Bibi-Khanym (also transliterated Bibi Khanum) was built between 1399 and 1404 by Timur, using loot and skilled craftsmen brought back from his sack of Delhi. Legends attribute the commission to Timur's favourite wife Saray Mulk Khanum — hence the name.
At completion it was the largest mosque in the Islamic world: - Overall footprint: 167 × 109 metres - Main iwan: 35 metres high, 18 metres wide - Capacity: 10,000 worshippers in the courtyard
The scale exceeded what late-14th-century Central Asian engineering could reliably support. Bricks began falling from the vaults within decades of completion, and a 19th-century earthquake collapsed the great arch. The current buildings are a partial 20th-century Soviet-era restoration that has itself been criticised for pastiche detailing.
In the courtyard stands a massive stone Qur'an lectern; local tradition says women who crawl under it will be blessed with children.
Samarkand in photos
A short visual companion to this entry — photographs of Samarkand from our travel archive.
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