THE TOMB OF TAMERLANE. 197 



distance from the city, reputed to mark the tomb of 

 Daniel. I mildly suggested that it was Daniyal Bi, of 

 the house of Mangit, who ruled over Bokhara in the 

 eighteenth century that was meant, but was indig- 

 nantly scoffed at, and informed that it was the prophet 

 Daniel. 



In the Gur Amir a vast slab of green jade stands in 

 his memory on the floor above the vault, beneath which 

 the last remains of the great Tamerlane lie. A great 

 crack in the block shows where it was once cut in half 

 by some avaricious khan, I was told, who expected to 

 find treasure inside, though this desecration has also 

 been attributed to Nadir Shah. The two pieces have 

 been joined with cement ; but only two years ago the 

 mausoleum was broken into once more, certain tomb- 

 stones being carried off, and the cenotaph of Timur 

 itself, though not removed, coming in for rough 

 handling. 



The gigantic proportions of its arches and dome are 

 perhaps the most striking feature of the great building 

 which bears the name of Bibi Khanum, as is the ex- 

 quisite tile work of the mosque of Shah Zindeh, the 

 living king. This latter structure was raised by Timur 

 in the year 1323 on the spot where one Kasim Ibn 

 Abbas preached Mohammedanism, and was martyred 

 1266 years ago. So at least said the Mullah in charge. 

 There w^as a prophecy that he would appear to defeat 

 the Russians when they came ; but, as Mr Schuyler 

 remarks, " Samarkand was occupied, and Shah Zindeh 

 appeared not, so that his fame has of late somewhat 

 fallen off." ^ Nevertheless, it is still supposed that 

 Shah Zindeh will come again when the triumph of 

 Islam shall* have extended to the uttermost ends of 

 the earth. 



^ Turkestan. Schuyler. 



