Shahi-Zinda is the only archaeological and architectural monument in Samarkand, whose stratigraphic layers cover more than 28 centuries from the history of the city, while the monument itself developed for over 1,000 years. Shahi-Zinda covers an area near the former city wall on the southern slope of the ancient archaeological site of Afrasiab, located northwest of the Samarkand of the Temurid period. The cultic center of the ensemble is a grave in which, according to local legends, Qusam ibn ‘Abbas ibn Abdulmutallib, the nephew of the Prophet Muhammad, is buried. Most of the extant mausoleums and mosques in Shahi-Zinda were built during the lifetime of Amir Temur. The studied epigraphy of the ensemble shows that many members of the Temurid family are buried there. Successful economic development and political stability made Samarkand a "shining point of the world", where hundreds of craftsmen, including outstanding architects, arrived in search of profitable orders. Some of them were involved in the construction of the Shahi-Zinda ensemble. It was at the time of the Temurids that the complex gained the present-day form.