The Registan - the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand of the Timurid dynasty, now in Uzbekistan. The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal proclamations, heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis - and a place of public executions. It is framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) of distinctive Islamic architecture. Pictured here is the Sher-Dor Madrasah.