While a for sure extremist grouping has been systemically destroying precious ancient monuments inward the middle-east , i Islamic metropolis inward Central Asia has been carefully restoring too preserving its own. The metropolis is Samarkand , Uzbekistan's tertiary largest metropolis , too i of the oldest inhabited cities inward Central Asia.
Found inward the eighth or ninth century BCE , Samarkand has a long too tumultuous history starting from the fourth dimension when Alexander the Great passed through it inward the quaternary century BCE. Since thence the metropolis has been seized too ruled past times Persians , Greeks , Turks , Mongols , Chinese too Russians. The Chinese scholar-travellers Faxian too Xuanzang , the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta , too Marco Polo all wrote well-nigh the city. In the 13th century , Genghis Khan pose the metropolis to waste. It was Timur , the founder too ruler of the Timurid Empire , who had the metropolis rebuilt.
The Bibi-Khanym mosque earlier restoration (left) too afterward restoration inward 1974 (right). Photo credit: RFERL.org
After Timur made Samarkand his working capital missive of the alphabet , he brought the best artisans too craftsmen he could discovery from across his vast empire too fix well-nigh rebuilding the metropolis inward slap-up earnest. The brutality alongside which Timur proceeded alongside this chore is described inward Wikipedia:
Timur’s commitment to the arts is evident inward the means he was ruthless alongside his enemies exactly merciful towards those alongside especial artistic abilities. He spared the lives of artists , craftmen too architects thence that he could convey them to better too beautify his capital. He was too straight involved inward his structure projects too his visions oftentimes exceeded the technical abilities of his workers. Furthermore , the metropolis was inward a Earth of constant structure too Timur would oftentimes asking buildings to live done too redone speedily if he was unsatisfied alongside the results
Once during the structure of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque , Timur had arranged cooked meat to live brought too thrown at the workers inward the foundation thence that run could proceed 24-hour interval too night. At times he would throw coins at them when they worked to his satisfaction.
This slap-up stream of reconstruction lasted for 35 years until Timur’s popular off inward 1405 CE. By thence , his gardens , palaces , mosques too mausoleums defined Samarkand too the mode of buildings to follow.
Much of the restoration too reconstruction of these magnificent buildings happened well-nigh 50 years agone during the fourth dimension of Soviet rule. Centuries of country of war too a yoke of nasty earthquakes had left many of the buildings inward ruins. Others , such every bit the Shah-i-Zinda cemetery , was restored every bit lately every bit x years ago. The aggressive restoration run has been controversial to approximately , for it has lost the authenticity of the monuments.
The truth of the affair is , if this restoration , aggressive or otherwise , had non been done , these frail legacies would choose disappeared past times now.
A late-19th or early-20th century icon of the Bibi-Khanym mosque past times creative individual Richard-Karl Karlovitch Zommer. Photo credit: Christie/Wikimedia
Bibi-Khanym mosque. Photo credit: Richard Towell/Flickr
Bibi-Khanym mosque. Photo credit: Mr Hicks46/Flickr
Bibi-Khanym mosque. Photo credit: Adam Jones/Flickr
Bibi-Khanym mosque: Then too now. Photo credit: RFERL.org
Bibi-Khanym mosque: Then too now. Photo credit: RFERL.org
The Amir Temur mausoleum was originally built inward the 14th century. Before too afterward restoration. Photo credit: RFERL.org
The Amir Temur mausoleum. Photo credit: Christopher Rose/Flickr
The Amir Temur mausoleum. Photo credit: Adeel Anwer/Flickr
The Amir Temur mausoleum. Photo credit: Christopher Rose/Flickr
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum complex , earlier too afterward restoration. The complex includes to a greater extent than than xx buildings too the earliest parts appointment from the 11th century. Photo credit: RFERL.org
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum. Photo credit: Fulvio Spada/Flickr
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum. Photo credit: Fulvio Spada/Flickr
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum. Photo credit: Sergio Tittarini/Flickr
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum complex , earlier too afterward restoration. Photo credit: RFERL.org
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum complex , earlier too afterward restoration. Photo credit: RFERL.org
The Shah-i Zinda mausoleum complex , earlier too afterward restoration. Photo credit: RFERL.org
Sources: The Guardian / Reuters / RFERL.org