Photo: Arina Pan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Gur-e Amir

Gur-e Amir in Samarkand is the mausoleum of Timur and several members of his dynasty, recognisable by its ribbed turquoise-blue dome. It is a compact visit that shows the roots of the architecture later seen in the Mughal tombs of India.

History

The oldest part of the complex is the madrasa and khanqah built at the end of the 14th century on the orders of Muhammad Sultan, Timur's heir apparent. When Muhammad Sultan died suddenly in 1403, Timur began a mausoleum for him. Timur had prepared a smaller tomb for himself in Shahrisabz, near his Ak-Saray Palace, but when he died at Otrar in 1405 on his campaign towards China, the passes to Shahrisabz were reportedly snowed in, and he was buried here instead.

His grandson Ulugh Beg completed the work, and during his reign the building became the family crypt of the Timurid dynasty. The architect is generally named as Muhammad ibn Mahmud of Isfahan. After the late 17th century Samarkand declined and its monuments were neglected; major restoration came mostly after the Second World War. In 1941 the tomb was opened under the Soviet anthropologist Mikhail Gerasimov, an event around which a legend of a curse grew; some say the story is a later invention, but it persists.

What to see

From outside, the building is an octagonal structure crowned by a fluted turquoise dome. The walls carry geometric and inscriptional patterns in blue, light blue and white tiles set against terracotta brick, and the entrance portal is decorated with carved brick and mosaic. Of the original madrasa and khanqah, only foundations, the entrance portal and part of one minaret remain.

Inside is a tall chamber with deep niches. The lower walls are covered with onyx panels, above which runs a marble stalactite cornice, while the arches and dome are adorned with gilded and painted relief work. Timur's headstone is a block of dark green jade, beside the markers of his sons Miran Shah and Shah Rukh, his grandsons Muhammad Sultan and Ulugh Beg, and his teacher Mir Said Baraka. These stones mark the real graves, which lie in a crypt directly beneath.

Visiting tips

Gur-e Amir is within Samarkand and can be reached from the centre by a short ride or on foot. If you are also visiting the Registan, the two fit comfortably into one day. Check entry conditions, opening times and photography rules before you go.

As it is a place of remembrance, quiet and modest dress are appropriate. The light on the dome and tiles changes through the day, so photographers may prefer morning or late afternoon. The interior is fairly small, and going outside the busiest hours makes it easier to take in the details.