This photograph of a detail from the east facade of the Ulugh Beg Madrasah in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) is from the archeological part of Turkestan Album. The six-volume photographic survey was produced in 1871-72 under the patronage of General Konstantin P. von Kaufman, the first governor-general (1867-86) of Turkestan, as the Russian Empire’s Central Asian territories were called. The album devotes special attention to Samarkand’s Islamic architecture, such as 14th- and 15th-century monuments from the reign of Timur (Tamerlane) and his successors. In the center of Samarkand is the Registan ensemble, composed of three major examples of a madrasah (religious school). The oldest madrasah on Registan Square is named after the astronomer-king and grandson of Timur, Ulugh Beg (1393?-1449), who built it in 1417-20. During Ulugh Beg’s reign, some 100 students attended the madrasah, which was considered a leading center of Islamic education. This view shows a detail of the left (south) inside corner of the great iwan (vaulted hall, walled on three sides, with one end open) entrance arch. At the bottom is the segmented carved marble base of the corner column. Despite extensive damage, traces of ceramic ornamentation are visible on the lower column shaft. Above is the beginning of the monumental “twist rope” column that frames the iwan arch and is composed of polychrome ceramic elements with intricate decorative figures. To the left are tile strips with geometric patterns, including six-pointed stars.