Registan became the central square of Samarkand in the 14th century. The word "Registan" can be translated as "a sandy place". Earlier there flowed a canal form­ing sand and silt deposits. Six streets crossed at Registan. In the time of Temur the square was used as a commercial and craft center and Ulugbeg made it a spirit­ual centre. Ulugbeg constructed a majes­tic madrasah and Sufi khanaka with a huge dome. By the 17th century old build­ings of Registan had been in collapse and the governor of Samarkand Yalangtush- biy built Sher-Dor madrasah instead of Ulugbeg's khanaka and later Tillya-Kari Madrasah.