Shah-i-Zinda

Shahi - Zinda Persian شاه زنده, The Living King ' is one of the most famous cemeteries in Central Asia, whose mausoleums ( Qubbas ) were built between the 9th and 19th centuries. From the 14th century, the nobles of the Timurids were buried here. The well-preserved buildings are located in the northeastern part of the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

The name of Shahi - Zinda is connected to a legend, according to which the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, Kusam ibn Abbas, was buried here. He came in the 7th century with the Arabs to Samarkand to spread Islam. For his firm faith, he lost his head. He took when he was in the depths of the well, which leads into the gardens of paradise, disappeared. He lives there to this day. The Shahi - Zinda ensemble was expanded over nine centuries ( from the 11th to the 19th century) and today has more than 20 buildings. The entire ensemble is divided into three components. The lower, middle and upper buildings are connected by four archways ( tschartak ).

The oldest buildings date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Of them, the foundations and the grave stones are only preserved. The majority of the buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries. The reconstruction of the 16th - 19th century did not change significantly the shape of the grave times. The main part of the ensemble is the Kusam - ibn - Abbas complex. It is located in the northeastern part and consists of several buildings. The oldest of these are the Kusam - ibn - Abbas mausoleum and a mosque from the 16th century.