NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION The Tilla Kari Madrasah is on the Registan square in Samarkand, south- central Uzbekistan
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION
1646–60
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
Jan: 37°F (3°C); Apr: 59°F (15°C); Jul: 77°F (25°C); Oct: 57°F (14°C)
The Tilla Kari Madrasah is one of the three great madrasahs, or Islamic colleges, on Samarkand’s Registan Square. The magnificent dome of its mosque rises from the rectangular plinth of the prayer hall, via two octagonal levels supporting a high cylindrical drum whose polychrome bands of Arabic calligraphy form a lovely counterpoint to the pure turquoise color of the dome itself. Tilla Kari means “gold-covered,” and the whole building is lavishly decorated, inside and out, with gilded inscriptions from the Koran.
Practical Information
Getting There and Around There are flights to Samarkand from Russia.
Alternatively travel by air to Tashkent, then make the 4–5-hour trip by bus or taxi on to Samarkand. Trains run from Tashkent and Moscow on the Turksib Railway.
When to Go Best visited in spring (Apr-Jun) or fall (Sep–Oct).