Shah-e-Zinda, Samarkand, Uzbekistan - Bildbanksfoto

Shah-i-Zindah is a famous necropolis in the town of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings from the 9th till the 19th century. The name Shah-i-Zinda - "The living king" is connected with the legend that Qusam ibn Abbas, the cousin of the prophet Muhammad was buried there. He came to Samarkand with the Arabian invasion in the 7th century to preach Islam. Popular legends speak that he was beheaded for his faith. But he took his head and went into the deep well (Garden of Paradise), where he's still living now.