Samarkand: the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis
Our first exposure to the wonders of Islamic architecture and history in Samarkand was the Shah-i-Zinda [translates as 'The Living King'] necropolis in the north eastern part of the city. There are some twenty buildings here, dating mainly from the 9th-14th centuries and some from the 19th century. The name of the place is linked to the legend that Kusam ibn Abbas the cousin of the Prophet came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century. Popular legend says he was beheaded for his faith, but he took his head and went into a deep well where he is still living now.....
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