Shakhrisabz
Ancient Kesh, the city where the Shaker of the Universe, Great Tamerlaine was
born is now called Shakhrisabz, the Green City. Its monuments are mainly
attributed to the Tamerlaine's time.
 The tremendous Ak
Saray (White Palace) was Tamerlaine's most favorite and ambitious
undertaking. As Clavijo, an Ambassador to Samarkand, reported to the
Spanish Royal Court, it was a colossal structure with a water pool on its
roof 40 meters above the ground. Water was delivered to the pool through
lead pipelines from mountains around the city. A small fenced area on the
top of the entrance portal provides a breath-taking view of the ancient city.
The mosque was built by Ulugbek near the original mausoleums of Sheikh Shamsuddin Kulal, teacher and spiritual mentor of Timur, and Timur's father Amir Taragay. The tombstone of the Sheikh is
said to have curative effects and it is decorated with opulent marble
ornaments.
The Blue Dome mosque was designed as a Friday Mosque and,
like almost everything Ulugbek did, the shape of the inner dome was
developed with such incredible geometrical accuracy and a great deal of
mathematical computations which resulted in its outstanding acoustic
effects. Here, a local guide will sing an old prayer for you and even if
you are a totally non-religious person, your soul will get vibrant and
responsive to the beauty and solemnity of the ceremony.
Tamerlaine built these buildings for his son Jehanghir, who died at the age of 22. Later
Omar Sheikh, another Timur's son, was buried here. The powerful ruler
wanted this place to be his resting place but his last will was never
accomplished. The gloom and smothering atmosphere of the unpretentious
crypt that Tamerlaine built for himself make you shiver and hurry out to
see the sun and breath fresh air.
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