as aptly described by Marco Polo in his journey along the Silk Road, Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and Mediterranean Silk Road. Samarkand is also known as the " crossroad of culture".
The ancient city of Afrosiab, an important settlement in the 1st Millennium was one of jewels of the Silk Roads; surrounded by Sogdians in 700B.C under the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia before Alexander the Geat conquered it in 329B.C.
The Greeks referred to Samarkand as Marakanda to the Greeks. The architecture and towns cape of Samarkand, situated at the crossroads of ancient cultures m are masterpieces of Islamic cultural creativity. This historic town illustrates its art , architecture and the most important stages of Central Asia and its cultural creativity.
The historic town illustrates its art, architecture and the most important stages of Central Asia and its cultural and political history. Saamrkand is at least 2750 years old as traced in the holy Zoroastiaon book " Avesta". Aside from its architectural history. Samarkand is the place of birth for the first paper mill in the world by two Chinese prisoners from the battle of tallas in 751. Soon after, it spread to the west.
Samarkand was the capital of Uzbekistan for 6 years from 1925 before returning the title back to Tashkent in 1930.
REGISTAN
Registan or " Sandy Place" in Persian , was once the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand during the Temurid dynasty. Registan was a public square where people gathered to hear royal proclamations , heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis and also a place of public executions.
It framed by 3 madrassah , namely Ulugbek Madrassah , built during the Temurid Empire , Sher -Dor Madrassah built during Yalangtush Bakhdur ruling and 10 years later , the Tilya -Kori Madrassah which was not only a residential college for students but also played the role of Friday Mosque.
ULUGBEK MADRASSAH
Built in 1417, both in Samarkand Bukhara , was a large urban project incorporating several mosques, caravanserais and bazaars altogether . However , only Ulugbek Madrassah ( largest Madrassah in saamrkand) survived after so many centuries . This madrassah faced the Registan Square directly. The madrassah operated until the late 17th century. Teaching functions were then resumed in the early 20th century.
SHER-DOR -MADRASSAH
Sher-Dor or 'Lion" Madrassah was built in the 17th century . Only the sons of wealthy families studied here and they came from all over Central Asia. Training could last from ten to twenty years. The only subject students were required to take was the Koran, all the other subjects were optional and could be selected by the students according to their interests. The Madrassah was considered as radical in its uses of animal figures ( the two figures in the corners are lions which are usually prohibited in Islamic law)
TILYA-KORI MADRASSAH
Tilya- Kori 9Gilded) Madrassah was built 10 years after Sher-Dor -Madrassah. It was not only a place for training students but it also played the role of a grand mosque .
The two -storied facade decorated with beautiful patterns, the dormitory building surrounding the vast courtyard and the abundantly gilded ornaments in the mosque's main hall are among the stunning highlights of the madrassah which also were fundamental in naming the mosque, Til -Kori.
SHAH-I-ZINDA ENSEMBLE
The Shah-i Zinda, meaning " The Living King " is a world famous necropolis which includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of the 9th, 14th and 19th centuries. It is not only the oldest monument in Islamic architecture, it is also an important pilgrimage site in Samarkand for both locals and tourist.
The mian body of Kusam -ibn- Abbas is situated in the northeastern part of the ensemble. The unique complex of Shah-I-Zinda was formed over none (11th 019th) centuries and now includes more than 20 buildings
AFROSIAB SETTLEMENT
" Everything i have heard about Samarkand is true, except the fact that is more beautiful than i could imagine" said Greek King Alexander the Great who invaded Samarkand in 329 B.C.
The ancient settlement of Afrosiab is situated on the spurs of Chupan -Ata hills to the northeast of the present day Samarkand. According to legends, it was here, on the banks of the river Siab, that Turanian Kind and hero Afrosiab, a character of the folk epic " Shahnama", founded the town that then became the capital of Sogdiana.
The Afrosiab site appeared as gloomy yellowish hills. It panoramic view can be views from the citadel's top.
ULUGBEK OBSERVATORY
After Mirzo Ulugbek's death, the observatory was destroyed. Only in 1908, archaeologist Vyatkin found the every first document where the observatory's location was mentioned. Unfortunately , only underground parts of the sextant and basis of the building were saved. the observatory of Ulugbek has been so famous because of the publishing of the "Ulugbek Zidj", a book that consists of atheoretical description and drawings of about 1000 celestial bodies. With amazing accuracy, the length of a star year by Ulugbek's calculation is equal to 365 days 6 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds whereas the actual length by modern data is 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes 9.6 seconds. The deviation is only lee than a minute despite not having any advanced optical instruments.
RUHABAD MOUSOLEUM
Sheik Burkhan ad-Din Sagardji who was highly respected by contemporaries of Temur, his wife Bibi-Halifa and their ten children , was buried here. Burkhan ad- Din Sagardji had a righteous mode of life and was respected for his high moral qualities. He was married to a Chinese Princess and died in China. The body of the saint was brought to Samarkand and buried here with his children. It was Sagardji who personally asked to be buried in samarkand which he called " the city of God". Legend says that under the dome there is a box containing seven hairs of the Prophet Mohammed. The laconic domed Ruhabad Mousoleum ( The Sbode of Spirit) is located neat the Gur Rmir Mousoleum.
