In the Court of Tillia-Kari Mosque. Samarkand

1905
In the center of Samarkand is the Registan complex, consisting of three madrasahs (religious schools). The third of these, the Tillia Kari Madrasah, was built in 1646–60 on the site of a former caravanserai. Its basic plan is formed by a rectangular courtyard, bounded by arcades that contain rooms for scholars. Seen in this courtyard view is a pupil wearing a white turban and a brightly patterned robe. In the background is the entrance to a cell with the walls covered in a geometric pattern of small glazed tiles. Within the pattern are block Kufic letters forming words from the Kalima, which is the basis of the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith. 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. He was interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), which he visited on a number of occasions. During a trip in 1911 he gave special attention to the Islamic architecture of Samarkand.

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Filename: 5812.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1645 / 501.0KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Tillia-Kari Mosques Boy Courtyards Student Photo WDL 010470
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
In the center of Samarkand is the Registan complex, consisting of three madrasahs (religious schools). The third of these, the Tillia Kari Madrasah, was built in 1646–60 on the site of a former caravanserai. Its basic plan is formed by a rectangular courtyard, bounded by arcades that contain rooms for scholars. Seen in this courtyard view is a pupil wearing a white turban and a brightly patterned robe. In the background is the entrance to a cell with the walls covered in a geometric pattern of small glazed tiles. Within the pattern are block Kufic letters forming words from the Kalima, which is the basis of the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith. 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. He was interested in recently acquired territories of the Russian Empire such as Turkestan (present-day Uzbekistan and neighboring states), which he visited on a number of occasions. During a trip in 1911 he gave special attention to the Islamic architecture of Samarkand.