Amir Timur Statue (Shahrisabz)

History

After independence, Timur became one of the symbols of Uzbek statehood. The year 1996 was celebrated nationwide as his 660th anniversary, and a monumental statue was unveiled on the square in front of the Ak-Saray ruins on 18 October that year. In 2019 it was added to the national list of protected immovable cultural heritage.

Uzbekistan has three principal statues of Timur, each with its own pose: in Tashkent he rides a horse, in Samarkand he sits on a throne, and in Shahrisabz he stands. The Shahrisabz figure emphasises his bond with his birthplace.

Timur (1336–1405) united Mawarannahr and built an empire stretching from Anatolia to India, with Samarkand as its capital. The Institutes of Timur and the chronicles of his court historians are the main sources on his era.

The square and surroundings

The statue stands at the head of a park avenue running south from Ak-Saray. Visitors, and especially wedding parties, love to be photographed here, and on holidays the square is crowded. It is a natural starting point for a walk through the old centre: the Chubin Madrasa with the town history museum is opposite, and Chorsu and Dorus-Saodat lie to the south.