Bibi Khanum Mosqnue
After his Indian campaig in 1399, Temur decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic mosque in his new capital Saamrkand. The Bibi Khanum mosque, dedicated to his wife Bibi, was built using precious stones captured during Amir Temur's conquest in India. This immense edifice was once the largest structure ever built using unfored , un -reinforced mud brick.
Bibi was buried in a tomb located in a madrassha complex just across the main road which leads from the old city of Afrosiab to the center of the Temurid city at the Registan. The tomb is currently being restored. As Blair and Bloom suggest, " Temur's mosque was designed not only to continue the Iranian imperial tradition, but also to symbolize his conquest of the world.
GUR EMIR MAUSOLEUM -TOMB OF THE KING
The Gur Emir is the mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Tamerlane ( also known as Temur) in Samarkand. Gur -Emir means " Grave of Emir ' . The Gur-Emir Maousoleum was built in 1404 for Temur's grandson Muhammad Sultan. He was the heir apparent of throne after Timur, built in 1404 he died and Temur ordered to build big mausoleum for his beloved grandson.
In 1405, temur died in Otrar city and his sons decided to move his body and bury him near his favourite grandson. From that time on, this mausoleum was called the " Burial -vault of Temurids"Every headstone is made from marble, only Temur's headstone is from nephritis, it was brought by order of Ulugbek and put on Temur's grave.
In June 1941, Samarkand was part of the Soviet Union and Soviet scientists came to the mausoleum and opened the sarcophagus to study the body of Temur and found the inscription :
" Whosoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than i am ".
MAUSOLEUM OF AK-SARAY
One of the most mysterious buildings in Samarkand is the Mausoleumof AK-Saray. Externally, there is no attractive exterior decoration and the dome was not completed. However , the inner interior does not conform to the outer design - large richly gilded fragments of ornamental paintings in the "Kundal" style ( laying paints with gold covers on the relief ornament) remain on its wall, sails and dome. The relief, gold and wide colour gamur of vegetative patterns remind of rich carpets fabrics.
Locals say some of headless person is buried in the special niche by the eastern wall. It might be a tomb of Ulugbek's son Abdul Latif who was executed for murder of his father.
KHODJA ABDI DARUN MAUSOLEUM
The ancient cemetery , Khodja Abdi Darun Ensemble buried the Arabian lawyer of the 15th century. Darun which means " internal" indicated the tomb is situated inside the city Of Samarkand.Multiple restorians have changed the architecture. The interior of the mausoleum is more than modest; there are no gold paintings or ceramics here. Walls, sails, dome of the mausoleum are plastered by white alabaster. Almost all of its area is occupied by the big gravestone.
TKHODJA AKHROR ENSEMBLE
This site is the grave for the " Naqshbandiyya" Sufi order's leader. " He is the Khodja of Khodjas", the person who knows the importance of the people. Khodja akhror was buried near Samarkand, white stone and epitaphs were on the grave of Khodja. It is an important pilgrimage place as it was believe to be one of the scared cemeteries of Muslims. Nordir Divan Begi, one of the rulers of Samarkand in 1630, ordered to construct a madrassah and mosque.
HAZRATI HIZR MOSQUE
One of the oldest and most legendary mosques in Uzbekistan is the Hazrati Hizr Mosque in Samarkand . This mosque was built on the hill diagonal to the Bibi Khanum Mosque in the 18th century. It was said that Hazrati Hizr was the god of water.
Saint Hizer was very famous among the population of Central Asian oases including settled and nomadic people . he was considered to be a giver of good luck , abundance and a kind of patron of good people, workers and travelers. The mosque for Hazrati Hizr was erected in Samarkand in the medieval period.
NAMOZGOKH MOSQUE
According to legends, he was the brother of Kusama Ibn Abbas who was supposedly buried in the 11th century in Saamrkand's Shah-I-Zinda complex and was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.
ISHRAT -KHAN MAUSOLEUM
Ishrat-Khan which means " House of Joy" is a remarkable monument in the second half of the 14th century. Legends told that it was a burial place for women of aristocratic or a family burial place. The place was never renovated after the earthquake in the 19th century when Tamerlane's grandson Ulugbek rushed into the hall forcing everyone to leave the hall, in accordance with teh horoscope, his grandfather Amir Temur is in danger during the feast in Ishrat-Khan. Not long after they left, earthquake ruined part of the mausoleum.
Although the monument was never renovated, you will still be impressed with their architectural harmony.
The ancient city of Afrosiab, an important settlement in the 1st Millennium was one of jewels of the Silk Roads; surrounded by Sogdians in 700B.C under the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia before Alexander the Geat conquered it in 329B.C.
The Greeks referred to Samarkand as Marakanda to the Greeks. The architecture and towns cape of Samarkand, situated at the crossroads of ancient cultures m are masterpieces of Islamic cultural creativity. This historic town illustrates its art , architecture and the most important stages of Central Asia and its cultural creativity.
