ADFAS Lecture - From Samarkand to the Taj Mahal

Sue Rollin (The Arts Society): Tamerlane, last of the great nomad conquerors, swept across Asia in an orgy of destruction. Tamerlane was ruthless and brutal, but he was also intelligent and cultured and endowed his capital Samarkand and other cities of his native land with splendid monuments. What Tamerlane began his successors continued – art, architecture, science and literature flourished, and Central Asia under the Timurids experienced a Golden Age. Over two sessions they will explore Tamerlane’s imperial capital Samarkand as well as his birthplace Shahr-i Sabz across the mountains, where he built a colossal palace. They visit other great Central Asian cities and then they travel with Prince Babur through Afghanistan and across the Hindu Kush into India. They take a tour of the splendid art and architecture of four imperial cities of Mughal India (Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore) and catch a glimpse of life and ceremony at the glittering courts of the last of the ‘Great Mughals’. They explore pavilions and palaces of sandstone and white marble, magnificent mosques, fountains and pleasure gardens, culminating in the Taj Mahal, one of the loveliest buildings ever created by the hand of man. Entry Cost All tickets $45