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The Samanid Mausoleum boasts both Beauty and Mystery

Samanid Mausoleum

The Samanid Mausoleum is especially significant. This architectural masterpiece was built in the 9th and early 10th centuries. Now, completely restored, it is accessible and able to be viewed from all sides.

The Samanid Mausoleum is situated in the Samanid park, a five minute wail from the Registan. According to archaeologists, it is one of the most ancient monuments of Uzbekistan, a pearl for tourists.

The monument signifies a new era in Central Asian architecture after the Arab conquest. Apparently, in those days, ancient traditions were used in an improved way was the trend of this time, though this technique was not firmly established until the pre-Islamic period.

The mausoleum was built as burial vault of the Samanid dynasty after the death of its founder , Ismail Samani, in 999. Later, other kings of this dynasty were also buried here. It is interesting to note that the building of this burial vault contradicted the Islamic rules of those days - the erection of any monuments above the graves of believers was forbidden.

In the middle of the 9th century a caliph ordered that the Sulibiya mausoleum be build for him, Ismail Samani simply followed his example.

The Samanid mausoleum is refreshingly simple, it is an almost perfect cube made of decorative bricks. All the facades are equal and are decorated with columns.

Every element used in this structure is based on square and diagonals, forming geometric lines. The architectural design with its 4-arch dome, decorative circles and rosettes on the decorative columns so characteristic of Sogdiana architecture is unique.

The building consists of a cube of 10.8 meters with 4 identical facades bent towards the inside forming a dome surrounded by four smaller domes.

Samanid Mausoleum

The mausoleum itself is rich in symbolism. The cube resembles the sacred Kaaba in Mecca and symbolizes the soil, the dome symbolizes the sky and the combination of these two symbols represents the unity of the universe. The decorative circles on the columns are symbols of the sun and the planets, while the decorative squares in the brickwork are an example of the relief work used in the buildings of that time.

The color of the building changes with the sunlight. Try to see the Samanid Mausoleum at night an in the afternoon, at dawn an at sunset - each time will be a new experience. This mysterious masterpiece raises spiritual thoughts about eternity. It is one of the sacred places of Holy Bukhara.

All Tourist Gems of Uzbekistan