Rukhabad Mausoleum
Next to the Gur-Emir Mausoleum, sits the small Rukhabad Mausoleum ("Rukhabad" means “Adobe of the Spirit”). Central Asian sheikh Burkhan ad-Din Sagarji, famous for his contribution to the conversion of the East Turkestan nomads to Islam, his wife Bibi-Khalifa, and their ten children were buried at this mausoleum. Burkhan ad-Din Sagarji was married to a Chinese princess and died in China. It was Bur Khan's wish to be buried in Samarkand called by him as “Town of the God”. By order of Temur the domed mausoleum was constructed in 1380. Later Burkhan's son, Abu Said, and other members of family were buried near the famous sheikh. According to legend, there is a copper box with seven hairs of the Prophet Mukhammad under the dome of the mausoleum.
 


Ak-Saray Palace
Construction of the palace was started in 1380 and completed in 1404. The arch of the huge construction had a span of about 22 meters—the biggest one of all the Temurid structures. The palace, in its heyday encircled with gardens and ponds, stood out in its beauty of decoration. The yard would have been encircled with magnificent apartments, reception halls, and rooms for feasts. Unfortunately only the picturesque ruins of Ak-Saray have survived to this day, but these scarce fragments provide only an idea of the former beauty of this architectural work of art.
 


Gur-Emir Mausoleum
Gur-Emir means “The Tomb of the Emir.” This mausoleum was constructed by order of Amir Temur because of premature death of his dearly loved grandson Mukhammad Sultan in 1403. He was first in the line to the throne as governor of the state. The great ruler, his sons, and grandsons, as well as Sheikh Mir-Said Bereke, are preserved under the turquoise domes of Gur-Emir. All the headstones are made of marble, except for the one belonging to Temur, which was made of nephritis. It was brought by order of Ulugbek and put on the grave of Amir Temur. The grandeur and beauty of architectural forms, as well as colorful mosaic decorations, make the Gur-Emir Mausoleum the unique masterpiece of Middle Asia.
     


Chapan-ata Mazar
The Chapan-ata Mazar (15th century) located to the northeast of Samarkand, was built in honor of the mythical holy “Herdsmen's Father.” Since olden times, his cult was very popular among the people especially among the cattle-breeders. By its architecture, the mazar was constructed as a mausoleum, but archaeological excavations discovered neither burial nor crypt. Located on the rocky hilltop, the mazar is easily observed from any point of the city.

Ulugbek Observatory
In the 1420s, on one of the hills, the governor of Samarkand, astronomer Mirzo Ulugbek built what was then the biggest observatory in the East. His star tables, called the "Zidji-Gurgani," catalogue the coordinates of 1018 stars and have kept their scientific value to date. Babur, founder of the Mughal Dynasty, saw the observatory and described it as a three-story building covered with beautiful glazed titles. The observatory was 30 meters high and 46 meters in diameter, contained a huge sextant to observe the moon, the sun, and other heavenly bodies. Shortly after the death of Ulugbek, the observatory was destroyed and its location forgotten. In the early 20th century the observatory was rediscovered and excavated by the archaeologist V. Vyatkin. The bottom part of its main device was found—a huge quadrant with a radius of 40.2 meters and an arc 63 meters long. Presently, the Ulugbek Museum is situated next to the remains of the former observatory. Pages of the Zijgi-Gurgani, as well as medieval engravings, photographs of the archaeological dig, and a collection of astronomical instruments are displayed at the museum.


 

Bibi-Khanym Mosque
The most grandiose construction to be built in Samarkand on the orders of Amir Temur was the Bibi Khanym cathedral mosque, which was named after his senior wife. Construction of the mosque was started in 1399 and continued until 1404. It is said that Temur wanted this new mosque to outshine anything he had seen before in the conquered lands. It was a large construction project, and the skilled masters' achievements were concentrated in mosaics-, marble- and wooden-carvings, and plaster paintings. In 1405, Amir Temur died during a military maneuver in China. Despite the fact that the mosque was not yet completed, public worship began. Today only some of the renovated buildings bear testimony of the former splendor of the Bibi Khanum mosque.

    

Hazret-Hyzr Mosque
On the south side of Afrasiab Hill stands a mosque constructed in honor of the legendary Muslim saint Hazret Hyzr (an eternal wanderer and patron of merchants). For a trading city receiving caravans, Hazret Hyzr was very valuable as a patron saint, capable of granting riches and success for distant journeys. The mosque was constructed in the middle of the 19th century over the remains of the ancient mosque. The mosque is decorated according to the national architecture.

 

Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis
On the southeastern slope of Afrasiab is one of the famous architectural ensembles of Samarkand—the Shakhi-Zinda necropolis. This picturesque memorial ensemble ("Shakhi-Zinda" means “The Alive Tsar”), named after burial complex where the first cousin of the prophet Kusam Ibn Abbas was buried, could be rightfully called “The Necklace of Architectural Masterpieces.” Built in the middle of the 11th century, Shakhi-Zinda is the most ancient architectural monument in Samarkand. The ensemble consists of eleven mausoleums, built on one after another during the 14th and 15th centuries, and was a big religious and cultural center. From the 14th century, the Shakhi-Zinda ensemble has been considered a holy place. The Amir Burunduk mausoleum, the portals of two anonymous mausoleums and the octahedral mausoleum were added in the 1380s and 1390s. Mausoleums constructed under the rulers of Amir Temur, Mirzo Ulugbek and other Temurids are the brilliant page in the history of architecture of Samarkand. The ensemble is remarkable for the unprecedented magnificence of its architectural decor. The refined beauty of Shakhi-Zinda seems to defy death and proclaim the eternity of the true, spiritual life.
   


The Registan Square
It is located in the center of the ancient city of Samarkand and includes many architectural monuments that make up this unique complex. Mirzo Ulugbek, also called “the scientist on the throne”, patron of science and education and grandson of Amir Temur, erected buildings such as madrassas, Khanakas and mosques on the central part of the square. The beautiful and majestic buildings of Ulugbek (15th c.), Sher-Dor (17th c.) and Tillya-Kari (17th c.) are still part of Registan Square today. In the time of Amir Temur, the Registan became the main meeting place for trade and crafts activities. It became a center on which the six main streets of the city radically converged. Under Ulugbek, Registan Square was used for military parades and public decrees. After completing the construction of the madrassa, Ulugbek gave lectures on mathematics and astronomy until his death. Two years after the construction of the Ulugbek Madrassa, the ruler of Samarkand, Yalangtush Bahadur ordered a copy of the madrassa built opposite it. Several years later, the same ruler of Samarkand ordered the third, Tillya-Kari Madrassa, which was built like madrassa but used mostly as mosque: Tillya-Kari has low minarets to call people to pray. 


    
Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex
The complex is located 12 kilometers outside Samarkand. At one time, a mosque was constructed here, near the grave of the Arabic scholar, Mukhammad Ibn Ismail Bukhari. The complex includes mausoleums, mosques, and administrative and other buildings along the perimeter of the inner yard. The Imam al-Bukhari mausoleum is in the center of complex. The cubed structure is crowned with a dome 17 meters in diameter. The right side door leads downstairs to the "dakhma"—a place of worship. On the left side of the inner yard there is a mosque that can accommodate around 1500 worshipers. Walls are decorated with slabs glazed in light-green, blue, and white, as well as with marble, onyx, and granite.