Only looking left and right is sometimes limiting my view, hence I'll remind myself to look upwards to find surprises. Staring at the ceiling of this magnificent place kept me busy for a long time, trying to discover all the patterns and details of the dome. The mausoleums of Shah-i-Zinda are just breathtaking.
Apart from mausoleums, I've also found very detailed decoration in the ceiling of houses of faith, like the Minor Mosque in Tahskent. I thought after seeing a few ceiling decorations, I've seen them all. But every time they surprised me with a new pattern.
Even though there are close to none historical buildings from the Ancient Silk Road time left in Tashkent, modern architecture from the last 30 years is strongly influenced by its heritage. Such as the "Memorial to the Victims of Repression in Tashkent" and the adjacent museum.
Samarkand is but only one of the places in Uzbekistan maintaining its Ancient Silk Road heritage, albeit probably the biggest. There are also many smaller towns which follow its lead, such as Shahrisabz just a bit south of Samarkand and always worth a day trip. This tomb is close to the Ak Saray Palace ruins.
