Samarkand

Detail of huge lecturn, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, 15th century, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, pictured on July 16, 2010, at dawn. Named after the wife of Amir Timur, 14th century ruler, the mosque was constructed following his 1399 Indian campaign. It collapsed after an earthquake in 1897 and was restored in the late 20th century. In the middle of the yard there was a pavilion for ritual ablution. Nowadays a marble lectern for the huge Koran stands here. Samarkand, a city on the Silk Road, founded as Afrosiab in the 7th century BC, is a meeting point for the world's cultures. Its most important development was in the Timurid period, 14th to 15th centuries. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Picture No

13425331

Media ID

45092165

Size

5616px x 3744px (6.4MB)

Credit

Manuel Cohen / Mary Evans

Source

Photograph by Manuel Cohen