

The steppes. In the middle, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Dreams of voyages would be but immobile. Due to their non-figurative character, the Islamic works of art have something of a pure beauty. Latticework, mosaics... the blue, of course. Voyage to the land of Samarkand. The necropolis of Shah-i-Zinda is situated in Samarkand, the capital of the empire founded by Timur in central and western Asia. It is a vast architectural ensemble composed of eleven mausoleums. We call the necropolis the “Living king”, because of the existence of a legend linked to the death of Kusam ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet, protector of Samarkand and an Islamic saint. Kusam ibn Abbas arrived in Samarkand in the 7th century with the Arab invasion. He preached Islam and was buried there. According to legend, he was decapitated for his faith but, somehow still keeping his head, he was admitted to the Garden of Paradise, where he lives on. Built in the 11th century, the mausoleum of the saint becomes the object of a regular pilgrimage, and after the temporary abandonment of the site due to the Mongolian invasion, which destroyed ancient Samarkand in its entirety, the Timurid family had several mausoleums and buildings constructed, principally under the reign of Timur, but also under that of the son of the conquerer, Ulugbek. Timur's successors endured numerous revolts, but they appear to have been enlightened sovereigns, as an interest for the sciences and the arts drove to a brief cultural blossoming over the course of the 15th century, the Timurid Renaissance. The Timurid empire soon after fell to the hands of the Uzbek descendants of Genghis Khan.
Today, the necropolis counts nearly 20 monuments. There we find works of an exceptional beauty and variety, from the octagonal mausoleum of Kusam ibn Abbas, to the two blue cupolas of the mausoleum of Kazi Zade Rumi. The mausoleums are aligned along the length of a pathway, constructed on a hillside in the lower part of the complex. Three gateways or vaulted spaces (tchortok) punctuate this funeral road. The mausoleums of the central group: to the left, the octagonal mausoleum (15th century), to the right the mausoleum of Alim Nesefi (1385). The octagonal mausoleum is that of Kusam ibn Abbas. It was the first to be constructed, in the 11th century, and was later restructured in the 14th century, when it was transformed into the principal site of the city's saint.
Anonymous mausoleum which was given the name of the architect Alim Nesefi This mausoleum was constructed by the master Alim Nesefi (Alim Nasafi, Ali from Nasaf) in 1385. The decoration uses majolica paints and engravings that have replaced the terra cotta.