Antiquities of Samarkand. Tomb of the Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas (Shah-i Zindah) and Adjacent Mausoleums. Mosque (khanaka) of Shah-i Zindah. Reading-Stand with a Qurʼan Donated by Emir Nasrullah of Bukhara

1865
This interior photograph of the mosque at the Kusam-ibn-Abbas memorial ensemble in the northern cluster of shrines at the Shah-i Zindah necropolis in Samarkand is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. 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. The Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) complex is revered as a memorial and pilgrimage site for Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. This view shows a worshipper in front of a wooden rihal (Qurʼan holder) in the largest structure of the ensemble, the memorial mosque, or khanaka, which dates from the first half of the 15th century. The rihal supports a large Qurʼan donated, according to the album caption, by Emir Nasrullah of Bukhara. The walls behind the rihal are partially covered by polychrome ceramic work with a geometric motif formed by intersecting lines that create six-pointed stars. The upper part of the middle wall displays remnants of an inscription. The door to the right leads to other chambers in this mausoleum complex.

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Filename: 3684.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 2516x1800 / 594.8KB; 1865 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Antiquities Tombs Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas Shah-i-Zindah Mausoleum Mosques Khanaka Men Koran Quran Sepulchral Monuments Photo WDL 010144
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1865<br />
This interior photograph of the mosque at the Kusam-ibn-Abbas memorial ensemble in the northern cluster of shrines at the Shah-i Zindah necropolis in Samarkand is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. 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. The Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) complex is revered as a memorial and pilgrimage site for Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. This view shows a worshipper in front of a wooden rihal (Qurʼan holder) in the largest structure of the ensemble, the memorial mosque, or khanaka, which dates from the first half of the 15th century. The rihal supports a large Qurʼan donated, according to the album caption, by Emir Nasrullah of Bukhara. The walls behind the rihal are partially covered by polychrome ceramic work with a geometric motif formed by intersecting lines that create six-pointed stars. The upper part of the middle wall displays remnants of an inscription. The door to the right leads to other chambers in this mausoleum complex.