This group of three tiles were once part of the rich exterior decoration of a building in Bukhara (Uzbekistan). The building is the monumental tomb of Buyanquli Khan, who was a descendant of the great Mongol conqueror Chinggis (Genghis) Khan (died 1227). Buyanquli Khan became the nominal ruler of a large part of Central Asia in 1348, although real power lay with the region's warlords. One of them murdered the Khan in 1359, but he was soon driven out by his rivals, who then erected the tomb over Buyanquli's grave.

The tomb took the form of a square, domed building with a monumental entrance, and the entire building was sheathed inside and out with tiles of this type. They were deeply carved with a variety of designs, including a number of lengthy inscriptions. They were then covered with coloured glazes. This unusual type of tilework was in fashion for a relatively brief period in the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, and the tiles from the tomb of Buyanquli Khan are the most important surviving examples.

These tiles formed the beginning of a long frieze, which ran around the arch over the entrance to the outside of the tomb. It contains an inscription in Arabic, which is read from right to left. It begins with the phrase known as the Basmalah, meaning 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate'. It continues with the initial words of a verse from the Qur'an, 'In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is God," and then stand steadfast ...'.

This text is set against spiralling scrollwork set with stylized leaves, a type of ornament known as arabesque. White glaze was used to highlight the words, blue-green glaze was used for the ground design, and black for the framing bands.