Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Timurid court architects under Timur · Samarkand, Uzbekistan · 1404
The Bibi-Khanym Mosque was one of the most ambitious architectural projects of Timur’s reign. A vast entrance portal leads to a courtyard framed by domed prayer halls and monumental iwans, all covered with patterned brick, glazed tile and monumental calligraphy. The complex was built at extraordinary speed around the turn of the fifteenth century and subsequently suffered structural failures, earthquakes and centuries of decline before major restoration. Completed around 1404, the mosque remains essential for understanding the scale, technical ambition and imperial symbolism of Timurid architecture in Samarkand.