President of Italy visits Shahi Zinda Complex

Samarkand, The Gulf Observer: The delegation led by the President of Italy visited the Shahi Zinda Complex. This sacred place is considered one of the ancient architectural monuments of Samarkand.

Shahi Zinda is the burial place of royalty and nobility. But the main mausoleum, where the graveyard begins, is considered the symbolic grave of the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, Kusam ibn Abbas. The name of the Shahi Zinda complex, translated from Persian, means “The Living King”. According to legend, Kusam ibn Abbas came to Samarkand with a sermon in 640, where he spent 13 years and was beheaded by Zoroastrians during prayer. He was one of those who preached Islam in this region. Later, the complex became an essential place of pilgrimage, revered by the people as a shrine.

During the era of Amir Temur and the Temurids, large-scale construction and landscaping work was carried out here, and several structures were built.