Samarkand: Difference between revisions

1. The shrine of [[Qutham b. al-Abbas]] (the Prophet's uncle), known as Shah-i Zinda. The people of Samarqand believe that miracles were performed through his soul or at his shrine. The shrine of Shah-i Zinda is one of the historical sites of [[Uzbekistan]], with the Khorasani architecture style. The shrine was reconstructed at the time of Tamerlane and is the burial place of some of his family members.  

2. The Mosque of Ahl al-Bayt (a). This mosque, inaugurated in 1378 Sh, is located in the Punjab district of Samarqand. It is the largest Shiite mosque of Uzbekistan with a capacity of about 20,000 worshippers.  

3. Murad Awlia Mosque. In this mosque a descendant of [[Imam al-Kazim (a)]] was allegedly buried and thus it has become a pilgrimage site for the Shiites. On the gravestone, in addition to [[Quran]]ic [[verse]]s, the name "Sayyid Musa b. Aqa Sayyid Murtada" is inscribed with the year 927 AH as the year of his demise. People of Samarqand believe in miracles happening through Sayyid Musa. The existing stones and pillars around this grave indicate that it was once a splendid burial place.  

4. The Bibi-Khanym Mosque. This mosque is located in the east of Rigestan Square. It has a splendid portal arch of entrance, on which Timur had his genealogy up to Genghis Khan inscribed on it. This mosque was built by Timur's command and after his victorious return from India between the years 802-807 AH. It seems that the mosque was built on the model of a mosque in [[India]] that had impressed Timur. To construct the mosque, Timur invited architects from India, [[Azerbijan]], and Fars. It is said that on a daily basis 200 people worked on the building of the mosque, 500 people cut stones from mountains and carried them to the mosque’s site, and 95 elephants carried other materials needed for the construction.

5. The Mosque of Sahib al-Zaman. This mosque, located in the Shiite district of Samarqand called Khwaja Sa'at, was built with people’s donations.