Antiquities of Samarkand. Tomb of the Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas (Shah-i Zindah) and Adjacent Mausoleums. Mausoleum of Akhmed Khodzha. Inscriptions on the Arched-Niche Panel

1865
This watercolor sketch of a decorative panel from an unidentified mausoleum in the northern cluster of shrines at the Shah-i Zindah necropolis (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) 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. Of particular note is Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”), built on the elevated site of an ancient settlement known as Afrosiab and revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Although the patron of this mausoleum has not been conclusively identified, its date of construction is known to be 1360-61. Despite major damage, the mausoleum facade has a rich array of polychrome ceramic ornamentation that displays floral, geometric, and inscriptional patterns. This panel is located on the upper interior surface of the facade arch, or peshtak. The sketch shows an intricate pattern of intersecting straps that form hexagonal figures, within which are block Kufic letters. The colors here do not accurately reflect the original.

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Filename: 3906.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x2194 / 193.0KB; 1865 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Antiquities Tombs Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas Shah-i-Zindah Mausoleums Akhmed Khodzha Architectural Decorations Islamic Architecture Sepulchral Monuments Watercolors Photo WDL 010363
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1865<br />
This watercolor sketch of a decorative panel from an unidentified mausoleum in the northern cluster of shrines at the Shah-i Zindah necropolis (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) 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. Of particular note is Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”), built on the elevated site of an ancient settlement known as Afrosiab and revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Although the patron of this mausoleum has not been conclusively identified, its date of construction is known to be 1360-61. Despite major damage, the mausoleum facade has a rich array of polychrome ceramic ornamentation that displays floral, geometric, and inscriptional patterns. This panel is located on the upper interior surface of the facade arch, or peshtak. The sketch shows an intricate pattern of intersecting straps that form hexagonal figures, within which are block Kufic letters. The colors here do not accurately reflect the original.