Bukhara, Uzbekistan
The Duomo, Italy
5. BUKHARA, Uzbekistan
Bukhara has been inhabited for more than 2,000 years and remains the most complete medieval city in central Asia. A prominent stop on the Silk Route, the grandeur of its mosques and madrassas is the legacy of its position as a major medieval centre for Islamic theology and culture.
The historic centre boasts architecture on a bold scale, often decorated with intricate tile work, although the elegant Ismail Samanai mausoleum, considered the best example of 10th-century Muslim architecture in the world, is impressive for its restrained elegance.
Turquoise domed minarets and mosques dot the skyline. The Kalon Minaret, built in 1127, stands 47 metres high, ringed by bands of intricate brick patterns. Genghis Khan was so impressed by it that he ordered his men to spare it while he had the rest of the city sacked. Visit page 72 for our Uzbekistan tour.
6. SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE, Italy
The vast dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, known to locals as Il Duomo, dwarfs the streets around it, defining the skyline of a city already packed with architectural treasures dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi in the early 15th century, Santa Maria del Fiore is both dramatic in scale and dazzling in detail. The red-tiled roof of the dome is a perfect contrast to the patterned pink, green and white marble façade. Brunelleschi designed the dome as an innovative double-layered construction, a chevron-brick layer providing strength and support and an inner layer providing a ‘canvas’ for Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari’s flamboyant frescoes.
The highest point of the dome, just below the lantern, is open to visitors and offers some of the most spectacular views over Florence.
Architectural Traveller | Page 21
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