Gur-e-Amir

Amir Temur maqbarasi

A Timurid family mausoleum completed in 1404, with a ribbed blue dome and a gold-leaf interior dome; it became the prototype for Humayun's Tomb and the Taj Mahal.

Gur-e-Amir ('Tomb of the Emir') was first built by Timur for his favourite grandson, Muhammad Sultan, who died young in 1403. When Timur himself died in 1405 while on his campaign to China, he was buried here as well, and his son Shah Rukh, his grandson Ulugh Beg and Timur's spiritual mentor were later laid to rest here too.

The building rises from an octagonal base, crowned by a blue dome with 64 ribs and a height of about 34 metres. The lower walls inside are lined with onyx slabs, and the upper walls and dome are covered in gold-leaf relief work (the 1970s restoration used 3 kg of gold). At the centre of the floor sits Timur's tombstone, a dark green nephrite jade slab. Persian ruler Nader Shah carried it off in 1740; it cracked and was later returned. The actual burial chamber lies underground and is not open to visitors.

In 1941, Soviet archaeologists opened the tomb and reconstructed Timur's face from his skull. Legend holds that the inscription on the tomb warned that whoever disturbed it would unleash an invader more terrible than Timur himself, and the story goes that Germany attacked the Soviet Union the day after the coffin was opened.

Admission for foreigners is about 50,000 sum (around 30 yuan). Opening hours are 09:00–19:00 (until 18:00 in winter), and it is sometimes open late, until 23:00, in the evening. The design of this tomb was carried to India by Timur's descendant Babur and became the direct model for Humayun's Tomb and the Taj Mahal.

Gur-e-Amir is a 10-minute walk southwest of the Registan. Nearby are Timur's wife's Ruhabad Mausoleum and the small Ak-Saray Mausoleum, which contains exquisite murals; you can ask the guard to unlock it.

Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for your visit.

Opening hours

09:00–19:00 (until 18:00 in winter)

Mausoleum · Timurid · Domes · World Heritage

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