This photograph of a detail of the entrance arch to the courtyard of the Gur-Emir mausoleum in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) is from the archeological part of <em>Turkestan Album</em>. The six-volume photographic survey was produced in 1871-72 under the patronage of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first governor-general (1867-82) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. The album devotes special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architectural heritage, including Gur-Emir (Persian for "tomb of the ruler"). Although known primarily as the burial place of Timur (Tamerlane), Gur-Emir was begun by Timur in 1403 to commemorate the death of his beloved grandson Muhammad Sultan at the age of 27. When Timur was buried there in 1405, Gur-Emir became the mausoleum of the Timurids. Shown here is the right flank of the niche within the <em>iwan</em> (vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end open) arch of the entrance structure. The four levels in this view present an array of ceramic ornamentation. The pointed arch panel (at bottom) contains floral motifs within a geometric design. The panel above displays a decorative grid and floral elements. The next panel contains a Perso-Arabic inscription in elongated script intertwined with a floral pattern. The top level is composed of faience segments with symmetrical floral elements. These patterns continue on the niche’s main surface (far left).
<br>Architectural decorations and ornaments; Inscriptions; Islamic architecture; Photographic surveys; Sepulchral monuments; Timur, 1336-1405; Tombs
Bogaevskii, Nikolai V., 1843-1912
between 1868 and 1872 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1868-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1872-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
<p><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://dl.wdl.org/3725.png">http://dl.wdl.org/3725.png</a>
</p>
<ul><li>Gallery: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3725/">http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3725/</a></li></ul>