There is a sad story attached to this mausoleum which the Emir had built for his grandson. He wanted to be buried in his home town but was buried here instead. More

This is one of the places where my mouth fell open in full awe. I had no idea any building could be so lavishly decorated, so rich, so fine, so tasteful and so artistically. More

This is one of the many beautiful constructions in this country. The only down side of the visit was being pestered by a local gypsy woman asking for money More

In Uzbek, everything is related with Emir Temur. Dont miss his own mausoleum. The largest green jade is used to make his grave stone. also see the objects placed in the compound of mausoleum, such as the big bowl to measure number of dead soldiers after a war. There is another tomb, a simple and nice one, that of Emir's... More

Of course you have to see the tomb of Tamerlane - and it is marvellously sinister (being a monolith of black jade, strangely reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey). I just wish the Uzbeks weren't so keen on ultra-aggressive resoration, which does inevitably diminish the experience somewhat. More