Tomb on the Same Side in the Passage of the Dead. Samarkand

1905
The Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) necropolis is located at the outskirts of Samarkand. Situated on an ancient burial ground, it is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Shown here is an unidentified mausoleum located to the north of the mausoleum built by Usto Ali Nesefi. Despite severe losses to the facade, surviving fragments reveal a decorative structure with faience panels and Arabic script, as well as majolica tiles in geometric patterns. These forms are framed by interlocking ceramic bands of intricate design. Also visible are remnants of the “honeycomb” vaulting at the top of the entrance arch. The lower part of the structure is obscured by the parapet, from which this view was taken, on the opposite side of the necropolis passage. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan), where he devoted special attention to monuments of Islamic architecture.

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Filename: 5781.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1687 / 645.5KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Tombs Architectural Decorations Sepulchral Monuments Passageway Photo WDL 010439
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
The Shah-i Zindah (Persian for “living king”) necropolis is located at the outskirts of Samarkand. Situated on an ancient burial ground, it is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. Shown here is an unidentified mausoleum located to the north of the mausoleum built by Usto Ali Nesefi. Despite severe losses to the facade, surviving fragments reveal a decorative structure with faience panels and Arabic script, as well as majolica tiles in geometric patterns. These forms are framed by interlocking ceramic bands of intricate design. Also visible are remnants of the “honeycomb” vaulting at the top of the entrance arch. The lower part of the structure is obscured by the parapet, from which this view was taken, on the opposite side of the necropolis passage. The image is by Russian photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863–1944), who used a special color photography process to create a visual record of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. Some of Prokudin-Gorskii’s photographs date from about 1905, but the bulk of his work is from between 1909 and 1915, when, with the support of Tsar Nicholas II and the Ministry of Transportation, he undertook extended trips through many different parts of the empire. In 1911 his travels took him to Samarkand (present-day Uzbekistan), where he devoted special attention to monuments of Islamic architecture.