Bibi Khanym Mosque , Samarkand, Uzbekistan- (2)

 

Timur or Taimurlane was a Turqo-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. He attacked and ransacked Delhi where his cruelty and murderous frenzy including slaughter of 100,000 captive  citizens is remembered to this day.

Delhi was sacked and left in ruins.  The capture of the Delhi Sultanate was one of Timur’s greatest victories, as at that time, Delhi was one of the richest cities in the world

Bibi Khanym was Timur’s favourite wife.  The Bibi Khanym complex in Samarkand was built in 1399–1405 with the spoils of Timur’s (Tamerlane’s) campaign in India.This was one of the Islamic world’s biggest mosques which began to crumble almost as soon as construction was completed.It finally   collapsed  in an 1897 earthquake. What is seen today is the reconstruction achieved in the 1970s based on the exact plans of the original.

The mosque follows the basic type of the courtyard mosque. Its outer walls enclose a rectangular area which measures 167 by 109 m and runs along roughly from northeast to southwest . A monumental dome above square base, around 40 m high, rises on the opposite site of the courtyard. The dome is the largest cupola of the mosque. decorative marble panels, stucco decorations and mural painting. Especially glazed ceramics can be found here in all of its forms such as the turquoise large main dome, the geometric mosaic of large wall surfaces, the multicolored ceramic to the frames of the arches and the ribs of the side domes; the delicate mosaic of countless tiles interwoven by arabesques, elegant font friezes on the cobalt blue and ornate gold faience on the drum under the great dome. Ornamentation was suitably achieved using magnificent-carved marble and terracotta, glazed mosaic in multiple forms, blue-gold frescoes and gilt papier-mache.

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