Antiquities of Samarkand. Tomb of the Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas (Shah-i Zindah) and Adjacent Mausoleums. Mausoleum of the Aine Khane (Emir Mussa). Detail of Corner above a Window on the Northern Facade

1865
This watercolor of a facade ornament from the Tuman-Aka mausoleum 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, in 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 Tamerlane and his successors. Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) was built on the site of an ancient settlement known as Afrosiab and is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The Tuman-Aka mausoleum (together with a small attached mosque) was built in 1405 to commemorate the youngest wife of Tamerlane. It is located to the left of the chartak in the northern cluster of shrines. The ensemble is distinguished by vibrant ceramic ornamentation with floral, geometric, and inscriptional patterns in colors that range from deep blue to yellow, green, and turquoise. The exquisite ornament shown here is located above a window on the mausoleum’s north facade and consists of a cartouche surrounded by floral tendrils. Such watercolor sketches convey color information unavailable in the photography of that period.

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Filename: 3902.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 2039x1800 / 303.0KB; 1865 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Antiquities Tombs Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas Shah-i-Zindah Mausoleums Aine Khane Architectural Decorations Islamic Architecture Sepulchral Monuments Watercolors Photo WDL 010359
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1865<br />
This watercolor of a facade ornament from the Tuman-Aka mausoleum 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, in 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 Tamerlane and his successors. Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) was built on the site of an ancient settlement known as Afrosiab and is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The Tuman-Aka mausoleum (together with a small attached mosque) was built in 1405 to commemorate the youngest wife of Tamerlane. It is located to the left of the chartak in the northern cluster of shrines. The ensemble is distinguished by vibrant ceramic ornamentation with floral, geometric, and inscriptional patterns in colors that range from deep blue to yellow, green, and turquoise. The exquisite ornament shown here is located above a window on the mausoleum’s north facade and consists of a cartouche surrounded by floral tendrils. Such watercolor sketches convey color information unavailable in the photography of that period.