Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum Samarkand

Gur-e-Amir, “the Tomb of the King”, is where Timur, the 14th-century conqueror known in the West as Tamerlane, is buried alongside his sons and grandsons, including the astronomer-king Ulugh Beg. Its fluted turquoise dome is one of Samarkand’s defining sights.

Inside, the chamber glows with gilded and painted decoration around the dark green jade stone that marks Timur’s grave. Indian visitors often feel a sense of familiarity: Timur was an ancestor of the Mughal emperors, and the idea of a great dome raised high over a tomb chamber travelled with them to Delhi, to Humayun’s Tomb and on to the Taj Mahal.

Visit in the late afternoon and stay until dusk, when the dome is floodlit. It is a short walk from the Registan.