Uh-mazing Uzbekistan!! (Part 3): Samarkand's Majestic Madrasas, Mosques, and Mausoleums

- December 26, 2025, Friday.

- If I were to sum up Samarkand in a word, it would be "majestic". As the former capital of the Timurid Empire, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't be majestic. The city is filled with turquoise-domed or turquoise-decorated buildings, such as mosques, madrasas, and mausoleums. Timur was fascinated with the color blue because of its relation to protection and peace, but also a statement of wealth due to the available turquoise and lapis lazuli in the region.

- When talking about blue buildings in Uzbekistan, the first thing that will come to mind will be the "poster boy" for its tourism campaign: the Registan. This public square is surrounded by three main madrasas or Islamic universities: Ulugh Beg Madrasa (1400s), Sher Dor Madrasa (1600s), and Tilya-Kori Madrasa (1600s). Although most of the former classrooms and residence halls have been converted to souvenir stores, some rooms were turned into small museums. I loved everything about the Registan. It was worth visiting in the early morning before the crowds start entering the square, and even better to walk through the madrasas' tiled halls. For people who like to take photos, the sky is the limit; there were just so many good photo spots I had to choose which places I wanted or else I wouldn't stop taking photos! 

I am here OMG.

I'm so glad I got one of these Central-Asian kaftans to complete the look.

Sher-Dor Madrasa, known for its tiger figures above the entrance.

At Ulug Beg Madrasa.

At Sher-Dor Madrasa.

The tigers of Sher-Dor Madrasa.

There are some small museums like this.

Yes, you can go up the second floor at the Ulugh Beg Madrasa.

- From the Registan Square my family decided to take time off while I proceeded to the Bibi Khanym Mosque. It was dedicated to Timur's wife, Saray Mulk Khanum. Completed in 1404, the mosque was finished in a hurry so there have been architectural flaws from the beginning. It didn't help that various natural instances, lootings, abandonment, and political reasons contributed to the mosque's deterioration; it was later restored by the Soviet era. During its heyday, the mosque was at some point the tallest mosque in the world. Its beauty also owes itself to the signature turquoise color of Timurid architecture. Interestingly, there is also a story about how the mosque's architect had an illegal relationship with Timur's wife. It is said that the architect would not finish the mosque without a kiss from Saray Mulk Khanum. When Timur found out about the kiss, he had the architect executed.

Stone Qur'an stand with Qur'an.

Main iwan (the rectangular gateway of mosques.)

From the side.

I really loved taking photos at the mosque. It surprisingly had less people than I had imagined. The dome at the back is the side dome.

Was dizzy going around and around just to get the perfect flowy-kaftan photo.

View from below the main iwan.

A peek of the mosque's interior. (We weren't allowed to go inside the mosque, and there was nothing much inside too.)

From underneath the dome of the side dome.

Mosque from afar.

Bibi Khanym Mausoleum across the mosque.

- A brief walk from the mosque, is the Hazrat Khizr Mosque. Although the current mosque was built in the 1800s, the site of the mosque has been used for religious purposes for the longest time. Mosques and temples have occupied the site. The mosque is quite unusual not just for its architectural style, but also because it's built on the side of a cliff. It is also the location of the mausoleum of Uzbekistan's first president, Islam Karimov.

Hazrat Khizr Mosque.

Islam Karimov Mausoleum.

Bibi Khanym Mosque and Mausoleum from the balcony of the Hazrat Khizr Mosque.

Mosque courtyard with the mausoleum.

Balcony.

I love the mosque's very random geometric details.

- Around the corner (and some few hundred meters) from the Hazrat Khizr Mosque is one of the more unusually beautiful places I've visited in Central Asia. The Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis isn't the first royal cemetery or mausoleum I've visited, yet its location and stunning colors can make people forget that it is a place for the dead. The necropolis was built from the 11th to 19th centuries (spanning 800 years!) 

This corridor full of turquoise tiles is what really surprises people upon entry to the main necropolis up in the hill from the entrance on flat ground.

Different shades of blue.

Mausoleum for Shirin Beka Oga, Timur's sister.

It was difficult taking photos at the cecropolis since there were many passersby.

Octagonal crypt of Timur's sister.

More tombs behind the corridor.

Another collection of blue royal tombs at the back.

- I met my family for lunch afterwards, and had a second visit to the Registan Square. (Yes, I had to buy a ticket again). Since my dad wasn't feeling too well in the morning, he wasn't able to explore the Registan. I also realized that I hadn't seen the interior of the Tilya-Kori Madrasa's golden mosque (this is the madrasa in the center of the Registan).

Mosque inside the Tilya-Kori Madrasa.

Chorsu Trading Dome beside the Registan.

Mausoleum of the Shaybanids. The Shaybanids were competitors of the Timurid Dynaasty.

Can't believe I'm holding the Registan!

- I also happened to stumble upon a store inside the Sher-Dor Madrasa that rents costumes with a photographer. I took my chance to become a "sultan" for a couple of minutes because I was already at the Registan after all!

Love these photos so much!!

For men, there were costumes for royalty, or warriors. I, of course, chose royalty

Calling people to pray.

My love goes out to everyong!

- We later had dinner at Boulevard Restaurant and Bakery, and has become one of our favorite restaurants not only in Samarkand, but our whole stay in Central Asia. Our day might have ended, but certainly not our adventures in Samarkand. The Registan is definitely the highlight (not once, but twice in a day!) but Samarkand is more than "just" the Registan!