Shakhrisabz ("green city" in Persian) is 90 km south of Samarkand, on the far side of the Zeravshan mountains via the 2,000-metre Takhta-Karacha pass. Timur was born in the nearby village of Khoja Ilghar in 1336 and treated Shakhrisabz as his ancestral home throughout his life.
Ak-Saray ("White Palace") was Timur's most ambitious commission: a summer palace intended to overshadow anything in Samarkand. Construction began in 1380 and continued for 24 years.
Its scale was staggering: - Entrance gate towers: 65 metres tall as built (only 40 m of one tower survives). - Main iwan span: 22 metres wide — larger than anything in Samarkand. - Palace footprint: 500 × 240 metres.
Timur's ambition here was so plain he had the outer wall inscribed with: "If you doubt our power — look at our buildings." The line is still readable on the surviving tower.
The palace was largely demolished in the 16th century by Abdullah Khan of Bukhara during a punitive raid against a Shakhrisabz uprising. The Soviet 20th century added another restoration and then partial de-restoration.
Nearby also worth visiting: - Dorus-Saodat complex — where Timur intended to be buried (his son Jahangir is here). - Kok-Gumbaz Mosque — Ulugh Beg's contribution to his grandfather's hometown. - Dorut-Tilyavat complex — 14th-century tombs of Timur's spiritual advisors.
Shakhrisabz is a comfortable day trip from Samarkand.
Shakhrisabz & Kashkadarya in photos
A short visual companion to this entry — photographs of Shakhrisabz & Kashkadarya from our travel archive.
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