Gur-e-Amir is the Mausoleum for Timur, his two sons and two grandsons. It plays an important role in the history of Persian architecture. Timur himself ordered the construction in 1404 for his grandson but was interred there after his death one year later.
The octahedral building is crowned by an azure dome. The impressive interior is magnificently decorated.
Around the Mausoleum there are walls built as screens to hide the adjoining neighborhood.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque
After his Indian campaign Timur ordered this gigantic mosque named after his wife. IT was completed between 1399 and 1404. The project was too ambitious for construction techniques of the time and
fell slowly into ruins over the years before collapsing partially in an earthquake in 1897. Reconstruction began in 1974 under the soviets and is still not finished.
Ulugbek's Observatory
In 1428 Ulugh Beg built an enormous observatory, a three story high building including a sextant with a radius of 36 meters built underground to protect it from earthquakes. It has only been discovered in the 20th century and can be visited. An ugly platform retraces the perimeter of the former building.
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