Registan Square, Samarkand
Registan Square in Samarkand is the grandest tourist attraction in the city. This place consists of three madrasas, one monument, and a trading dome. This was the second place that I visited that day after visiting the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum.
What To See At Registan Square In Samarkand
The word “Registan” means desert something similar in the Hindi language which is one of the most spoken languages in India.
This is a ticketed monument and with a single ticket, you can visit all the tourist attractions that this place has to offer. Once you enter the main square you will be able to see the three prominent monuments, Tilya Kori Madrasa will be in front and is the smallest of the three, on the left will be Ulugh Beg Madrasa and on the right will be Sher Dor Madrasa.
At one point there was only Ulugh Beg Madrasa along with that there was a khanaka and a caravanserai. Both the khanaka and caravanserai do not exist any longer and were later replaced by the other two monuments. Ulugh Beg Madrasa and Sher Dor Madrasa are massive facing each other and similar in size but different in design approaches.
The best way to enjoy your trip to Registan Square in Samarkand would be to explore them one by one.
Ulugh Beg Madrasa
As the name suggests this madrasa was built by Ulugh Beg who was less of a king and more of a scholar and particularly took interest in astronomy. In fact, in Samarkand, one can see what remains of his observatory. For him, knowledge and science got more preference than daily executive duties. After all, he was not supposed to be the ruler which was assigned to his brother Muhammad Sultan but after his death and then the death of Timur and others in the next in line the responsibility came to him by default out of no choice.
The madrasa was built between 1417 to 1421 much before he became the emperor. The most striking feature of the madrasa is its front façade (iwan) which seems to simulate the constellations of a night sky. Since he was so much into astronomy it was perfect for the madrasa that bears his name. The design patterns were created using tiles which was a common practice in this region. There is a lattice window right in the middle flanked by two doorways on either side which connect the passage to the inner courtyard.
In terms of design, it’s a square building having a dimension of 56 meters by 81 meters. The interiors (courtyard) have a dimension of 30 meters by 40 meters. The interior courtyard now is mostly used for shops and stalls catering to tourists something which is common for all the three madrasa located here.
The madrasa has two floors most of which were restored after falling for disuse for centuries during which this was used as a granary. The initial restoration started post WWII under the Soviets and further, it was restored after the independence of Uzbekistan.
Sher Dor Madrasa
Located right opposite Ulugh Beg Madrasa this was built by Yalangtoʻsh Bahodir (Yalangtosh Biy / Yalangtushbi / Ashtarkhanid Yalantgush Bahadur). He was the military governor of Samarkand between 1619 – 1636 a time when this region was mainly governed from Bukhara.
Originally this space was occupied by a khanaka built by Ulugh Beg and logically this would have served the students, scholars, and teachers of Ulugh Beg Madrasa. To make his mark around 200 years later the khanaka was demolished and this madrasa was built by him while the principal architect of the building was Usto Abdujabbor the design elements were done by Muhammad Abbas.
Unlike the constellation star pattern design on the iwan that one can see on Ulugh Beg Madrasa a different approach was taken for this madrasa something which is normally not seen in Islamic architecture. Usually, no human or animal forms are depicted whereas here the main face has a massive lion chasing a deer and a human face. Another difference is the two large azure domes located behind the iwan on either side which is not present in Ulugh Beg Madrasa instead it has two small domes that cannot be seen from the front.
This front design stood out and instead of calling the madrasa by the name of the one who constructed it people started calling it “Sher Dor” which means “The Abode of Lions”.
The interior courtyard of this place also features numerous shops and stalls catering to tourists. The inner courtyard also has four designed gates.
Tilya Kori Madrasa
This one is the smallest of the lot and stands right in front of the square. This madrasa was also built by Yalangtoʻsh Bahodir who had built the Sher Dor Madrasa. Unfortunately, before its completion of construction, he had died. This was constructed between 1646 and 1660 whereas Yalangtoʻsh Bahodir died in the year 1656. This madrasa was built over the ruins of the caravanserai built by Ulugh Beg.
This building was constructed as a mosque and a madrasa mostly catering to the students of Sher Dor Madrasa which did not have a mosque.
The word “Tilya Kori” means “Decorated with Gold” and the reason why it’s called this can be found inside the mosque which has walls plastered with gold leaf giving it a splendid yellow glow.
From the outside one can see the blue azure dome of the mosque on the left of the iwan. The front façade is small and simple with the iwan having decorative patterns and no animal or human figures.
One can access the mosque from the inner courtyard which has smaller gates (iwans).
Shaybanid Mausoleum
This is a small stone platform located on the right corner (east side) from the main gate of Tilya Kori Madrasa. This structure is outside Tilya Kori Madrasa and most tourists ignore this as it gets dwarfed in front of the three large madrasas.
This small piece of the mausoleum is what that remains with a pile of smaller tombstones laid flat on the top. These belong to the members of the Shaybanid Dynasty with Muhammad Shaybani being the prominent of them as the founder of the dynasty. He died in a battle and his body which was in pieces was buried here in Samarkand.
When the Red Army swept across this region the tomb was destroyed and the main tablet stone bearing his name was taken to Moscow and remains there in the museum.
Gallery
This is a recent construction designed like a trading dome and houses a gallery showcasing old photographs from this region.
This place can be a good place to rest and relax in between your tour of Registan Square.
Islam Karimov Statue
The area around Registan Square is surrounded by parks and the park to the east of the monuments you will find a giant statue of Islam Karimov in the center. For those who do not know, Islam Karimov was the first President of Uzbekistan, a post that he served till his death on the 2nd of September 2016. He was in fact born in this very city of Samarkand on the 30th of January 1938.
