BBC Travel section published an article about Samarkand - the capital of the empire of Tamerlane. Tim Johnson, the author of illustrative and interesting article highlights some amazing facts about this ancient city with a rich history and splendid architecture.
Samarkand, the desert city that was the capital of Tamerlane’s global empire, is imperial and exotic, full of palaces and mosques, madrasas and mausoleums, soaring minarets and massive domes, all of them appointed with ornate blue tiles and hundreds of years of history.
Built on a staggering scale, Samarkand’s mosques and other historic buildings tower over the modern city and its denizens. For example, the Bibi Khanum mosque, which Tamerlane built after his campaign in India at the close of the 14th Century, originally featured as many as 450 marble columns and was constructed with the help of almost 100 elephants.
Even though Tamerlane established an empire that stretched from present day India to Turkey, and Russia to
Saudi Arabia, the heart of his dominion was the Registan (or “sandy place” in Persian) in Samarkand. This square was once home to royal proclamations – and public executions; today it hosts major events, including music festivals.
Samarkand is a city of domes, some of which are more beautiful when viewed from the inside. Spread across its skyline, these domes are soaring testaments to Tamerlane’s architectural legacy, which helped the city become a Unesco World Heritage Site.
