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Antiquities of Samarkand. Madrasah of Bibi Khanym. Section of a Column on the Main Arch

1865
This photograph of a detail of the entrance structure at the Bibi Khanym ensemble 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. Built in 1399-1405 with the spoils of Timur’s campaign in India, the Bibi Khanym ensemble was designated the city’s main mosque and named in homage to Timur’s senior wife, Sarai Mulk Khanym (bibi meaning “lady” or “mother”). Intended to be one of the largest mosques in the Islamic world, the ensemble included not only the main mosque and flanking mosques (a mausoleum and a madrasah), but also a grand structure that served as an entrance to the primary courtyard. Although severely damaged over the centuries in this active seismic zone, much ornamentation survived, including this ceramic column attached to the brick walls of the main entrance arch. The elaborate decoration of the column is based on a pattern of hexagonal cells, within which three intersecting bands form a six-pointed star.

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3754.jpg
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acku Afghanistan
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UZBEKISTAN
1865<br /> This photograph of a detail of the entrance structure at the Bibi Khanym ensemble 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. Built in 1399-1405 with the spoils of Timur’s campaign in India, the Bibi Khanym ensemble was designated the city’s main mosque and named in homage to Timur’s senior wife, Sarai Mulk Khanym (bibi meaning “lady” or “mother”). Intended to be one of the largest mosques in the Islamic world, the ensemble included not only the main mosque and flanking mosques (a mausoleum and a madrasah), but also a grand structure that served as an entrance to the primary courtyard. Although severely damaged over the centuries in this active seismic zone, much ornamentation survived, including this ceramic column attached to the brick walls of the main entrance arch. The elaborate decoration of the column is based on a pattern of hexagonal cells, within which three intersecting bands form a six-pointed star.