SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN - AUGUST 28, 2016: Detail of gold mosaic in Tilya Kori Madrasah in Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Shutterstock ID 567517564; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 567517564

Shutterstock / NICOLA MESSANA PHOTOS

Tilla-Kari Medressa

Samarkand

LoginSave

On the northern side of the Registan is the Tilla-Kari (Gold-Covered) Medressa, completed in 1660, with a pleasant, gardenlike courtyard. The highlight here is the mosque, which is on the left-hand side of the courtyard and is stunningly decorated with blue and gold to symbolise Samarkand’s wealth. The mosque’s delicate ceiling, oozing gold leaf, is flat but its tapered design makes it look domed from the inside. The result is breathtaking.

Inside the mosque is a fascinating picture gallery featuring blown-up B&W photos of old Samarkand. Several shops sell prints of these old photos.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Registan square in Samarkand.

    Registan

    0.07 MILES

    This ensemble of majestic, tilting medressas – a near-overload of majolica, azure mosaics and vast, well-proportioned spaces – is the centrepiece of the…

  • SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN - AUGUST 28, 2016: Gur-E Amir Mausoleum, the tomb of the Asian conqueror Tamerlane or Timur, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan 571103800 amir, amir timur, ancient, architecture, art, asia, attraction, building, central asia, ceramic, city, culture, cupola, decoration, detail, dome, gur-e, gur-e amir, heritage, historic, holy, islam, islamic, landmark, madrasa, madrasah, majolica, mausoleum, minaret, monument, mosaic, mosque, muslim, old, oriental, ornament, pattern, religion, samarkand, samarqand, tamerlane, tile, timur, tomb, tourism, town, travel, unesco, uzbek, uzbekistan

    Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum

    0.61 MILES

    The beautiful portal and trademark fluted azure dome of the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum marks the final resting place of Timur (Tamerlane), along with two sons…

  • Decorative features of a mausoleum in the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis complex. 541333459 Decoration, Uzbekistan, Tile, Horizontal, Turquoise Colored, Tomb, Mausoleum, Samarkand, Close-up, Photography

    Shah-i-Zinda

    0.8 MILES

    Samarkand’s most moving and beloved site is this stunning avenue of mausoleums, which contains some of the richest tilework in the Muslim world. The name,…

  • Bibi-Khanym Mosque

    Bibi-Khanym Mosque

    0.42 MILES

    The enormous congregational Bibi-Khanym Mosque, northeast of the Registan, was financed from the spoils of Timur's invasion of India and must have been…

  • Ulugbek Madrasa, Bukhara, Uzbekista, HDR Image; Shutterstock ID 1544294381; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 1544294381

    Ulugbek Medressa

    0.1 MILES

    The Ulugbek Medressa, on the western side of the Registan, is the square's original medressa, finished in 1420 under Ulugbek who is said to have taught…

  • View of Sher Dor Medressa - Registan - Samarkand - Uzbekistan; Shutterstock ID 189546986; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 189546986

    Sher Dor Medressa

    0.08 MILES

    The entrance portal of the Registan's Sher Dor (Lion) Medressa, opposite the Ulugbek Medressa and finished in 1636, is decorated with roaring felines that…

  • Afrosiab Museum

    Afrosiab Museum

    1.34 MILES

    The Afrosiab Museum was built around one of Samarkand’s more important archaeological finds, a chipped 7th-century fresco of the Sogdian King Varkhuman (r…

  • Ulugbek’s Observatory

    Ulugbek’s Observatory

    2.08 MILES

    The remains of Ulugbek’s 15th-century observatory is one of the great archaeological finds of the 20th century. Ulugbek was probably more famous as an…

View more attractions

Nearby Samarkand attractions

1. Registan

0.07 MILES

This ensemble of majestic, tilting medressas – a near-overload of majolica, azure mosaics and vast, well-proportioned spaces – is the centrepiece of the…

2. Sher Dor Medressa

0.08 MILES

The entrance portal of the Registan's Sher Dor (Lion) Medressa, opposite the Ulugbek Medressa and finished in 1636, is decorated with roaring felines that…

3. Ulugbek Medressa

0.1 MILES

The Ulugbek Medressa, on the western side of the Registan, is the square's original medressa, finished in 1420 under Ulugbek who is said to have taught…

4. Makhdumi Khorezm Mosque

0.26 MILES

This restored Old Town gem is 100m east of the Registan. If it's locked ask the caretaker to let you in for a glimpse at the lush ceiling tilework.

5. Qoraboy Oqsoqol Mosque

0.36 MILES

The gloriously faded Qoraboy Oqsoqol Mosque is hidden down an alley just off Abu Laiz Samarkandi ko'chasi in the old Jewish Quarter of the Old Town.

6. Imon Mosque

0.39 MILES

The small, 19th-century Imon Mosque has an open porch, tall carved columns and a brightly restored ceiling. Respectfully dressed visitors are always…

7. Bibi-Khanym Mosque

0.42 MILES

The enormous congregational Bibi-Khanym Mosque, northeast of the Registan, was financed from the spoils of Timur's invasion of India and must have been…

8. Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum

0.47 MILES

Across from the Bibi-Khanym Mosque is Bibi-Khanym’s surprisingly plain 14th-century mausoleum, home to five tombs and some lovely interior painted…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "uzbekistan/central-uzbekistan/samarkand/attractions/tilla-kari-medressa/a/poi-sig/1388720/357830",
  "destination": "Samarkand",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Uzbekistan",
  "city": "Samarkand",
  "position": "superzone"
}