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Samarkand Tilework — Cover

About Samarkand Tilework

Samarkand Tilework takes its surface from the Shah-i-Zinda — the "Living King" necropolis whose 14th–15th-century Timurid mausoleums are sheathed in deep cobalt faience-mosaic. The system treats the page as a tiled wall: a saturated lapis ground where eight- and ten-point stars, interlacing strapwork and angular Kufic friezes are drawn in turquoise, gold and glaze-white.

Every surface is a panel. Borders read as cut-tile mosaic, headers as inscription bands, and highlights as gilded edging that catches light against the blue. Nothing is flat or empty — density, glaze sheen and geometric repetition carry the brand.

Learn more about the Samarkand Tilework style

Origin
Samarkand, Uzbekistan (Central Asia)
Era
Timurid, 14th–15th c. (Shah-i-Zinda built c. 1370–1450)
Key figures
Timur (Tamerlane) · Ulugh Beg · Tuman Aqa · Master kashi-tarosh tile-cutters
Movements
Timurid architecture · Faience cut-tile mosaic · Cuerda seca · Girih geometry

Samarkand Tilework design spec

Colors

Background
Surface
Primary
Secondary
Accent
Text

Typography

Reem KufiHeadings
AmiriBody
IBM Plex MonoMono
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