Registan（In Samarkand）

Registan became the central square of Samarkand in the 14th century. The word "Registan" can be translated as "a sandy place." Earlier there flowed a canal forming sand and silt deposits. The sacred Mausoleum of Imam Muhammad ibn Djafar (9th - 10th century) was built here in the time of Samanids, which explains the choice of the place. Six streets crossed at Registan. In the time of Timur, Registan was connected with the citadel of Samarkand by"Silver rows" street. A dome shopping mall tim Tilpak-Furushon was built at the crossroad, on behalf of Timur's wife Tuman-aga. Under Mirzo Ulugbek, Registan became the main official city square where military parades were held and the ruler's decrees announced. Ulugbek constructed a majestic madrasah and Sufi khanaka with a huge dome. By the 17th century the old buildings of Registan were collapsing and the governor of Samarkand, Yalang-tush-by, built Sher-Dor madrasah instead of Ulugbek's khanaka and later the Tillya-Kari Madrasah.

The architectural complex consists of three madrasas: the Ulugh Beg Madrasa on the left, built between 1417 and 1420; the Tilla-Kori Madrasa in the center, constructed from 1646 to 1660; and the Sher-Dor Madrasa on the right, dating from 1619 to 1636.

These three buildings are tall, grand, and imposing, with magnificent mosques inside. The main entrance and colored domes of the Ulugh Beg Madrasa were decorated with ceramics of various colors, but were later damaged by an earthquake. A new dome, 13 meters high and 13 meters in diameter, was built using a special metal structure. These madrasas were institutions for training Muslim clergy in the Middle Ages, and the Ulugh Beg Madrasa was one of the best Muslim academies in the 15th century. It is said that Ulugh Beg, known as the "scholar on the throne," taught here himself, and it was the center of secular scientific thought during his reign. Although the three madrasas were built in different eras, their stylistic combination is quite successful, making them a masterpiece of medieval Central Asian architecture.