Islamic educational, spiritual-educational, memorial-religious building of the XVII century in Samarkand on Registan Square. Together with the madrasahs of Ulugbek and Tillya-Kari, it forms an integral architectural ensemble.
In 2001, along with other attractions of Samarkand, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The modern name – Sherdor – it got from the mosaic pattern on the tympanum of its front portal. The decor master depicted a scene of hunting a gazelle, a fantastic beast from the family of cats, resembling a tiger, but with a lion’s mane, in the rays of the rising sun’s face.
The name translates as “having lions” or “having tigers”. The plot depicted on the portal of the madrasah eventually became one of the national symbols of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
