Interesting information about the tomb of Amir Temur (by Sevinch Ashirova)

Gori Amir or Amir Temur Mausoleum (late 14th century — 1405) is an architectural monument in Samarkand. Popularly known as Gori Amir or Gori Mir (Mir Sayyid Baraka). People belonging to the Timurid dynasty (Amir Temur, his teacher Mir Sayyid Baraka, sons Umar-sheikh, Mironshah and Shahrukh, grandsons Muhammad Sultan, Ulug’bek) are buried in the mausoleum. Babur said that at first Temur’s grandson Muhammad Sultan Mirza built Tashkurgan — Madrasa in the south of the Samarkand fortress. When Muhammad Sultan died (1403), Amir Temur ordered the construction of a mausoleum in his memory. The mausoleum is built in the courtyard of the Madrasah.

Gori Amir is recognized as a unique work of Central Asian architecture. The construction of the mausoleum began in 1403 according to the order of Amir Temur, and was completed during the reign of Mirzo Ulugbek, and it was turned into a temple of the Timurids.

In 1403, Muhammad Sultan suddenly fell ill and died while returning from a long trip to the coast of Asia Minor. The prince’s body was brought to Samarkand and buried in a hut behind the porch on the south side of the ensemble. Amir Temur orders the construction of a mausoleum in the name of the prince. After that, an octagonal building is built on top of the hut.

After the death of Amir Temur, Shahrukh Mirza appointed Herat as the capital and appointed his son Mirza Ulugbek as governor of Samarkand. He will develop culture and construction works in the country. In honor of his great grandfather, Mirzo Ulugbek turns the octagonal mausoleum into a mausoleum where the descendants of Timurids are buried.

After the completion of the mausoleum, the body of Amir Temur’s spiritual teacher Mirsayid Baraka will be moved to this mausoleum and buried at the head of Sahibqiran. According to some narrations, Amir Temur bequeathed to be buried at the foot of Piri. Mironshah and Shahrukh are also buried in the mausoleum. The interior of the building will be newly decorated, huts will be placed on the mausoleum, and the surrounding will be fenced with elegant marble stone. The mausoleum is entered through a multi-domed gallery built on its eastern side since 1424.

Only the facade of the Muhammad Sultan complex has been preserved. This facade is skillfully designed and stands out against the background of the tiled wall. The name of the master who built the building, Muhammad bin Mahmud Isfahani, and “The religion of heaven is the language of the pure” are silently written between the tiles. In the decoration of brick columns, the main place is occupied by an elegant composition based on geometric shapes called girih. Copper, louvre and gold water were used in the dome.

Initially, the mausoleum was entered through the northern door. The eastern door was opened by Mirza Ulugbek in 1425, because Mirza Ulugbek considered it disrespectful to enter from the side of Mir Sayyid Baraka. In 1868, during the occupation of Tsarist Russia, the gates of the mausoleum were stolen. One of the gates of the owner Amir Temur’s palace is in London, another is in the Hermitage, and the third gate is kept in the fund of the State Museum of Culture and History of Uzbekistan. Behind the wall on the eastern side of the courtyard, the remains of the Madrasah of Muhammad Sultan can be seen. Chorsu built two-story rooms around the courtyard.

There were domed classrooms in the corners of the madrasa. The walls of the mausoleum are covered with blue, airy and white glazed tiles, these tiles are drawn in a geometrical shape, with Arabic lettering and are skillfully made. The architect skillfully decorated the large levels of the buildings using compatible forms.

When the exterior of the mausoleum was built, great importance was attached to its dome. Although the circumference of the lower part of the dome is 15 meters and the height is 12.5 meters, its weight is not noticeable. It is important that the dome is made colorful. Due to the fact that air color is used more in the dome, this color shines on the curved ribs of the dome, shines in the sun, and seems to be fixed in the sky. The top of the dome is covered with mysterious tiles. the external dome of the monument, a second dome was installed on top of it to make the external appearance of the monument more beautiful.

Only the remains of walls and fragments of tiles were preserved from the house and madrasa of Muhammad Sultan. These remains made it possible to know the secret of the building, which has been hidden for centuries. In the middle of the hall there was a wide hall with a big dome, and around the hall there were two-story rooms, passing from one to the other.

The sides and tops of the door built to enter the mausoleum during the reign of Mirzo Ulugbek are elegantly decorated. Previously, above the door there was a tile plaque with the inscription: “This is the grave of Amir Temur…” (this plaque is now kept in the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg). The mausoleum is entered through a domed gallery.

Passing through the gallery, one enters the Tomb of the Timurids. The mausoleum is very elegantly decorated. At the bottom of the wall is a sign made of blue transparent onyx stone. The seams of the onyx are decorated with blue stones. The mausoleum is lit by a latticed window with colored glass. The interior of the mausoleum is brightly lit by the sunlight passing through these windows.

There are inscriptions dedicated to Timurids on the pillars placed in the middle of the mausoleum. Among them, the dark green jade stone placed on the grave of Amir Temur attracts attention. Mirzo Ulughbek’s victory over the Mongols in 1425 included two pieces of jade. These two stones were carefully worked, connected to each other, and poured over the grave of Amir Temur. In 1740, when the Shah of Iran Nadirshah conquered the Bukhara Khanate (at that time, Samarkand belonged to the Bukhara Khanate), Amir ordered the stone on Temur’s grave to be taken to Mashhad. However, Nadirshah, who was afraid of being blasphemed, returned from this intention and after long and difficult journeys for that time, he brought the stone back to its place.

In 1994–1996, a large-scale repair and restoration work was carried out in the mausoleum.

A row of tombstones are placed on the murabba khazira stage in the center of the shrine surrounded by a marble fence. On the upper (net) is the grave of Mir Sayyid Baraka, who accompanied Amir Temur in his military campaigns and earned his high respect. Amir Temur himself was buried at the foot of Sayyid Baraka’s grave. There are tombs of Muhammad Sultan, Mironshah, Omarshaikh on three sides of it. Later, the tombstones of Temur’s grandsons and great-grandsons were placed here in strict order. The blue jade tombstone placed on Timur’s sagan was brought by Ulugbek during his campaign to Mongolia. Words glorifying Temur, his genealogy and lamentations are engraved on the stone tablet. All saganas are surrounded by a single carved marble fence by Ulugbek.

The proportions, patterns, various decorations of the mausoleum are executed with great skill. The name of the master architect “Muhammad binni Mahmud al-banno Isfakhani” is preserved above the outer gate. Later, the mausoleum was repaired several times, the dome was restored, the remains of the chamber and Madrasa were excavated, and the interior and exterior decorations were repaired. In 1941, contrary to Muslim custom, the graves of Amir Temur and Ulugbek were opened and their spirits were disturbed.

The construction of Amir Temur’s mausoleum, recognized as a unique work of Central Asian architecture, began in 1403 and was completed in 1424. The mausoleum was built for Muhammad Sultan, the grandson of Amir Temur, who was declared the heir to the throne. Muhammad Sultan died prematurely at the age of 29 during his trip to Asia Minor in 1403. The prince was brought to Samarkand and first buried in the mosque.