Registan, Samarkand

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The Registan is a historic public square in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was the heart of the Timurid Empire and later the city's centre for trade, learning and ceremonies. The name Registan means a sandy place in Persian.

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At a glance

Country: Uzbekistan
Location: Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Built: 1660
Type: Historic district

Quick answers

Where is Registan, Samarkand?

Registan, Samarkand is in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

When was Registan, Samarkand built?

Registan, Samarkand was built in 1660.

Samarkand's grand square, framed by three madrasas covered in dazzling blue tilework.

The square is framed by three madrasas, which are Islamic schools: the Ulugh Beg Madrasa, the Sherdar Madrasa and the Tilakari Madrasa. They are covered in glittering blue and turquoise tilework, with soaring arched gateways and domes, and are among the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Central Asia. Registan was regarded as the hub of the Timurid Renaissance, a time of great learning and art.

The three madrasas

The Ulugh Beg Madrasa (1417–1420) is the oldest. It has a huge arched gateway, tall minarets and rooms where students lived. It was one of the best schools in the Muslim world in the 15th century, and Ulugh Beg himself gave lectures there. The poet and scholar Jami studied there.

The Sherdar Madrasa was built in 1619–1636 and the Tilakari Madrasa in 1646–1660, both under the Janid dynasty.

What happened in the square?

Crowds gathered on the square to hear royal announcements, which were heralded by blasts on huge copper pipes. Long ago, a Friday mosque was built on the square several decades after the Mongol conquest, and the site was the centre of the Sarbadar uprising of 1365.

The writing on the madrasas is in Persian, Chagatai Turkic and Arabic. The three buildings share a distinctive Islamic style with muqarnas, the honeycomb-like decoration found under arches and domes.