Registan meaning “Sandy place” in Persian, was the heart of ancient city Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan. Registan can be taken as a public place of importance given for executions, gathering place for royal proclamations heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis. The three madrasahs which means school, of the Registan are: the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420), the Tilya-Kori Madrasah (1646–1660) and the Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636).
The first one, Ulugh Beg Madrasah has its imposing portal with lancet arch facing the square where are flanked by the high well-proportioned minarets. The mosaic panel over the entrance arch is decorated by geometrical stylized ornaments. The square-shaped courtyard includes a mosque and lecture rooms and is fringed by the dormitory cells in which students lived. There are deep galleries along the axes. Originally this was a two-storied building with four domed lecture rooms at the corners. The madrasah was one of the best clergy universities of the whole Muslim Orient of the 15th Century CE. Abdurakhman Djami, a prominent poet, scientist and philosopher studied there. Ulugh Beg himself gave lectures there. During Ulugh Beg's government the madrasah was a centre of secular science.
The second and third Madrasahs, was built due to an order by Yalangtush Bakhodur who was the ruler of the city during 17th century. The Sher-Dor Madrasah was designed by the architect Abdujabor. The decoration of the madrasah is not as refined as that on the Ulugh Beg madrasah of the 15th century which can be defined as the "golden age" of Samarkand architecture. Yet the harmony of large and small rooms, exquisite mosaic decor, monumentality and efficient symmetry, all place the structure among the finest architectural monuments of Samarkand. After 10 years from the second Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah was built. It was not only a residential college for students, but also played the role as a grand mosque. It has a two-storied main facade and a vast courtyard fringed by dormitory cells, with four galleries along the axes. The mosque building is situated in the western section of the courtyard. The main hall of the mosque is abundantly gilded.
The mausoleum of Shaybanids which belongs to the 16th century is located to the east of the Tilya-Kori Madrasah. The ancient trading dome Chorsu is situated right behind the Sher-Dor. Now it is well restored. The existence of the trading dome at this place confirms that the Registan was medieval Samarkand's commercial center and the plaza was probably a wall-to-wall market. During the Soviet era, the site was restored, which included digging down 3 meters to its original level to expose the buildings' full height.
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