Shahrisabz
Timur's home town on the far side of the mountains from Samarkand: the gate towers of Ak-Saray, the blue dome of Kok Gumbaz and the tombs of his family.
- 1 day
- About 90 km by road from Samarkand over the Takhtakaracha pass, 1.5–2 hours
- A day trip from Samarkand; Kitab is 10 km away
About Shahrisabz
Shahrisabz is a calm provincial town of about 140,000 people in the Kashkadarya region, across the mountains south of Samarkand. Its historic centre is now one long park: lawns and paths lead from the Did you know? Ak-Saray's gate arch spanned 22 metres Only the pylons of the portal of Timur's White Palace survive, yet they still stand about 38 m high. The vault that once joined them spanned 22 m, and the facade glows with ochre and blue glazed brick. Read more → towers in the north to the Kok Gumbaz mosque in the south, about 1.2 km away. Around the park it is an ordinary working town, and most visitors come for the day by car.
For most of its history the town was called Did you know? Shahrisabz means 'Green City', and Kesh 'heart-pleasing' For centuries Timur's home town was called Kesh, a name glossed as 'heart-pleasing'. Its later Persian name, Shahrisabz, means 'Verdant City', and the town is said to be more than 2,700 years old. Read more →, and Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz. was born near it in 1336. As ruler he built his largest palace here and a burial ground for his family, and his grandson Timur's grandson, ruler of Samarkand and an astronomer. He built a madrasah on the Registan and an observatory whose star catalogue was used for centuries. Read more → added a Friday mosque. In 1870 the town became part of the Emirate of Bukhara. The historic centre joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, and in 2015 the old quarters around the monuments were cleared for the park you walk through today.
History in brief
- 1336Timur, the future founder of a vast empire, is born near Kesh, as the town is then called.
- 1380Work begins on Ak-Saray, Timur's Did you know? A Spanish ambassador saw Ak-Saray being built Ruy González de Clavijo, sent by King Henry III of Castile, visited Shahrisabz in 1404 and found Timur's palace, begun in 1380, still unfinished after more than twenty years of work. Read more →, with craftsmen brought from Khwarezm.
- 1437Ulugh Beg builds the Kok Gumbaz Friday mosque in honour of his father Shah Rukh; a year later he adds the House of Meditation next to it.
- 18th centuryThe domed Chorsu bazaar goes up at the central crossroads, with a bathhouse next door on a 15th-century site.
- 1943Archaeologists find an underground crypt with a stone casket that was prepared for Timur.
- 2000The historic centre of Shahrisabz is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What to see
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Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
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1Ak-Saray
The gate towers of Timur's White Palace, begun in 1380, are all that survive, and they still carry their tile mosaic. Walk up to the base to see the detail, then step back into the park for the whole outline. The statue of Amir Temur in front of them went up after independence.
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2Kok Gumbaz mosque (Dorut Tilavat)
The Friday mosque that Ulugh Beg built in 1437, named after its great blue dome. It is the heart of the Dorut Tilavat ensemble, together with the House of Meditation, a mausoleum of 1438. It stands at the southern end of the park walk.
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3Dorus Siadat
A memorial complex east of Kok Gumbaz with the tomb of Jahangir, Timur's eldest and favourite son, and a mosque beside it. Timur planned to be buried here as well.
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4Timur's crypt
Behind the Hazrati Imam ensemble lies an underground chamber found in 1943. A single stone casket fills almost all of it, with inscriptions saying it was made for Timur, who was buried in Samarkand instead, in Gur-e Amir.
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5Chorsu and the old bathhouse
A covered octagonal bazaar with a high central dome at the crossroads in the centre, built in the 18th century. The bathhouse next door, rebuilt in the same century on a 15th-century site, is heated through underground channels and is still in use.
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6Takhtakaracha pass
The road from Samarkand crosses the mountains here at about 1,700 m. Stop at the top for the view over the ranges. From December to March snow can close the pass for a while.
Photos: Kok Gumbaz mosque, Shakhrisabz — Marat Nadjibaev / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Dorus Siadat (Jahangir Mausoleum), Shakhrisabz — Davide Mauro / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; Timur's crypt, Shakhrisabz — Faqscl / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0; Chorsu trading dome, Shakhrisabz — Davide Mauro / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0; View from the Takhtakaracha pass near Shakhrisabz — Ymblanter / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Neighbourhoods
- The Ak-Saray end of the park The northern end, with the palace towers and the Amir Temur statue. Most visits start here.
- Chorsu crossroads The middle of the walk and the living centre of town, with the domed bazaar and the bathhouse. A good place for a break between the two ends of the park.
