Photos

Ismail Samani was a powerful and influential amir of the Samanid dynasty, the last Persian dynasty to rule in Central Asia, which held the city in the 9th and 10th centuries. Photo shows the reflection of the Samanid Mausoleum, place where Ismail, his father and his grandson were buried, in the adjacent pool.

The monument marks a new era in the development of Central Asian architecture, which was revived after the Arab conquest of the region. The architects continued to use an ancient tradition of baked brick construction, but to a much higher standard than had been seen before. Mausoleum is composed of a semi-spherical dome resting on a cube. It is charasterized by dried/baked bricks, forming horizontal, vertical and diagonal patterns on the walls. Departing from customary stucco decoration, the use of allover decorative brickwork represents an important innovation. Analysis shows that all elements in the mausoleum are based on squares and diagonals.