Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Subhadip Mukherjee

2 days ago

From Bukhara, we now move to Samarkand. We took the Afrosiyob (high-speed rail) from Bukhara to Samarkand, and the journey was fast and smooth. Without wasting any time we took off exploring Samarkand and our first stop of the day was Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum.

History Of Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum is one of the most important and famous monuments in Uzbekistan as this is the last resting place of Timur who the world knows as Timurlane. People know Timur mostly by his ruthless expeditions across Asia conquering large portions of land. His expansion often resulted in the mass killing of the local population and the destruction of property of the previous regime.

This place was not planned for the last resting place for Timur. It was originally a Khanaka where scholars would usually gather to discuss and enlighten the students. Along with this, there was also a Madrasa located next to the khanaka.

This khanaka and madrasa were originally built by Muhammad Sultan, he was the grandson of Timur and was originally chosen by him to lead the dynasty after he died as its ruler.

Things took an unfortunate turn when Muhammad Sultan died in 1403 and a grieving Timur wanted to build a place where his body would be laid to rest something which would suit a prince. Initially, his body was buried temporarily at Soltaniyeh and in the meantime, a building was constructed behind the khanaka and the madrasa.

That very year in 1403 his body was transported back to Samarkand into the newly constructed building. Later In 1405 when Timur himself died he was buried in this same building despite his wishes to be buried in Shahrisabz the place of his birth.

When Timur died after his conquest into China his body could not be transported to Shahrisabz as it was winter and due to heavy snow, it was decided to bury him next to his grandson in Samarkand. Later on, there were further burials of his sons and other grandsons within the same compound.

With so many of the kings and princes being buried here this place slowly started getting referred to as the Gur-e-Amir or The Tomb of the Leader. True to its name the tomb was a work of art, both the interior and exterior had color and design much ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, the city over the years and centuries followed a path of steady decline and the building suffered massive damages only to be partially restored after this region was taken over by the Russians and further massive restorations were done post-independence of Uzbekistan.

However, this was too late for some structures within the compound like the khanaka and the madrasa which were destroyed. Luckily even after facing some destruction the main building containing the tombs remained standing and could be restored.

What To See At Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

The surrounding areas around the mausoleum complex have been developed and one can see lush gardens adorned with fountains and large staircases leading to the mausoleum. The first structure that you get to see is the large ornate gate.

Landscaped Area Around Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Large Staircases Leading Towards The Mausoleum

Passing this large gate one would enter the actual compound containing the mausoleum in the front which is still standing and the foundation stones of the madrasa on the left and the foundation stones of the khanaka on the right. The area in front of the gate now has the garden area.

Main Gate Along With The Garden As Seen From Inside The Mausoleum Complex

Foundation Of The Madrasa At Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Stone Tumbler Usually Used By Devotees For Cleaning (Ablution)

The Original Tombstone That Was Placed On Top Of The Tomb Of Timur Kept Outside For Display

The main Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum building has a massive Iwan (massive front gate covered on three sides) with multiple doors on either side. One of these doors leads to another set of burial tombs which we will discuss later. The star attraction of this building is the massive azure dome at the centre and on either side, we can see two large minarets. Portions of the building on both ends are damaged and one can see these damaged sections when going around the building.

Doorway To Other Rooms Within The Structure

The Azure Dome And The Lattice Window As Seen From The Back

What Remains Of The Right Section If The Building

To enter the inner chamber one has to go to the back of the building and then following a series of corridors will reach the section below the dome which is the main hall.

Interior Chamber Below The Dome At Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Honeycombed Gold Gilded Work On The niches In The Interior Chamber

Patterned Wall With Gold Calligraphy On Onyx Stone Walls

Archway & Wall With Gilded Patterns On Onyx Stone Walls

Once inside one can truly marvel at the beauty and exquisite nature of the work carried out something which truly is suited for an emperor. The gold-plated walls, onyx-covered walls, and the ceiling with its gilded façade make one awe-struck.

The tombs are placed right beneath the central dome. It is to be noted here that the tombs are empty and symbolic only. The actual bodies are buried under a chamber located below this, something that I had also seen in the Taj Mahal in India.

There are nine tombs out here:-

1 – Amir Timur (1336 – 1405)
2 – Mirzo Ulugh Beg (1394 – 1449)
3 – Muhammad Sultan (1374 – 1403)
4 – Mir Said Baraka (died in 1404)
5 – Sayyid Umar
6 – Shah Rukh Mirza (1377 – 1447)
7 – Miran Shah (1366 – 1407)
8 – Abdullo Mirzo (died in 1420)
9 – Abdurahmon Mirzo (1421 – 1432)

Amir Timur can be seen in the black jadecovered tomb at the centre. Mirzo Ulugh Beg was the grandson of Timur and was known for his astronomy which I will discuss in another blog. Muhammad Sultan the heir apparent of Timur the reason why this mausoleum was built in the first place. Mir Said Baraka was the spiritual advisor and guide to Timur. Shah Rukh Mirza was the son of Timur and the one to be on the throne after the death of Timur. Miran Shah the estranged son of Timur who wanted the throne but was not successful. The rest of the three tombs, Sayyid Umar, Abdullo Mirzo, and Abdurahmon Mirzo were also relatives of Timur. The tomb of Sayyid Umar stands separate from the rest as it’s not within the main enclosure.

Tombs As Seen Inside The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Black Jade Tombstone Belongs To Timur With Muhammad Sultan On His Right

Tomb Of Sayyid Umar Outside Of The Enclosed Section

From the front of the monument, there is a door on the right side housing a few more tombs which in most probability are that of relatives of Timur. This room has tombs of:-

Aisha Sultan Begum (died in 1473)
Rabiya Sultan (died in 1454)
Oko Begum (died in 1466)
Abu Said’s Descendant (died at a young age)
Shokhmansur ibn Sultan Abu Said (died in 1451)
Amirzade Jahongir Sultan (died in 1458)
Muhammad Jahongir Sultan (died in 1456)
Zubayda Sultan (died in 1453)

Curse Of Timur

There have been a lot of speculations about the so-called “Curse of Timur”, according to most locals the tomb of Timur is cursed and whoever disturbs the tomb shall bring wrath of unfathomable proportion.

This all started when Nader Shah in 1740 wanted to remove the tomb of Timur to take it with him to his capital city. He idolized Timur and followed his style to conquer and rule so he felt it was fitting to take his stone sarcophagus with him. Unfortunately, during this process, it broke in two and this was interpreted as a bad sign and it was put back.

This people say started the decline of Samarkand and the city suffered tremendously and was wiped out from the Silk Route trade. The nearby city of Bukhara started getting more business and wealth.

The second time things took a bad turn was in 1941 when the Russians wanted to investigate and opened the tomb on the 20^th of June. Soon within a few days, Russia was invaded by Hitler and suffered heavy losses. This news of the curse reached the ears of Joseph Stalin and he ordered the tomb to be closed and the body reburied which was done on the 20^th of December 1942. Soon Russians saw victory in Stalingrad which fanned the theory of the curse.

Other Nearby Structures At At Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Rukhabad Jome Mosque & Rukhabad Mausoleum

The mausoleum though very small in size is very significant. This was built during the times of Timur around 1380. This was built on top of the grave of Sheikh Burhan al-Din Sagarji, he was set to be a spiritual leader helping to propagate Islam and had died in China. His remains were brought back to Samarkand and buried here.

The mausoleum can be accessed by passing through a small gate taking one to an open courtyard that houses a mosque and madrasa bearing the same name. The open courtyard features souvenir shops managed by the locals.