Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-15

LII bohcA . ooaSOPhdSdc 10 dS ooiC 90
the hillside upon which IL stands. except
for some little red flags and horses tails
and fnnumerable pebbles placed upon IL
by pilgrims, each pebble representing
prayer. The Mohammedans place pebbles
upon the tombs of the dead whom they
revere and upon the affairs in their
mosques. just as the Roman Catholics
burn candles before the affairs.
Tomb Of Shah Zindah.
The tomb Of Shah Zindah is at the other
end OF town, near the Cur Emir. In which
Tamerlane Is buried. It is one OF the
grandest. as 1t is one of the most ancient
and interesting, buildings in Samarkand.
and was erected by Tamerlane during the
latter part OF the fourteenth century,
probably between 1855 and 1890.
The proper name OF the saint who is
buried there Is Akhmed Zaaman. He was
the only son OF Ali, the uncle Of Ma
homet. and therefore first cousin Of the
prophet.
Akhmed was a mighty man OF valor as
we'll as an influential evangelist. He is
often referred to as Imani Mahdi (the
Messiah). but more frequently by the
title Shah Zindah. which means the liv-
ing king"
The Mahommedans In this part OF
the country believe that he Is only sleep
ing in his tomb, and that he will arise
some day and reconquer the world. At
the time of the Russian invasion in the
early COS the priests proclaimed the sec
ond advent OF Shah Zindah, and promised
the people that he would annihilate the
The prophecy remains unfulhlled, but
the veneration OF 1.-The living king has
not suffered. His tomb is more carefully
looked after and Is visited by larger
Turkestan. Groups of venerable men
with intellectual and serene faces and
dignifed manners are always to be found
there, either in prayer or contemplation.
Shah zindah CONQUERED this country
the prophet. and reigned for quarter
Of a century over central Asia. with
Samarkand as his capital Tamerlane
built this tomb upon the spot where
Kasim Ibn Abbas. another Moslem saint.
suffered martyrdom nearly 1,3OO years
ago.
Other Tombs in Vicinity.
There are several other tombs connect
ed with the mausoleum OF Shah Zindah.
grouped upon a hill on the edge of the
city and reached by a long flight Of stairs.
You pass through a rather low archway
into a courtyard from which four large
buildings. with lofty domes. are entered.
The exterior surface of all these
buildings was once covered with tiles.
acre after acre Of enameled porcelain OF
exquisite luster and artistic design. Much
Of IL still remains to indicate how
splendid the group of mausoleums must
have been when they were new and
fresh from the hands Of the masons.
In the sheltered places free from from sr rs
almost perfect, even after 500 years of
neglect In other places they have been
torn down or rotted away. and the NOR
tar between the bricks has become de-
~l.frr
themselves although fired clap. are
The tomb Of Namasga, one Of the Khans
of Samarkand. built in 1890. Is almost
perfect. few thousand dollars would
restore it completely. provided II Is pos
sible to obtain masons OF sufficient skill
to repair and restore the tiles.
The mausoleum of Ichwat Khan, an
other one OF the descendants of Tanner
lane. Is also In excellent condition. II is
totally neglected and does not even have
the care OF custodian.
Tiles of Similar Pattern.
The style Of decoration is almost uni
form. The patterns on the tiles are
limited. although the ages Of the different
buildings vary from two to six hundred
years.
All the tiles came from Persia. There
Is no doubt about that. and we are to
conclude also that the manufacturers
never changed their patterns during all
those centuries.
The same is true OF rugs. The modern
rugmakers never vary their designs.
They have. perhaps, dozen different
varieties.
The same family or the people of the
same town adhere to the same patterns
generation after generation. even century
after century. without the slightest varia-
ton. An experienced buyer is always
able to tell where q rug comes from.
/ presume there are experts who can DO
the same with tiles. The finest tiles are
found today in some OF the mosques In
India In the Alhambra of Granada. the
Alcazar Of Seville. and the mosque OF
Walden Sultana at Constantinople. which
was erected in 1915 by the mother of
Muhammud Nv.
The interior. which is large, covering
nearly half an acre. is lined with por-
feet. Above that the walls and domes are
painted In imitation Of tiles.
Phoenicians First Tilemakers.
The colored tile has always been asso-
ciated with Mahommedan palaces and
places OF worship. The Mohammedan
races have been the most skillful and ar
tistic of all tilemakers. That form OF
building material-porcelain enamel on
white clay in colors-la believed to have
originated with the Fnoenicians on the
eastern coast Of the Mediterranean.
They were also the first to discover the
process of making glass. This Is believed
to have been by accident. group OF
sailors camping upon the shore of the
Bay Of Acre. under the shadow OF Mount
Carmel. observed that the sand beneath
their fire had melted and formed q trans
lucent mass. Their discovery was devel-
oped by artisans In that neighborhood.
The manufacture Of tiles was COM !
menced about the same time. The art
was transported to Spain by the Phoeni-
Clans The Moors took II up and i'm |
proved upon II. Buildings they erected on |
the Iberian peninsula before Its occupa- |
ton by the Romans were lined with~tiles |
equal TO those in the Alhambra OF Gran |
ada and the Alcazar Of Seville.
The Persians derived the art from the |
and became the most success |
Full tilemakers in the world.
Tamerlane introduced tiles here and
probably in India also. Tornbs and |
Of his posterity. who were the
moguls OF India, are covered with them.
Tbn ha Samarkand mot Il