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

Shahrisabz Shakhrisabz ( uz, Шаҳрисабз ; tg, Шаҳрисабз; fa, شهر سبز, shahr-e sabz: "city of green" / "verdant city"; russian: Шахрисабз) is a district-level city in Qashqadaryo Region in southern Uzbekistan. The Economic Co ...

, 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 based ...

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

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

. In 2000, the palace was declared a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

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 and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

instead of

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

. 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 (''Abdollah Khan Ozbeg'') (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 Shaybanid Dynasty, Shaybanid Khan of Bukhara from 1583 until his ...

, 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