Chapter III — Surface Analysis
Lapis Archive · Registan Corridor · 2024
Material Composition · 127 Panels Surveyed

The geometry outlasts the empire

A millennium of tilework reveals what modern surfaces forget

127 PANELS SURVEYED
Glazed Faience Mosaic 42%

Cut tile set in plaster, fired at 900 degrees and polished to a glass sheen — the dominant surface across all surveyed panels

Cuerda-Seca Panels 28%

Wax-resist outlines filled with colored glaze, perfected in the Timurid restoration campaigns of the early 1400s

Kufic Inscription Bands 18%

Sacred geometric script in gold and white glaze, framing Quranic verses across the necropolis facade

Star-Polygon Relief 12%

Three-dimensional carved girih patterns applied to arch voussoirs and muqarnas honeycomb niches

This is the Samarkand Tilework design system, applied by Curio Design — a design-style library for AI agents. Full Samarkand Tilework guide → designbycurio.com/learn/samarkand-shah-i-zinda-tile