In 1619-1636, Samarkand governor Yalangtush-biy initiated the construction of Sher-Dor madrasah on the place of Ulugbeg khanaka, ruined for two centuries. The building represents architectural imitation of Ulugbeg madrasah and is located on the same axis by "kosh" principle. The inscription on the main facade dignifies Yalangtush-biy: б░Warlord, fair Yalangtush! If the arrow glorifying his perfection flied in иC this is speech, full of pearls. He built the madrasah that could elevate the ground up to zenith of the sky - this is a banner of their mutual decoration. The eagle of mind can not reach the top of its portal by force and diligence of his wings for years. For centuries, the skilful acrobat of thoughts can not reach the tops of sacral minarets by a rope of imagination....б▒. The names of architect Abdul Djabbar and designer Muhammad Abbas have been also preserved.
Yalangtush-biy Bahadur (died in 1655/56) was a head of the Uzbek clan - alchin. He was boosted into power by almighty naqshbandi sheikh Khodja Hoshim, enjoying the highest authority in Bukhara khanate at the first Astarkhanids. Yalangtush-biy became de facto independent governor at the time of Imam Kuli-khan (1611-1642) and Abdul-Aziz-khan (1645-1680). He had a strong army and subdued Tashkent and Turkistan, did campaigns to Kabul and Khurasan, concluded and canceled peace treaties. Yalangtush-biy had a title of "atalik", i.e. б░taking the place of the fatherб▒- the highest title in Bukhara khanate. He is buried in Dagbit kishlak, in environs of Samarkand, near the tomb of Mahdum-i Aбпzam.
On the sides of the portal there are ribbed domes on high drums, overlooking two-storey walls of the facade with minarets at the corners. Massive towers - guldasta flank the back facade. Some ornamental motifs were copied from Ulugbeg madrasah. Compositionally new are majolica panels on walls of the western loggia in the yard. The dижcor of the yard, alongside with vegetative ornament, contains numerous sayings, written in white on a dark blue background. Especially original is filling of portal arch tympans: anthropomorphic radiant oval of the sun and a figure of striped tiger pouncing at a fallow-deer. Hence, the name "Sher-Dor" иC б░which has tigersб▒. By the mid-19th century, this mosaic pattern has been almost lost and restored in 1962.
Since б░tigerб▒ was one of Aliбпs symbols, his image on the Sher-Dorбпs arch might connect with influence of Shiite traditions and the cult of Ali. The southern wing of the madrasah contained the tomb of imam Muhammad ibn Djaбпfar. One of the versions connects this tomb with the son and follower of Shiite imam Djaбпfar as-Sadik (702-765). His ideas had deep influence on development of early Sufism. Particularly, he proposed four levels of Koran perception: exoteric иC for ordinary people, esoteric иC for favoured few, б░touching of the graceб▒ иC for saints and б░realitiesб▒ иC for prophets.