Uzbekistan: Samarkand – Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

Gur-e Amir means “Tomb of the King” in Persian and is the tomb of Timur (Tamerlane), the ruler of Samarkand. Interestingly the tomb was originally being built for Timur’s son who died early and Timur himself was buried here upon his death. Structurally, it’s similar to other things in Samarkand – massive iwan (portal), tons of blue mosaic, and humongous bulbous dome, but it’s all beautiful no matter how much of it you see, especially at night time when it’s a spectacularly flooded with It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.