Mausoleum of Tamerlane - A Precursor To Mughal Architecture

The mausoleum of Tamerlane (aka Taimur or Timur), the famous 14th century conqueror, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan is a beautiful example of Persian architecture and is considered by many as the precursor for World famous Mughal architecture of The Taj Mahal and its earlier model Humayun's Tomb.

Known as Gur-e Amir (Persian for Tomb of the King) the mausoleum's complex contains not only the tombs of Taimur but also his two sons and two grandsons.

Ironically Taimur himself had started work on the mausoleum in 1403 as a burial place for his young grandson who was killed in battle, however two years later Taimur also died during his Chinese expedition and his body was brought back to be buried here itself.

The beauty of the building lies in its blue coloured 15 metre high dome, its two richly decorative minarets, entrance gate and interior which are full of intricate ornamental designs on the terracotta bricks.

Image from Flickr is by Richard Weil

Image from Flickr is by Nathan Hamm

Image from Flickr is by cercamon

Image from Flickr is by Allan_Grey

Image from Flickr is by Richard Weil

Image from Flickr is by cercamon

Image from Flickr is by Allan_Grey

View location in Google Earth / Google Maps

Main source of info and more info: Wikepedia / archnet.org

Related post: Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, India.