This photograph of the right side of the façade of the Tuman-Aka mausoleum within the Shah-i Zindah necropolis in Samarkand 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, in 1867-82, of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. The album devotes special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architecture, such as 14th- and 15th-century monuments from the reign of Tamerlane and his successors. Of particular note is Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”), revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The Tuman-Aka mausoleum and mosque were built in 1405 as a memorial to the youngest wife of Tamerlane and are located to the left of the <em>chartak</em> in the northern cluster of shrines. The ensemble is notable for vibrant ceramic ornamentation in colors that range from deep blue to yellow, violet and turquoise. This view shows the façade to the right of the mausoleum arch (<em>peshtak</em>). On the left a glazed column with floral motifs defines the right corner of the arch niche. In the center is a vertical band with an inscription in the cursive Thuluth style of Arabic script. On either side of the inscription are vertical ceramic strips with floral and geometric patterns.
<br>Archaeological sites; Architectural decorations and ornaments; Inscriptions; Islamic architecture; Photographic surveys; Sepulchral monuments; Shāh-i Zindah; Tombs
Bogaevskii, Nikolai V., 1843-1912
between 1865 and 1872 <div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1850-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1865-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1872-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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<ul><li>Gallery: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3625/">http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3625/</a></li></ul>