The round roof of the madrasah was decorated with bright blue tiles

blue mosque in Samarkand — Madrasah decorated with blue tiles

Stepping into the courtyard, I saw a beautiful blue mosque. The round roof was a clear blue, and the exterior walls were decorated with blue-toned tiles. This mosque is part of the Tilya-Kori Madrasah in Legistan Square. A madrasa is an Islamic seminary. Studying in such a beautiful place may make it easier to get closer to God than in a regular school.

Samarkand was the capital of the Timurid Empire. Although the Timurid Empire collapsed in 1507, the city is still called the "Blue City" because of the blue-colored buildings of the past, and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Incidentally, the collapse of the Timurid Empire does not mean that the Timurid line has ceased to exist. One of his descendants, Babur, moved south from Central Asia and founded the Mughal Empire in India. It is strange to hear that the word "Mughal" is a transcription of the Persian word for Mongolia, which makes one feel as if Mongolia and India, which until then had been distant and separate entities, were suddenly coming closer together.

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