Shah-I-Zinda Ensemble : This is really one of the highlights of my Samarkand visit. In fact it is a street of tombs, mostly belonging to Timur’s family and relatives. Around the Mausoleum of Kussam ibn-Abbas was created a necropolis in the period of Timur. Most of the Mausolea are very plain decorated at the inside, but the outside is really magnificent. Once you entered the complex, you’ll see a big stairway; it’s called "the stairway to heaven". Pilgrims count the steps on the stairway very carefully, because if they count wrong, they have to climb them again, once for each step in the staircase, or risk not going to heaven. And there are 36 steps!! As it was very hot that afternoon, I felt very happy that I did counted the exact number of steps.
The door (see pictures)leads to the oldest part of Shah-I-Zinda, the Kussam ibn-Abbas mausoleum. This is a 600 year-old door also named "Door of Paradise", once encrusted with gold, silver and ivory, it is now plain wood.
From journal Silk Road trip