Day 7:Mausoleum of Ismail Samani.

 .Our practice lessons continuing.And today we went to visit 2 objects of historical significance:Mausoleum of Ismail Samani and Chashma Ayub.


The mausoleum is built of only fired bricks and has the form of a cube. Each of the four corners of it has a pillar with almost no decoration. The pillars hold arcades of ten arches on each side. At the corners of the roof there are small domes; they are shifted a little towards the center in relation to the pillars. The center of the roof is crowned with a large dome.  






The walls of the mausoleum feature decorative brickwork of alternating horizontal and vertical elements. Thanks to these intricate patterns, the mausoleum looks different at different times of day. The chains of brick rings along the cornice resemble Sassanian pearls of stucco decoration depicting drilled beads, which many Central Asian palaces featured in pre-Islamic period. The brickwork in some parts of the mausoleum has interlacement patterns, which adds to the beauty of the structure and highlights the amazing artistry of its buildersLater Ismail Samani and his grandson were buried in the mausoleum. According to the legend told us by ourtoday's duty Marjona: the beauty of the building impressed the Mongols so much, that they could not break it but they buried the whole city. Samanids mausoleum is one of the buildings, which are known from the time of the Sassanids, it follows that the Samanids Mausoleum is associated with pre – Arab traditions, as evidenced by the many elements of architectural decoration. The building was built of burnt bricks,as were told above; the length of the lateral wall is 10metre. The most amazing in the design of the building is how an architect managed to combine a small number of different building elements. Unusual patterns on the walls, catching the light, create the impression of light and shadow, which causes a magical effect.








 The second monument is The Mausoleum Chashma-Ayub («The Source of Holy Iov») is situated not far from the gate Talipach, in the north-western part of Bukhara. It is one of the religious monuments of  architecture, which includes mausoleum and "holly source", "chashma" means “well”. There is an inscription near the well, which says that the mausoleum was built in 1379-1380 by experienced masters from Khorezm.







 According to the legend, the monument has the connection with prophet Iov (Ayub) who once travelled here during drought and helped local people dying of thirst. When he struck with his staff, there was a source of crystal-clear water, which remains clear and healing. There are also museum of water and exhibition of carpets in this mausoleum.




 If you visit this monument you have to drink water from this source as it’s known it has healing qualities.