Shah-i-Zinda

The attraction gets super crowded. It opens at 7am, so your best bet is to reach there by 7 and you will have the entire place to yourself :)
There is a flight of steep stairs, but that's not a lot of stairs so probably doable for most. It is a graveyard of the royals and hence, is beautifully made. The guy at the ticket counter was very friendly too.

One of the most visited and beautiful mosque here. A must visit place for sure. Great for taking pictures during early morning or during sunset time.

Our final stop on the day's tour - and by now we were all getting rather jaded - was the Shahi Zinda Mausoleum complex. Built in the fifteenth century around the alleged grave of the Prophet's cousin. It was a steep climb with a necropolis on the lower slopes and then mausoleums on the top of the hill. Some - such as the ones to Timur's wives or daughters - were beautiful and others were far plainer, often with an unknown person or family interred inside. By now it was the case of more amazing mosaics, more beautiful blue domes, more gorgeous calligraphy! This was also the busiest attraction we visited in the city, or seemed it as it was quite a narrow walk between the buildings and up the hill.

Hands down it’s one of the most spectacular sites that you will get to see, not just in Samarkand, but in the whole world. It’s one of those places that will remain in your memory for life. A definite must see for anyone visiting Samarkand.

The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 11th – 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning "The living king") is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of Muhammad, is buried here. He came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach Islam.

The Shah-i-Zinda complex was formed over eight (from the 11th until the 19th) centuries and now includes more than twenty buildings

It's amazing! Calm, beautiful and fewer hawkers. It's an amazing pace of great history. The colours, the shapes and just walking down a magical hallway or three.

Shah-i-Zinda is an important part of Samarkand, famous for the beautiful tile work. The complex has several monuments within, built from the 14th century onwards. Better to visit this monument with a tour guide.

Every mausoleum is beautiful in its own way in this solemn and peaceful place. Even the destroyed ones that were rebuilt have their own wondrous features. Be ready to climb steps to get in.

The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble
Shah-i-Zinda or Shohizinda is a necropolis in Samarkand. It has mausoleums of important people from 11th to 19th century CE. Shahizinda means ‘living king’. It is called so because of a cousin of prophet Muhammed who is buried here in the complex. Shah-i-Zinda is located in the north east direction from the Registan square. The distance is comfortably walkable. In fact I walked the distance starting at the Gur-e-Amir through Registan, Presidents memorial, Bibi Khanym, the Presidents mausoleum, and finally to Shahizinda. The distance involved is about 6 kilometres and entirely enjoyable because of the historical attractions which one goes on exploring.

A wonderful and memorable experience indeed.

The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of 11th - 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (meaning "The living king") is connected with the legend that Qutham in Abbas, a cousin of Muhammad,
to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach islam.

💙💙💙 This necropolis complex is spectacular, for me as striking as Registan but I hadn't known this until researching more about Samarkand and places to visit.

Set atop a hill, it was a manageable walk from my guest house (lots of simple roads, not amazing condition) and just WOW!

At the entrance by the ticket office they do provide clothing to cover up.

Very busy even in the morning and a lot of tourists posing for "insteagrammable" style pics - but have to be respectful.

The tombs and mausoleums are so beautiful and you can see them all lined up in one

Gorgeous site. There are many beautiful sites to visit in Samarkand but this one is definitely the best. Stunning blue and green tiles everywhere you look.

This is place with mausoleums from last thousend years. Here you can see burual place of many important figures from the area in nice blue colors

Fell in love with this place. You can spend here a lot of time wandering through turquoise-blue glazed bricks. The best time for visit is early morning (7-8:00) and in the second part of the day (17-19:00)

Beautiful collection of ancient mausoleum.
There is a steep flight of stairs to get there. Then, an alleyway where the mausoleum are on either side. About 12 in total, mostly incredibly ornate.
Cost to enter was 40,000 Som per person, or about £3/$2.5, so a bargain really. Like everything in Uzbekistan its great value.

An unforgettable experience walking amidst the spirits of Uzbekistan’s royalties. The mausoleum is well-restored and we were simply blown away by its colours. A few points to note - there are many stories about this site that you will not learn on your own and for such a significant site it is recommended to get a local tour guide who can tell you the stories in your language. We didn’t do that, to my regret. Secondly, either go super early or wait till the early dusk hours, those are the times when you can enjoy the sites without the hassles of fighting over photo take spots with others. It is a very popular place indeed. Allow for at least two hours there.

This mausoleum in the ancient town of Samarkand is stunning. It's been beautiful restored so we can admire the beauty of this place

Beautiful old architecture, just sit and admire and watch the sunset from this spot.

Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful complexes of absolutely stunning Islamic art and architecture!

The opening time posted on Google is 9 a.m. In fact, the actual opening time is 7 a.m. That time discrepancy is great if a visitor wants to get photos that are not corrupted with heaving masses of tourists. Simply arrive at 7 a.m.

I went to this place twice, arriving at about 7:05 a.m., each time, and was incredibly lucky to have the place all to myself. I was able to take dozens of photos at my leisure without another visitor around!

For me, the Shah-i-Zinda surpasses all the Islamic art and architecture I’ve seen anywhere, including Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, etc.

Arguably the best place to visit in Samarkand. The colours, the tiles, the mausoleums… it’s all absolutely beautiful. It gets very busy at sunset particularly so plan your visit accordingly.

A complex of 11th-15th- and 19th-century mausoleums and ceremonial buildings.
They are absolutely beautiful. If you want to take photos and videos, visiting early morning is recommended.