Bibi Khanym Mausoleum

The Bibi Khanym Mausoleum features a soaring turquoise dome that dominates the skyline, its intricate tilework peeling away to reveal the raw brick skeleton beneath. Tamerlane commissioned this massive congregational mosque in thirteen ninety-nine, intending it to be the jewel of his empire after his campaign in India. Legend claims his favorite wife, Bibi Khanym, ordered its construction while he was away, bribing the architect with jewels to finish it quickly. Tamerlane returned to find the gateway too large and the dome dangerously unstable.