Antiquities of Samarkand. Tomb of the Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas (Shah-i Zindah) and Adjacent Mausoleums. Mausoleum of Tamerlane's Daughter, Toglu Tekin. Column Capital

1865
This photograph of a column capital on the facade of the Toglu Tekin (Emir Hussein) Mausoleum at the Shakh-i-Zinda 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 (1867-82) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire's Central Asian territories were called. The primary compilers for the visual material were Aleksandr L. Kun, an orientalist attached to the army, and Nikolai V. Bogaevskii, a military engineer. They devoted special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architecture, such as 14th- and 15th-century monuments from the reign of Timur (Tamerlane) and his successors. The Shakh-i-Zinda (Persian for “living king”) ensemble is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. In 1386 a mausoleum was built for Toglu Tekin, daughter of Emir Khodzha and mother of Emir Hussein--one of Timur’s grandees. Despite losses over time, the facade and much of its polychrome tile decoration survived. This view shows the capital of a glazed carved terracotta column attached to the right corner of the facade arch, or peshtak. The intricate design combines sinuous floral motifs with strapwork figures. To the right is a vertical strip of ceramic tiles with a trefoil pattern.

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Filename: 3640.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x2433 / 176.4KB; 1865 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Antiquities Tombs Saint Kusam-ibn-Abbas Shah-i-Zindah Mausoleum Toglu Tekin Columns Archaeological Sites Islamic Architecture Sepulchral Monuments Photo WDL 010100
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1865<br />
This photograph of a column capital on the facade of the Toglu Tekin (Emir Hussein) Mausoleum at the Shakh-i-Zinda 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 (1867-82) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire's Central Asian territories were called. The primary compilers for the visual material were Aleksandr L. Kun, an orientalist attached to the army, and Nikolai V. Bogaevskii, a military engineer. They devoted special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architecture, such as 14th- and 15th-century monuments from the reign of Timur (Tamerlane) and his successors. The Shakh-i-Zinda (Persian for “living king”) ensemble is revered as a memorial to Kusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. In 1386 a mausoleum was built for Toglu Tekin, daughter of Emir Khodzha and mother of Emir Hussein--one of Timur’s grandees. Despite losses over time, the facade and much of its polychrome tile decoration survived. This view shows the capital of a glazed carved terracotta column attached to the right corner of the facade arch, or peshtak. The intricate design combines sinuous floral motifs with strapwork figures. To the right is a vertical strip of ceramic tiles with a trefoil pattern.