Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, Samarkand
Name of Building
Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, Samarkand
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Date the building was designed and/or first built
Built: 1404
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Patron: Timur (Tamerlane)
Builders/Architects: Unknown (Timurid court workshops)
Builders/Architects: Unknown (Timurid court workshops)
Culturally Specific Time Period
Timurid architecture (early 15th century)
Geo-Location
Latitude: 39.6542 N
Longitude: 66.9754 E
Longitude: 66.9754 E
Materials
Brick, glazed tile, mosaic faience, marble
Size and/or Scale of Building
Mausoleum complex with portal entrance, chamber, dome, and attached medrese remains
Architectural Type
Religious
Formal Style
Architectural type: Mausoleum
Building Description
The dynastic mausoleum of Timur exists at Gur-e-Amir in Samarkand with its tall ribbed turquoise dome resting above a brick chamber which is accessed through a monumental iwan entrance. The interior design of the space features marble walls and muqarnas transitions and fine blue tile decorations which showcase Timurid artistic elements while leading viewers toward the dome. The building design leads visitors through its entrance portal to reach a single domed room which functions as a dedicated funeral area for Timur and his family members. The mausoleum served as a royal burial ground during the early 1400s to showcase political power and ceremonial functions while developing architectural elements which became central to Timurid and Central Asian sacred building design.
Names(s) and location(s) of the museum holding the object(s)
N/A
Image source
Image 1:https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1611598559510-C0U7DBK4HNOBWLIU5T6S/12.+Amir+Timur+Mausoleum.jpg?format=1500w
Image 2:https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1611598473712-92PPO9BCA7OWQI7F9D2A/8.+Amir+Timur+Mausoleum.jpg?format=1500w
Image 3:https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1611598592585-QSCVK4TQOG9C78C0IQ6X/2.+Amir+Timur+Mausoleum.jpg?format=1500w
Image 4:https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e95d9b13e6b2f7f177b574b/1611598639647-BE4Q2N4RGKFEWQNQIWUO/3.+Amir+Timur+Mausoleum.jpg?format=1000w
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Mursal Abdullah
Bibliographic references for the item
Blair, S. (2004) Timurid Architecture and Its Decoration. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Golombek, L. and Wilber, D. (1988) The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Archnet (n.d.) Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, Samarkand. Available at: https://archnet.org/ (Accessed: December 4, 2025).
Citation
Patron: Timur (Tamerlane)
Builders/Architects: Unknown (Timurid court workshops), “Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, Samarkand,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/195.
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