|  Of all the medieval buildings in
Bukhara, the Samanids Mausoleum is of special interest.
This world-famous architectural masterpiece was built
at the close of the ninth century. The mausoleum was
erected as a family crypt immediately after the death
of Ismail Samani's father. Later, Ismail himself and
his grandson Hasr were also buried in it. It is interesting
to note that erecting crypts was against Islamic law
at that time, for Islam forbade erecting any post-mortem
monuments upon the tombs of Muslim believers. However,
the prohibition was broken in the middle of the ninth
century by one of the caliphs himself, for whom a
special as-Suli-biya Mausoleum was built. Ismail merely
followed his example.
 The Samanids Mausoleum reveals the genius of a plain
design. This is seen in its composition and the balanced
design of its facades and interiors. It is composed
of a semi-spherical dome resting on a cube. All of
the facades are identical and marked with three-quarter
domed columns on the corners. There is an upper armature
and a central entrance with a visible horizontal dividing
line. The core is characterized by regular kiln-dried
bricks, forming horizontal, vertical, and diagonal
patterns on the walls. There are also separate details
in the shape of disks or rosettes. Analysis shows
that all elements in the Mausoleum are based on squares
and diagonals: the elements form geometrically digressive
lines. The same unification is seen in the architectural
forms and kiln-dried brickwork in the interiors. The
architectural design of the Samoniy mausoleum is entirely
unique. It owes much to pre-lslamic Soghdian architecture,
which used four-arch domed compositions and diminished
forms on the top of buildings, including disks and
rosettes on decoration columns (as can also be seen
in the section between the dome and the drum of the
interior). Although this building is connected with
pre-Islamic architecture, it also anticipates the
emergence of a new architectural style with comparatively
small dimensions; the Samoniy Mausoleum is full of
magnificence and feeling of moving from this world
to the world that lasts forever.
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