This photograph of the main entrance to 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 entrance to the rectangular courtyard is framed by a great <em>iwan</em> (vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end open). This view shows a polychrome majolica panel on the upper part of the right face of the iwan niche. The main part of the panel, recessed within a pointed arch, contains a pattern formed of interlocking Kufic script. The arch is surrounded by ceramic work with intricate geometric and botanical patterns. Above the pointed arch is an inscription band in a cursive style. The panel is framed by a raised decorative strip with geometric figures that culminates in another horizontal inscription band. The corner has an attached “rope” column.
<br>Architectural decorations and ornaments; Inscriptions; Islamic architecture; Madrasahs; Photographic surveys
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>
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<ul><li>Gallery: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3841/">http://www.wdl.org/en/item/3841/</a></li></ul>