Ak-Saray Palace is a ruined palace and historic site in

Shahrisabz Shahrisabz, lit. "Green City" in Persian, is a district-level city in Qashqadaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has selected Shakhrisabz as its tourism capital for 2024. It is located approximately 80& ...

, Uzbekistan. The palace was built at the beginning of the Timurid period, between 1380 and 1404,The final construction date mentioned, 1404, is that on an information plate on the gate. It is consistent with the fact that the Spanish ambassador

Ruy González de Clavijo Ruy González de Clavijo (died 2 April 1412) was a Castilian traveler and writer. In 1403–05 Clavijo was the ambassador of Henry III of Castile to the court of Timur, founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire. A diary of the journey, perhaps ba ...

, in 1404, points out that the work was not completed. under the reign of

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

. In 2000, the palace was declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

Timur was born near Kesh, as Shahrisabz was then called, and wanted to make the city the capital of his

empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

instead of

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

. So he had a mighty palace built here. Construction of the castle began in 1380 and lasted 24 years until 1404, just before Timur's death. In the 16th century, Shahrisabz along with Ak-Saray Castle were destroyed by the forces of

Abdullah Khan II Abdullah Khan (Chagatai language, Chagatai and ; 1533/4–1598), known as "The Old Khan (title), Khan", was an Uzbeks, Uzbek ruler of the Khanate of Bukhara (1500–1785). He was the last uncontested Shaybanids, Shaybanid Khan of Bukhara from 15 ...

, the Khan of Bukhara. After Uzbekistan gained independence, conservation works were carried out between 1994 and 1998. A colossal statue of Timur was erected on a high pedestal on the original site of the palace.

Architecture

The remains Ak-Saray Palace lie to the north of the historic center of Shahrisabz in a park near the north gate in the city walls. Above all, the remains of the high pylons of the former portal, whose vault had a span of , have been preserved.Pander: ''Zentralasien'', 2004, S. 236 The facade is decorated with large patterns of ocher and dark blue and light blue glazed bricks. A scroll bears the inscription "God prolong the Sultan's days." The arcaded main courtyard of the palace with a water basin was wide and long. It was surrounded by buildings, one of which is said to have been six stories high. The number and size of other farms could not be determined due to destruction in the 16th century.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aksaray Palace Buildings and structures completed in 1604 Shahrisabz Archaeological sites in Uzbekistan Palaces in Uzbekistan Islamic architecture in Asia World Heritage Sites in Uzbekistan Timurid architecture