The Gur Emir Mausoleum

The Gur Emir Mausoleum was built in 1403 in the southwestern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The name of the mausoleum is translated as “tomb of the king”. This artwork of Central Asian architecture was built by the order of Amir Temir for his grandson – Muhammad Sultan. Muhammad Sultan was Amir Temir’s the most beloved grandson and the main inheritor the throne. His sudden murder during military campaign at the age of 27 left his grandfather in grief.

Before an unexpected death of the heir, the mausoleum was supposed to be a center of Islamic education in Samarkand. After Muhammad Sultan died, Amir Temir decided to turn the madrassah into the mausoleum. Later, in 1405, Amir Temir died during his Chinese campaign.  The great conqueror wanted to be buried in his home town of Shakhrisabz, 80 km away from Samarkand. There was already a tomb for him, but his heiress and advisers decided to bury him next to his beloved grandson in the Gur Emir Mausoleum.

This tomb became the last resting place for several presenters of Timurid’s dynasty: Amire Temir’s sons Shahrukh in and Miran Shah, his another grandson Ulughbek and Tamerlan’s master Mir Sayid Baraka. The Asian conqueror lies near the legs of Sayid Barakah, according to his wish. Hid descendants lie in a form of a circle Mohammed Sultan, Ulug Beg, Tamerlane's sons Shahrukh and Miranshah, and two unnamed children. The Gur Emir Mausoleum is a valuable masterpiece of traditional Islamic and Persian architecture, which later influenced architectural style of Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Poets would say that the dome of the mausoleum could replace the sky, if it disappeared. The mausoleum is a one-dome bulding. This dome is azure, other parts of exterior are made of light-blue, blue, and white tiling. The Gur Emir Mausoleum carries not only invaluable importance as an architectural monument, but also a horrifying legend.

In 1941, the Russian expedition was going to excavate the Gur Emir Mausoleum. They discovered the remains if Tamerlan’s descendants one by one. On June 20th Tamerlan’s tomb was opened, there was the inscription: “Whomsoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than I”. Although, some local citizens Ttried warning Soviet scientists, field-works didn’t stop. Two days after Tamerlan’s tomb was opened and examined, Nazi Germany invaded Soviet Union. Today, the Gur Emir Mausoleum is one of the most visited sight-seeing places in Uzbekistan.