However Mighty You May Be

The mausoleum of Timur the Conqueror, aka Tamerlane, the founder of the Timurid Empire, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Eid Al Fitr is on the way. It’s this weekend actually. Looks like it’s gonna be another short Eid holiday. But never mind, we’ll make the best out of it, what the heck! Now, let’s see where we’d go for this short trip…

I’m leaving some photos of Islamic architecture for the season. Wishing all who celebrate, a joyful and blessed Eid Al Fitr. Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya! Happy Holidays!


The Gur-e Amir (the tomb of the king, in Persian), the final resting place of Timur the Conqueror. Timur was a Turko-Mongol general who considered himself an heir to Genghis Khan (they shared a same common ancestor). He was also the great-great-great grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. Never defeated in battle, Timur is regarded as one of the greatest military leaders in history. But however mighty you are, you will eventually pass on, as do all things in life… Only God is permanent. All that remains is this beautiful tomb. The world is shaped by the powerful. They leave their marks and imprints from their actions, sometimes for good, and sometimes bad. Our only hope is that we have more kind leaders than ruthless ones. God help us.


Inside the beautifully restored interiors of the tomb of Timur, and some of his family. Legend has it that Timur’s tomb was inscribed with two warnings. The first read "When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble". Once opened, another inscription read: “Whosoever disturbs my tomb will unleash an invader more terrible than I". And so it came to pass that 2 days after Timur’s tomb was opened by a Soviet archaeologist in 1941, the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin was a believer of the curse, and had Timur reburied with full Islamic burial rites. One month after that was done, the Soviets routed the German Army in Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War 2… (That’s something for you, history buffs…)


The gateway to the tomb, featuring elaborate muqarnas…


Hey, where does this small door go?


Do you think it goes all the way up there?? Into the minaret??


The tomb has a hidden souvenir shop underground. Fancy shopping among the dead!


Kids fooling around in the Amir Temur Park, flanking the boulevard leading to the Gur-e Amir


Here’s another monument in Samarkand, the Bibi Khanum Mosque… on a cold and gloomy day, brrrr….


Entrance of the Bibi Khanym Mosque. Timur had this mosque built, after one of his successful military campaigns, and named it after one of his wives, Saray Mulk Khanum, who was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. (The title of Khanum means "daughter of a Khan or princess" by birth)


The mosque was left to slowly deteriorate for centuries after the decline of Samarkand (the seat of power had shifted to Bukhara, and along with it, the silk route), eventually succumbing to an earthquake in 1897 and then becoming a scouring ground for building materials for the local inhabitants. Only in the 70’s did the government (then under the Uzbek SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)) started restoring the buildings…


The restored interior of the main dome. Restoration was still ongoing at the time of our visit in Dec 2023, the interior of one of the domes was still barren brickwork and peeling murals, looking like something from a horror movie


Can someone please tell me why all the minarets here have flat tops? Won’t topping them up, with a little dome, or a spire make them nicer? But then, it’d make them similar to all the other minarets in the Islamic world, wouldn’t it?..


A stone Quran stand… in the courtyard of the Bibi Khanum Mosque…


And finally, family picture time! Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023

Enjoy your Eid holidays!