Samarkand: the historic centre
Koranic verses inside the Gur-e-Amir (“Tomb of the King”) mausoleum. Construction began in 1403 after the sudden death of Muhammad Sultan, Tamerlane's heir apparent and grandson, for whom it was originally intended. Ulugh Beg, another grandson of Tamerlane, completed the work and it became the family crypt of the Timurid Dynasty. The interior was restored in the 1970s.
Photo by Ludo Kuipers, Mon Jun 17, 2013