Shah-i-Zinda necropolis

Kusam ibn Abbas was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad who, according to tradition, came to Samarkand in the 7th century to preach Islam and was killed there. The legend says he was beheaded while praying, picked up his head and walked down into a well or a cave beneath the hill, where he lives on, waiting to return. This is why the place is called Shah-i-Zinda, “the Living King”.

His shrine, at the top of the complex, became one of the holiest places in Central Asia. Pilgrims visit it to this day, and visiting Shah-i-Zinda several times was once said to equal a pilgrimage to Mecca, a saying you will hear from local guides.

You enter at the bottom through a portal built in 1434–1435 under Ulugbek, then climb a staircase of about forty steps. Local tradition says that if you count the steps on the way up and on the way down and get the same number, your sins are forgiven.

Above the stairs, the lane narrows between facing mausoleums, each with its own portal and dome. The most beautiful date from the late 14th and early 15th centuries and belong to women and generals of Timur’s circle, such as the mausoleums of Shirin Bika Aka, Timur’s sister, and Shadi Mulk Aka, his niece. Their facades are covered with carved glazed terracotta and mosaic in turquoise, cobalt and white, among the finest examples of this technique anywhere. At the far end, the lane turns to the complex of Kusam ibn Abbas, with its mosque, prayer room and the saint’s tomb behind a carved wooden screen.

Shah-i-Zinda is a museum of Central Asian tile techniques from the 11th to the 15th centuries: carved terracotta, carved glazed tile, mosaic faience and painted cuerda seca tiles appear side by side. The densely packed buildings show how architects competed for attention on a narrow street.

Restoration over the 20th and early 21st centuries reinforced the structures and replaced many damaged tiles. A major restoration around 2005 was criticised for replacing too much original material with new work, so look for the older, softer-coloured panels next to brighter modern ones.

Shah-i-Zinda is both a monument and an active place of pilgrimage. Women should cover shoulders and ideally hair; men and women should cover knees. Speak quietly and do not photograph people praying. At the shrine of Kusam ibn Abbas, prayers are often recited, and visitors may join in by raising their hands.

The lane faces roughly south and is narrow, so the light is best in the morning, when the sun lights the facades and the crowds are thinner. In the afternoon parts of the lane fall into shade. A ticket is required, sold at the lower entrance. The complex is a ten-minute walk from Bibi-Khanym and Siab Bazaar; the large modern cemetery behind it can also be explored respectfully.

An unusual feature of Shah-i-Zinda is how many of its finest tombs were built for women. Timur’s sisters, nieces and wives, and the women of his generals’ families, were patrons in their own right. Their mausoleums, with their dazzling facades, show that Timurid women had wealth, status and a voice in the architecture of the capital. The so-called “nameless” mausoleums, whose occupants are unknown, may also have belonged to women of the court.

Inscriptions on the facades include verses about the brevity of life and the beauty of the world, written in elegant calligraphy within the tile panels. Even if you cannot read them, notice how the script is woven into the ornament. Guides can point out the most striking examples and translate a few lines.

Bibi-Khanym, Siab Bazaar and the Hazrat Khizr mosque are a ten-minute walk to the west, and the Afrasiyab museum is about 20 minutes north. Allow a full morning for the four together. Comfortable shoes help on the stairs and uneven paving.