THE MONUMENTS OF SAMARKAND. 195 



maim, who had set out with the main army in pursuit 

 of the Amir of Bokhara, found itself surrounded by a 

 hostile force of 20,000 men from Shahrisabs. For five 

 days, during which the greatest heroism was displayed 

 by the beleaguered party, the position remained critical ; 

 but at length the one messenger who escaped with his 

 life out of seven who were sent, succeeded in apprising 

 General Kaufmann of the desperate plight of the de- 

 fenders. No time was lost ; the general returned post- 

 haste with his troops, and the enemy were smitten hip 

 and thigh. Thousands of prisoners, we are told, were 

 massacred in cold blood, and the city was given over 

 for three days to pillage. 



The city of to-day is, of course, not the city of the 

 fourteenth century, when, embellished by its Tartar 

 king, its glory was at its height ; but nevertheless, in 

 spite of the vandalism of Usbeg and Turk, of the shock 

 of earthquakes and of the Russian occupation, its monu- 

 ments even in their ruin stand unique and whisper 

 faintly of a greatness that is past. The most celebrated 

 buildings are the three stupendous madressahs which 

 form three sides of the E,igistan, — the noblest public 

 square, according to Lord Curzon, in the world, — the 

 mosque of Shah Zindeh, the madressah of Bibi Khanum, 

 the Chinese wife of Timur, and the Gur Amir, or tomb 

 of Tamerlane himself All these buildings originally 

 were, and to a great extent still are, covered with a 

 network of designs in brilliantly coloured enamel tile- 

 work, presenting a picture of kaleidoscopic beauty in 

 the flashing rays of an Eastern sun. 



The three madressahs above alluded to are known, 

 as has been set forth by every writer upon Samarkand, 

 as those of Ulug Beg the grandson of Timur, of Shir 

 Dar the lion-bearing, and of Tillah Kari the gold- 

 plated, and date from the years 1421, 1601, and 1618 



