This photograph of the interior of the mosque at the Tillia Kari Madrasah 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 architecture, such as 14th- and 15th-century monuments from the reign of Timur (Tamerlane) and his successors. In the center of Samarkand is the Registan ensemble, composed of three major examples of a <em>madrasah</em> (religious school). The third Registan component, the Tillia Kari Madrasah, was built in 1646-60 on the site of a former caravanserai. The center of this remarkable interior view shows the steps leading to the <em>minbar</em>, or pulpit. The lower walls display an array of carved stone elements (probably marble), including panels and a projecting ledge. The walls above the ledge are covered with elaborate polychrome ceramic ornamentation. The decorative system includes complex geometric figures formed by intersecting lines, as well as lozenge patterns with botanical motifs. The surfaces are bordered with vertical strips of ceramic tiles. The figure with a white turban adds an element of solemn dignity to the sacred space.
<br>Islamic architecture; Madrasahs; Photographic surveys; Portrait photographs; Portraits
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/3846/">http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3846/</a></li></ul>