Exit from the Gur-Emir Mosque. Samarkand

1905
Among Samarkand’s major monuments is Gur-Emir ("tomb of the ruler"), the burial place of the great Timur (Tamerlane). Timur began the shrine in 1403 in memory of his beloved grandson Muhammad Sultan. Following Timur's own death from pneumonia in 1405, his body was also placed in the structure, which became the mausoleum of the Timurids. This winter view shows the entrance structure facing the mausoleum. Although much damaged, the facades retain fragments of polychrome ceramic ornamentation, including a vertical strip of rosette tiles, geometric and floral motifs, and an attached column (probably glazed, carved terra cotta). 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. Prokudin-Gorskii was particularly 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, including trips in January 1907 and again in 1911 that focused on the ancient city of Samarkand.

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Filename: 619.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1800x1780 / 1,019.8KB; 1905 Uzbekistan Samarqand Samarkand Gur-Emir Mosque Islamic Architecture Burial Place Arches Courtyards Timur Mausoleum Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii Photo WDL 010022
Contained in galleries: UZBEKISTAN

1905<br />
Among Samarkand’s major monuments is Gur-Emir ("tomb of the ruler"), the burial place of the great Timur (Tamerlane). Timur began the shrine in 1403 in memory of his beloved grandson Muhammad Sultan. Following Timur's own death from pneumonia in 1405, his body was also placed in the structure, which became the mausoleum of the Timurids. This winter view shows the entrance structure facing the mausoleum. Although much damaged, the facades retain fragments of polychrome ceramic ornamentation, including a vertical strip of rosette tiles, geometric and floral motifs, and an attached column (probably glazed, carved terra cotta). 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. Prokudin-Gorskii was particularly 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, including trips in January 1907 and again in 1911 that focused on the ancient city of Samarkand.