Ak-Saray Palace, Shakhrisabz

Timur was born in 1336 near Kesh, the old name of Shakhrisabz, a town in a green valley south of Samarkand, beyond the mountains. Shahr-i sabz means “green city” in Persian. Even after he made Samarkand the capital of his empire, Timur kept a special attachment to Kesh. He planned to be buried there, built a great mosque and family tombs, and, from 1380, began a palace that was meant to outshine anything in his realm.

Builders and craftsmen from Khorezm, which Timur had conquered, worked on the palace for more than twenty years. It was still being finished when Timur died in 1405.

In 1404 the Spanish ambassador Ruy González de Clavijo, sent by King Henry III of Castile to Timur’s court, passed through Kesh on his way to Samarkand and visited the palace. His account describes a vast entrance, a great hall and courtyards, with walls covered in blue and gold tiles and ceilings of gold, and notes that work was still going on after twenty years. His is the only detailed eyewitness description of the palace in its glory.

What remains today are the two massive piers of the entrance portal, standing apart where the great arch between them collapsed. The arch is believed to have spanned around 22 metres, which would have made it one of the widest in Central Asia, and the portal may have risen to 50 metres or more. Even in ruin, the piers dominate the town.

Their surfaces are covered with some of the finest Timurid tilework anywhere: geometric mosaics, glazed bricks forming giant calligraphy, and panels of blue, turquoise, white and gold with floral and star patterns. High up you can make out letters several metres tall. A frequently quoted inscription attributed to the palace reads: “If you doubt our power, look at our buildings.” Bring binoculars or use a camera zoom to see the details.

The rest of the palace, its courtyards, halls and pools, disappeared long ago. According to a popular legend, it was destroyed in the 16th century on the orders of the Bukharan ruler Abdullah Khan II, though neglect and earthquakes probably did most of the damage.

The portal stands at the northern end of a long park created in the historic centre, with lawns, fountains and paths. In front of the ruins stands a large statue of Timur, erected in the 1990s, a favourite spot for photographs and wedding parties.

The historic centre of Shakhrisabz was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000. Large-scale redevelopment in the 2010s, which cleared old houses to create the park, caused concern at UNESCO, and the site was placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2016. Visitors will notice that the monuments now stand in open space rather than in the old town fabric.

Location: at the northern end of the historic centre of Shakhrisabz.

Tickets: a small fee may be charged for access to the area at the foot of the portal.

Time needed: 30–45 minutes.

Best light: morning or late afternoon, when the low sun brings out the colours and relief of the tiles.

Combine with: the Dorut-Tilavat complex with Ulugbek’s Kok-Gumbaz mosque and the Dorus-Saodat complex with the tomb of Timur’s son and his own empty crypt, a 15–20 minute walk south. See how to get to Shakhrisabz and day trips from Samarkand.