Antiquities of Samarkand. Inner Courtyard of the Shir Dar Madrasah (Southern Side). Inscription along the Right Side of the Main Niche

1868
This photograph of the interior courtyard of the Shir Dar Madrasah in 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. In the center of Samarkand is the Registan ensemble, composed of three major examples of a madrasah (religious school). The second madrasah in the ensemble, the Shir Dar, was built in 1619-36, during the Astrakhanid dynasty. Despite significant damage over the centuries, it remains one of the most lavishly ornamented monuments in Central Asia. The form of this madrasah is typical for the region, with a rectangular courtyard enclosed by a two-story arcade containing rooms for scholars. Visible here is the niche of the iwan (vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end open) in the center of the south wall, together with one bay of the arcade (on the right). The surfaces are covered with polychrome majolica tiles in intricate geometric and botanical patterns. Above the door on the second floor is the lattice of a ventilation window. The iwan is framed with a vertical inscription band in a cursive style.

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Filename: 3606.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x2606 / 206.7KB; 1868 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Antiquities Inscriptions Shir Dar Madrasah Niche Islamic Architecture Photo WDL 010066
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1868<br />
This photograph of the interior courtyard of the Shir Dar Madrasah in 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. In the center of Samarkand is the Registan ensemble, composed of three major examples of a madrasah (religious school). The second madrasah in the ensemble, the Shir Dar, was built in 1619-36, during the Astrakhanid dynasty. Despite significant damage over the centuries, it remains one of the most lavishly ornamented monuments in Central Asia. The form of this madrasah is typical for the region, with a rectangular courtyard enclosed by a two-story arcade containing rooms for scholars. Visible here is the niche of the iwan (vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end open) in the center of the south wall, together with one bay of the arcade (on the right). The surfaces are covered with polychrome majolica tiles in intricate geometric and botanical patterns. Above the door on the second floor is the lattice of a ventilation window. The iwan is framed with a vertical inscription band in a cursive style.