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The great commander Amir Timur was a native of the village of Khoja-Ilgar near Shakhrisabz, and after becoming ruler, he did much for his native city. Shakhrisabz became the residence of Amir Timur, where the Ak-Saray palace was built.
Ak-Saray Palace, which in Uzbek means "White Palace" is one of the most grandiose structures. The scale of the palace is amazing in its size. Saying of Amir Timur "If you want to learn about our power - look at our buildings" confirms this. And it was this phrase that was carved on the Ak-Sarai portal.
The dimensions of the courtyard were 120-125 m in width and 240-250 m in length. But, unfortunately, the size of another courtyard and the outer perimeter of the yard could not be restored because of serious violations of the microrelief in the XV-XVI centuries. Based on the proportions of the surviving elements of the building, it can be seen that the height of the main portal reached 70 m.
Construction work of the palace began in 1380 and were conducted for 24 years, and only a couple of months before the death of the great Timur, the erection of Ak-Sarai ceased. Built on the roof of the palace pool was considered a miracle of the time. Water from the mountain pass Takhtakaracha entered the basin by a special trench, and flowed downward, creating a picturesque view.
The palace included several courtyards around which there were living quarters and public rooms. The facades of the buildings were covered with colored tiles, the courtyards were paved with white slabs, and the rooms were decorated even with golden azure.
There is a legend telling about how the palace was being built. Amir Timur invited the architect and told about his idea. The architect listened carefully to the ruler and asked the workers to add precious metal in the process of stirring the clay. Timur was at a loss, but the architect explained that the construction of such a magnificent structure would require a lot of costs, and gold, as an example of expensive construction. Amir Timur was a broad nature and did not regret anything for such a grandiose plan. But, without finishing the outer facings of the palace, the architect named Muhammad Yusuf Tarbesi suddenly disappeared. After some time he appeared, and explained to the enraged Timur that it was impossible to start the facing of the building without waiting for the shrinkage of the building. Amir Timur was struck by the qualifications of the architect.
Today only two disconnected pylons have survived from this majestic structure, but this does not prevent tourists and history lovers from admiring the beautiful construction of the early 15th century, built by the great commander Amir Timur.
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