Registan

Meaning

Step into the wide square and three madrasas open their great iwan portals, ringing you in sky-blue and gold. Turquoise domes throw back the desert sun, and mosaics woven of stars and flowers fill every wall. You stand at the heart of a city the Silk Road once ran through.

The central square of Timurid Samarkand is understood as an ensemble of three madrasas — Islamic colleges — beginning with the Ulugh Beg madrasa in the 15th century and joined by the Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori in the 17th. Famed for its sky-blue tile, star-and-flower mosaic, and vast iwan portals, it is seen as the place where Silk Road trade and learning met. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Field notes

Location

Samarkand · Uzbekistan · N39.7° · E67.0°

Best time

A clear morning or dusk, when the tilework glows

Getting there

In the old center of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Etiquette

Dress modestly and keep quiet; follow the guidance in prayer and exhibition spaces.

Sources

• · UNESCO World Heritage
• · Encyclopaedia Britannica

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