Bibi-Khanym Mosque

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque rises above Samarkand with a turquoise dome that dwarfs every other structure in the city. Timur the Lame ordered its construction in thirteen ninety-nine, following his victory in India. He brought back ninety elephants to haul the massive stones for a building intended to be the largest in the Islamic world. The architect hurried the project to impress the ruler, but the massive weight of the arches caused stones to fall during construction, nearly killing the worshippers inside.