One of the finest ruins is the madressah of Bibi Khanum, the daughter of the Chinese Emperor, and favourite wife of Tamerlane. She is said to have built this not only as a school, but also as a mausoleum for her remains; its greatness and beauty, however, were such that she offered it instead to her lord and master (no doubt a wise policy on her part), and built instead for her tomb what is known as the little Bibi Khanum, an unimposing structure overlooking the grain market. [Illustration: SAMARKAND] The Spanish historian, Clavijo, gives a vivid picture of the lady taking part at a great feast in honour of the wedding of Tamerlane’s grandsons. He says: “When the people were all arranged in order round the wall which encircled the pavilion, Cano, the chief wife of this lord, came forth to be present at the feast. She had on a robe of red silk, trimmed with gold lace, long and flowing. It had no waist, and fifteen ladies held up the skirt of it to enable her to walk. She wore a crested head-dress of red cloth, very high, covered with large pearls, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones, and embroidered with gold lace. On the top of all there was a little castle, on which were three large and brilliant rubies, surmounted by a tall plume of feathers.... Her hair, which was very black, hung down over her shoulders, and they value black hair much more than any other colour. She was accompanied by 300 ladies, of whom three held her head-dress when she sat down, lest it should tilt over. She had so much white lead on her face that it looked like paper, and this is put on to protect it from the sun, for when they travel (evidently Clavijo suffered in the same way as modern travellers when seeking information) in winter or in summer all great ladies put this on.” The palace one may very well believe, from what we can see of its remains, was a fitting background to such a gorgeous company. Its vast height and the brilliancy of the tiles make it one of the most impressive sights in Samarkand. The magnificent cupola is sadly broken, but the remains show that it is different from other cupolas in Samarkand, which were fluted and ovoid in shape, with blue tiles decorating them in fine contrast to the pearly whiteness of the remainder of the structure. The Bibi Khanum cupola is dome-shaped and entirely covered with the turquoise blue tiles so characteristic of Chinese architecture (in Shansi especially), and one likes to fancy it as a reminiscence of the princess’s native land. It is the most glorious note of colour, and at a distance, where the other tiles lose all their effect, it glows with undimmed beauty. It added value and charm to the various shades of blue in the great archway below it. In my sketch of the city I have tried to give this effect. The walls of the palace are sadly ruined, and it is to be feared that soon little will remain; the majestic archways can still be traced, and some fluted