We left the hotel fairly early as we headed towards the Registan Square, not to far from where we were.
The moment we approached the Registan Square, considered the heart of Samarkand, I was absolutely mesmerised by its beauty. The ensemble consists of the Oulough Begh Madrasah (1417-1420) on the left, the Tillya-Kari Madrasah (1646-1660) in the middle and the Sher-Dor Madrash (1619-1636) on the left.
The Registan ensemble.
The Sher-Dor Madrasah (on the left).
The Oulough Begh Madrasah (on the left) and the Tillya- Kari Madrasah (in the back ground).
In the fourteenth century and beginning of the fifteenth century the Registan became the official centre of Samarkand. Under Oulough Begh (1409-1449)the Registan is said to have turned from a bazaar square into the city's main ceremonial and official square. For this reason Oulough Begh and his successors initiated large scale construction works with three new buildings having been erected along the perimeter of the Registan: the majestic Madrasah (built on the western side, a caravanserai in the northeren part and a Sufi khanaka on the eastern side of the square.
In the seventeenth century under the order of Yalangtush Bahadur (deputy of Bokharan kans in Samarkand) the Registan was completely rebuilt: the Oulough Begh kanakah was disassembled and the the Sher-Dor Madrasah built and later the Tillya-Kari Madrasah erected in the place of the caravanserai
To achieve unity among all the constructions on the square the architecture of the Tillya-Kari Madrasah is said to have been developed in accordance with the existing structures. The outer and inner façades are covered with brick mosaic and majolica with geometric, vegetative and epigraphical patterns.
The Oulough Begh Madrasah was the main religious institution of Samarkand and unique University in the Middle Ages. It had originally 50 hurjas (cells) for more than one hundred students. In addition to Theology Mathematics, Astronomy and Philosophy were taught, lectures being given by the most prominent scientists of the time.
The main façade of the madrasah consists of a portal, two minarets and connecting walls above which rise the domes of the classrooms. The spiral ornament of the building was meant to accentuate the symmetry and the proportions of the minarets creating the feeling of rising towards the sky.
The décor of the outer and inner façades has marble panels with carved composite mosaics and majolica panels with geometrical, vegetative and epigraphical patterns. The mosaic panel above the entrance arch is particularly noteworthy because it symbolically represents the stylised stellar sky.
The façade of the Sher-Dor Madrash almost entirely imitates the façade of the opposite Oulough Begh Madrasah with the layout of the portal with the ogive and the ribbed domes on each side, though the decorative composition above the portal arch rather peculiar with the heraldic emblem of the striped tigers chasing the baby deer and the twin suns rising on their backs having been given human faces. The outer and inner façades are decorated with glazed brick, exquisite mosaic designs and gilded paintings. The mosaic paintings of the courtyard arches display flowers and buds which form a comples ornamental pattern. The motifs of the panels with lovely bouquets of flowers in flower pots symbolising the "tree of life".
Before having visited each of the madrasahs we wandered about the main courtyard of the Registan Square ensemble taking pictures to what seemed to call our attention. I did focus on details of decoration, in order to later understand the differences between each of them.
It was difficult to remember everything that was either been said or that had been previously read, because the beauty of the whole ensemble was so stunning ... that at one point it seemed to have just numb me completely ... all I wanted to do was to stand there and let it take over my senses ...
(To be continued)
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