Carved and Moulded Glazed Tiles in the Shah-I Zinda Complex, Samarqand

The richness, variety, and technical craftsmanship of the decorative revetments of Timurid architecture is highly impressive. The craftsmen brought from different regions to Samarqand established a new art, by combining their style with the local traditions. The Shah-i Zinda Complex presents a group of buildings in which we can clearly follow the combination, change, and development of local traditions, resulting in the formation of the various Timurid styles created by the masters brought from various lands. In this development and formation process, carved and moulded ceramic tiles are among the most striking. This study shows the place of this technique among the Timurid styles, in the synthesis of local and imported traditions, by comparing the carved-moulded and glazed ceramic tiles in buildings within the complex, as well as some contemporaneous ones in the wider region.