Overview

Shahrisabz

Uzbekistan

Shakhrisabz is a not big town (population ~ 90 000 people) in Kashkadarya region of Uzbekistan, placed at the foothills of Gissar Mountains on the border with Karshi Steppe in 80 km to the south from Samarkand.
Shakhrisabz is world-famous as a motherland of Tamerlan (Amir Temur) – the greatest commander and a statesman. Tamerlan made his native town the second capital of his huge medieval empire in XIV c. Survived monuments of that time convey about the past grandeur of the town. Not without reason UNESCO declared the historical center of Shakhrisabz as a masterpiece of world heritage in 2000 (an object # 885).
2700 years old history of Shakhrisabz and its environing is rich in events. In antiquity the region is named Gava Sugda, Nautaka, Kesh. In Kesh oasis which Shakhrisabz is belonged to, in IV c. B.C. the famous “phalanxes” of Alexander Macedonian spent the winter, and in VII c. Arabs spread Islam by force, in VIII ń. Kesh became the center of popular anti-Arabs uprising. Now – it’s a small green town, which is in exact agreement with its name, after all Shakhrisabz means in Persian Green Town. Historical monuments of Timurids’ government epoch add special patina of antique to old city and attract the tourists from the whole world. The bloom of Shakhrisabz is accounted for Tamerlan’s government. That time the grandiose Ak-Saray Palace was built here. Due to its sizes and magnificence of decoration the palace wasn’t have any equal one in the whole Muslim world that time.

Ak-Saray (means from Turkish "beautiful", "clean", "white" palace) was built in the end of XIV in the beginning of XV c. according to Amir Temur’s order. Unfortunately just small fragment of east wall and tumbledown walls of intake portal of the palace outgoing to the sky for 30 meters reached up to now. Originally their height was more that 70 m. The work of the best architects and craftspeople from all conquered by Tamerlan’s countries is used in building and decorating of the palace. According to the description of eye-witnesses a swimming-pool was built in the palace at a height of 40 m. The water was given by drift to the swimming-pool from environing mountains and flew down as a water-fall, created a coolness and special microclimate in the palace. The beautiful panorama of the town and majestic Amir Temur Monument on spacious and green square in the center of the town are opened from the height of the portal on which the footsteps of steep stair lead, locating inside of the tower.

The mausoleums are kept in Shakhrisabz, in which Amir Temur’s father and his sons’ ashes are laid. Two complexes of burial places Dorus-Siyadat and Dorus-Tilyavat are situated almost side by side – now a green alley is located between them.

A high mausoleum is kept from Dorus-Siyadat Complex, in which the ashes of elder and most loved Amir Temur’s son Jakhangir died at the age of 22 in 1376. 38-metered pointed dome was covered with gold pictures and Arabic characterń with extracts from Koran. 18 years later Amir Temur’s second son Omarsheikh was buried here.

An antique Khazrat Imam Mosque built in the beginning of XIX c. sides with mausoleum. And today it gathers many believers. The yard of the mosque is immersed in the shadow of centuries-old plane trees – the coevals of those remote events, carefully kept during the building of the mosque.

In the sixties years of XX c. the crypt was found not far from Jakhangir Mausoleum, it was built for Amir Temur. He wanted that Dorus-Siyadat would be his kin’s family burial-vault. But the destiny ordered differently. The great commander died far from native town during the last campaign to China. It happened in winter of 1405. The ashes of Amir Temur were buried in Gur-Emir Burial-vault in Samarkand.

In spite of the fact that Sakhibkiran’s will wouldn’t be fulfilled, mausoleums of Shakhrisabz nevertheless became Timurids’ family burial-vaults. The ashes of Amir Temur’s father Amir Taragay died in 1360 are buried in Dorus-Tilyavat Complex (it means “The house of prophet’s offspring” in Turkish). There is a mausoleum with the ashes of Shamsutdinn Kulyal near Amir Taragay Mausoleum. Mausoleum was built by Tamerlan on the place of antique sepulchre of Sheikh Shamsutdinn Kulyal (he was one of Mohammed prophet offspring) – Tamerlan’s teacher and spiritual director. The prediction of the great future of Temur as ruler of “Allah’s World” is belonged to him.

There is also a great Kok-Gumbaz Mosque (Blue Dome) on the territory of Dorus-Tilyavat Complex, built in the first part of XV c. on the more ancient basement already in the years of government of Amir Temur’s grandson – Ulugbek, famous ruler and scientist-astronomer. Under his order around Sheikh Kulyal Mausoleum the burial places of Timurid’s offspring and also famous sheikhs -wise men are built.

In the center of Shakhrisabz the trading dome of ancient Chor-su is raised, it is used according to its destination in nowadays.

The building of caravan-saray is also interesting; its inner yard is decorated by flowers and juniper bushes.

Evening walking along Shakhrisabz, when ancient domes kept fragments of antique mosaics, the walls of Ak-Saray Palace hover in the light of searchlights, as if it transfers you in the remote Middle Ages. The atmosphere of antiquity adds the inscrutability to the modern Shakhrisabz, and the names of famous rulers for the whole world – the majesty.