- Dorut Tilavat and Dorus Siadat The southern end: Kok Gumbaz, the House of Meditation, Jahangir's tomb and Timur's crypt, all a few minutes' walk from each other.
What to eat
- Tandoor lamb The dish Kashkadarya is proud of: lamb cooked in a tandoor and served to honoured guests and on holidays. Ask for it at lunch in town.
- Shahrisabz-style Rice cooked in a kazan with carrots, onions and meat: the dish of every Uzbek celebration. Each region cooks it its own way. The local plov is cooked with flaxseed oil, which gives it a flavour of its own. Lunch is the time for it, as everywhere in Uzbekistan.
- Kashkadarya samsa Samsa made with flaky pastry, the local way. A good snack for the road back over the pass.
Getting around
The monuments line one park, about 1.2 km from Ak-Saray to Kok Gumbaz, so you see the town on foot. Getting there is by road: about 90 km from Samarkand, 1.5–2 hours by car. Shared taxis leave from near the Samarkand's main square, framed by three madrasahs: Ulugh Beg (15th century), Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori (both 17th century). Read more →, and there is no direct bus.
Local tips
- From December to March, check the Takhtakaracha pass the day before you go.
- Walk north to south: Ak-Saray, Chorsu, then Kok Gumbaz, Dorus Siadat and the crypt.
- The park has little shade, so in summer bring a hat and water and do the walk in the morning.
- Cover shoulders and knees for the mosques and tombs.
- Keep some cash for the bazaar and small cafes.
- Stop at the top of the pass on the way: the view is part of the day.
Our take: how many days you need
One day is enough: leave Samarkand in the morning and be back by evening. Our 1-day Shakhrisabz extension from Samarkand works this way, and our 14-day route keeps a full day for it.
When to go: month by month
Daytime temperature, rainfall, public holidays and our rating for every month.
- Jan6° Cool, fewer people Cold: 6° by day 32 mm of rain ★ 1, 14
- Feb8.6° Cool, fewer people Cold: 8.6° by day 41 mm of rain
- Mar15.5° Great Cool: 15.5° by day 47 mm of rain ★ 8, 21
- Apr22.5° Great Comfortable: 22.5° by day 42 mm of rain
- May28.7° Great Comfortable: 28.7° by day 26 mm of rain ★ 9
- Jun34.1° Good Hot: 34.1° by day 8 mm of rain
- Jul35.9° Hard Hot: 35.9° by day 2 mm of rain
- Aug34.5° Hard Hot: 34.5° by day 2 mm of rain
- Sep29° Great Comfortable: 29° by day 3 mm of rain ★ 1
- Oct21.9° Great Comfortable: 21.9° by day 12 mm of rain ★ 1
- Nov13.4° Great Cool: 13.4° by day 30 mm of rain
- Dec7.5° Cool, fewer people Cold: 7.5° by day 31 mm of rain ★ 8
- 1 Jan — New Year
- 14 Jan — Defenders of the Motherland Day
- 8 Mar — International Women’s Day
- 21 Mar — Navruz
- 9 May — Day of Remembrance and Honour
- 1 Sep — Independence Day
- 1 Oct — Teachers’ Day
- 8 Dec — Constitution Day
- Ramadan Hayit (Eid al-Fitr): the date changes every year
- Kurban Hayit (Eid al-Adha): the date changes every year
Climate source: Википедия, статья «Samarkand», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand; Википедия, статья «Bukhara», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara; Википедия, статья «Urgench» (метеостанция в 35 км от Хивы; нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgench; Википедия, статья «Tashkent», таблица климата (нормы 1991–2020; Pogoda.ru.net, NOAA) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent
Rating by daytime temperature: great — 18–30°, good — 12–18° or 30–33°, cool, fewer people — below 12°, hard — above 33°; heavy rain (100 mm and more) lowers great to good. For the cities we also follow our expert: the season is March–June and September–November, with March and November the best months (start and end of the season, few people); winter is not marked as a bad time.
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Shahrisabz: questions before the trip
How many days do I need in Shahrisabz?
1 day
How do I get to Shahrisabz?
About 90 km by road from Samarkand over the Takhtakaracha pass, 1.5–2 hours More in the article: Uzbekistan tours from Australia: flights, entry, seasons and how many days
When is the best time to go to Shahrisabz?
Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable; summer days are hot. More in the article: Uzbekistan in April: spring weather, long days and tips
What can I add nearby?
A day trip from Samarkand; Kitab is 10 km away
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