash.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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