Oq Saroy

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Oq Saroy, view from the north
Oq Saroy, view from the south

Oq Saroy (White Castle) was a castle of the conqueror and later emir Timur in the Uzbek city ​​of Shahrisabz . Only ruins remain of the palace.

history

Statue of Timur on the grounds of Oq Saroy

Timur was born near Kesch, as Shahrisabz was then called, and wanted to develop the city instead of Samarqand into the capital of his empire. Therefore, he had a huge palace built here. Construction of the castle began in 1380 and lasted 24 years until 1404, shortly before Timur's death.

In the 16th century, the city of Shahrisabz and with it Oq Saroy Castle was destroyed by Abdullah II , the Emir of Buxoro . After the independence of Uzbekistan, conservation work was carried out in 1994–1998. A colossal statue of Timur was erected on a high plinth on the original site of the palace .

description

The remains of the palace are in the north of the historical center of Shahrisabz in a park near the north gate in the city wall. Remains of the 38 meter high pylons of the former portal, the vault of which had a span of 22 meters, have been preserved.

The facade is decorated with large patterns made of ocher-colored and dark blue and light blue glazed bricks. A tape shows the inscription "God extend the days of the Sultan."

The main courtyard of the palace, surrounded by arcades and with a water basin, was 120 - 125 m wide and 240 - 250 m long. It was surrounded by buildings, one of which is said to have been six stories high. The number and size of other courtyards can no longer be determined due to the destruction in the 16th century.

literature

  • Klaus Pander: Palace Ak Sarai . In: Central Asia . 5th updated edition. DuMont Reiseverlag , 2004, ISBN 3-7701-3680-2 , chapter Schahr-e Sabs , p. 236 f . (DuMont art travel guide).

Web links

Commons : Ak Sarai palace in Shahrisabz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Pander: Zentralasien , 2004, p. 236
  2. ↑ a b The architectural masterpieces of the emerald city. In: San'at magazine. January 1, 2002, accessed December 4, 2016 .

Coordinates: 39 ° 3 ′ 38.4 ″  N , 66 ° 49 ′ 46.2 ″  E