The Sher-dor Madrasah is another Islamic school on Samarkand’s Registan public square. It was built between 1619 and 1636.

They’re hard to see at this distance, but the tiger mosaics with a rising sun on their back on either side of the madrassa arch are interesting in that they flout the ban in Islam of the depiction of living beings on religious buildings, especially as they represent the more ancient Persian Mithraic religious motifs.

The Registan, meaning “sandy place” or “desert” in Persian, was the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty. It was a public square where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes, as well as a place for public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture.

Sher-Dor Madrasah, Samarkand, posted earlier: