had conquered
all Central Asia, Persia, Mesopotamia, South Russia, Turkey, India and
many other countries. This Timur the Lame was not only a great general
but a man of culture, for he loved art and science, and listened
willingly to the songs of the poets. He built his own mausoleum, which
still rears its melon-shaped dome above Samarcand, and had carved in
raised letters on a marble tablet the words: "If I still lived, mankind
would tremble."

Timur had a wife, Bibi, whom he dearly loved. She expressed a wish that
her coffin should not be buried but should remain above ground, and
therefore Timur caused to be erected the handsome mosque-tomb which
still bears her name. When it was finished the Queen went, attended by
her slaves, to inspect her last resting-place. A poisonous snake crept
from under an arch. Those present wished to kill it, but the Queen
forbade them and caressed the snake, which offered her no harm. When at
length she died she was decked with all her jewels--costly pearls,
necklaces, and gold bangles--and her coffin was placed in the vault. One
night thieves broke into the tomb, opened the coffin and took all the
Queen's ornaments; but when they were sneaking off with their booty the
snake crept out and bit them so that they died immediately.

The great market-place of Samarcand is one of the finest squares I have
seen in Asia. There carts and caravans swarm, there fruit sellers and
pitcher-makers take their stand, there dancing dervishes beg for alms.
On all four sides stand stately buildings erected by Timur and his
successors. Their facades, cupolas and minarets are covered with blue
faience, burned and glazed tiles in varied patterns and texts from the
holy book of Islam, the Koran. It is worth while to ascend one of the
lofty minarets to take a look over Samarcand. Hence we see innumerable
gray mud houses with courts in the centre, pools, canals and gardens,
and in the maze of streets, squares and lanes moves a stream of people
of Turkish and Persian race. The dark-blue cupolas stand out against the
light-blue sky, and are surrounded by luxuriant dark-green vegetation.
In autumn the gardens assume a bright yellow tint. In winter the whole
country is often buried in snow, and only the bright blue cupolas rise
above the whiteness. Samarcand is the "blue" town, just as Jaipur in
India is the "pink" town.

THE PAMIR

To the south-east of Samarcand stand the huge highlands of the Pamir,
called b