Sher-Dor Madrasah, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan-4, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Samarkand, is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province.The city is most noted for its central position on the Silk Road between China and the West, and for being an Islamic centre for scholarly study.
The Registan was the heart of the ancient Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The name Registan means "Sandy place" in Persian. Three madrasahs of the Registan are: Ulugbek Madrasah (1417-1420), the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619-1636) and the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646-1660). Madrasah is a medieval Moslem clergy academy.