Samarkand region guide.

 “If an ancient man saw planes two thousand years ago 
He would've thought they were birds 
Or angels from another world 
Or messengers from other planets” 

Dejan Stojanovic.

Excursion trips to the monuments of the Samarkand region.

On this page will be presented photographs from the archaeological part of the Turkestan album from 1871 to 19872, the tomb (sagana) and the Khoja Abdu-Durun mosque, which were prepared by orientalists Alexander Ludvigovich Kun (1818 - 1882) and Bogayevsky Nikolai Vladimirovich (1843 - 1912).
Most of the pictures belong to the photographer N.Nekhoroshev and the military photographer to Sub-Lieutenant G.Krivtsov. It is also known about N.Nekhoroshev that he and his colleagues were the founder of a photo studio in Tashkent.
The album was published under the leadership of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first Governor-General (1867 - 1882) of Turkestan, as the territory of Central Asia, which belonged to the Russian Empire, was called.
The album pays special attention to the Islamic architectural heritage of Samarkand. This page is dedicated to the Arab Judge of the Clan Abdi who was revered in the 9th century. The word darun (internal) is added to the name as a symbol of the location of the complex within Samarkand.
The original domed mausoleum, probably dating to the 12th century, was expanded in the 15th century, and a pilgrimage tomb was added to it. The complex also includes a swimming pool, a mosque and the main entrance.
The lower figures show the Ishrat Khan burial site, which is supposed to have been built in 1464 by order of Habiba Sultan Begum (wife of Abu Said) as a mausoleum for women and children from the Timurid dynasty.
This central, high-domed, cruciform mausoleum was surrounded by two-storey ancillary buildings, including a mosque, a lobby for washing (a shed) and a corridor leading to the crypt. By the time these drawings were made, much of the upper structure of the mausoleum had collapsed, but its monumental forms are still impressive.

Enlightener:
Yan Zenkis. http://www.wdl.org

Photos:
 from the archaeological part of the Turkestan album from 1871 to 19872