Architecture - Central Asia - page 448

CENTRAL ASIAN MONUMENTS IN DANGER
The 2012 World Monuments Fund (www.wmf.org) list of 'world monuments
in danger' includes the necropolis of Mangistau in western Kazakhstan and the
Bronze Age archaeological site at Ulug Depe in Turkmenistan. Previous lists have
warned about erosion in the desert castles of Khorezm in Uzbekistan, the architec-
ture of Saryarka in Kazakhstan, the ancient ruins of Merv and Nisa in Turkmenistan,
and Bukhara's Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa in Uzbekistan.

Decoration
Tilework is the most dramatic form of decoration in Central Asia,
instilling a light, graceful air into even the most hulking of Timurid
buildings. The deep cobalts and turquoise ('colour of the Turks') of
Samarkand's domes have inspired travellers for centuries.
Decoration almost always takes the shape of abstract geometric,
floral or calligraphic designs, in keeping with the Islamic prohibi-
tion on the representation of living creatures. Geometric and knot
(girikh) designs were closely linked to the development of Central
Asian science - star designs were a favourite with the astronomer
king Ulugbek. Calligraphy is common, either in the square, stylised
Kufi script favoured by the Timurids or the more scrolling, often foli-
ated thuluth script.
Tiles come in a variety of styles, either stamped, faience (carved
onto wet clay and then fired), polychromatic (painted and then fired)
or jigsaw-style mosaic.
Patterned brick decoration reached its apex in Central Asia. The
Ismail Samani Mausoleum and the Kalon Minaret in Bukhara are two
wonderful examples of the use of monochrome brickwork to create a
lightness of design.
Take time also to savour the exquisite details of Central Asia's
carved ghanch (alabaster) and intricately carved and painted wood.

The best surviv-
ing caravanserai
in central Asia is
the Tash rabat
(stone caravan-
serai), high in the
pastures of cen-
tral Kyrgyzstan,
near the border
with china.