The historic town illustrates its art, architecture and the most important stages of Central Asia and its cultural and political history. Saamrkand is at least 2750 years old as traced in the holy Zoroastiaon book " Avesta". Aside from its architectural history. Samarkand is the place of birth for the first paper mill in the world by two Chinese prisoners from the battle of tallas in 751. Soon after, it spread to the west.
Samarkand was the capital of Uzbekistan for 6 years from 1925 before returning the title back to Tashkent in 1930.
REGISTAN
Registan or " Sandy Place" in Persian , was once the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand during the Temurid dynasty. Registan was a public square where people gathered to hear royal proclamations , heralded by blasts on enormous copper pipes called dzharchis and also a place of public executions.
It framed by 3 madrassah , namely Ulugbek Madrassah , built during the Temurid Empire , Sher -Dor Madrassah built during Yalangtush Bakhdur ruling and 10 years later , the Tilya -Kori Madrassah which was not only a residential college for students but also played the role of Friday Mosque.
ULUGBEK MADRASSAH
Built in 1417, both in Samarkand Bukhara , was a large urban project incorporating several mosques, caravanserais and bazaars altogether . However , only Ulugbek Madrassah ( largest Madrassah in saamrkand) survived after so many centuries . This madrassah faced the Registan Square directly. The madrassah operated until the late 17th century. Teaching functions were then resumed in the early 20th century.
SHER-DOR -MADRASSAH
Sher-Dor or 'Lion" Madrassah was built in the 17th century . Only the sons of wealthy families studied here and they came from all over Central Asia. Training could last from ten to twenty years. The only subject students were required to take was the Koran, all the other subjects were optional and could be selected by the students according to their interests. The Madrassah was considered as radical in its uses of animal figures ( the two figures in the corners are lions which are usually prohibited in Islamic law)
TILYA-KORI MADRASSAH
Tilya- Kori 9Gilded) Madrassah was built 10 years after Sher-Dor -Madrassah. It was not only a place for training students but it also played the role of a grand mosque .
The two -storied facade decorated with beautiful patterns, the dormitory building surrounding the vast courtyard and the abundantly gilded ornaments in the mosque's main hall are among the stunning highlights of the madrassah which also were fundamental in naming the mosque, Til -Kori.
SHAH-I-ZINDA ENSEMBLE
The Shah-i Zinda, meaning " The Living King " is a world famous necropolis which includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of the 9th, 14th and 19th centuries. It is not only the oldest monument in Islamic architecture, it is also an important pilgrimage site in Samarkand for both locals and tourist.
The mian body of Kusam -ibn- Abbas is situated in the northeastern part of the ensemble. The unique complex of Shah-I-Zinda was formed over none (11th 019th) centuries and now includes more than 20 buildings
AFROSIAB SETTLEMENT
" Everything i have heard about Samarkand is true, except the fact that is more beautiful than i could imagine" said Greek King Alexander the Great who invaded Samarkand in 329 B.C.
The ancient settlement of Afrosiab is situated on the spurs of Chupan -Ata hills to the northeast of the present day Samarkand. According to legends, it was here, on the banks of the river Siab, that Turanian Kind and hero Afrosiab, a character of the folk epic " Shahnama", founded the town that then became the capital of Sogdiana.
The Afrosiab site appeared as gloomy yellowish hills. It panoramic view can be views from the citadel's top.
ULUGBEK OBSERVATORY
After Mirzo Ulugbek's death, the observatory was destroyed. Only in 1908, archaeologist Vyatkin found the every first document where the observatory's location was mentioned. Unfortunately , only underground parts of the sextant and basis of the building were saved. the observatory of Ulugbek has been so famous because of the publishing of the "Ulugbek Zidj", a book that consists of atheoretical description and drawings of about 1000 celestial bodies. With amazing accuracy, the length of a star year by Ulugbek's calculation is equal to 365 days 6 hours 10 minutes 8 seconds whereas the actual length by modern data is 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes 9.6 seconds. The deviation is only lee than a minute despite not having any advanced optical instruments.
RUHABAD MOUSOLEUM
Sheik Burkhan ad-Din Sagardji who was highly respected by contemporaries of Temur, his wife Bibi-Halifa and their ten children , was buried here. Burkhan ad- Din Sagardji had a righteous mode of life and was respected for his high moral qualities. He was married to a Chinese Princess and died in China. The body of the saint was brought to Samarkand and buried here with his children. It was Sagardji who personally asked to be buried in samarkand which he called " the city of God". Legend says that under the dome there is a box containing seven hairs of the Prophet Mohammed. The laconic domed Ruhabad Mousoleum ( The Sbode of Spirit) is located neat the Gur Rmir Mousoleum.
Bibi Khanum Mosqnue
After his Indian campaig in 1399, Temur decided to undertake the construction of a gigantic mosque in his new capital Saamrkand. The Bibi Khanum mosque, dedicated to his wife Bibi, was built using precious stones captured during Amir Temur's conquest in India. This immense edifice was once the largest structure ever built using unfored , un -reinforced mud brick.
Bibi was buried in a tomb located in a madrassha complex just across the main road which leads from the old city of Afrosiab to the center of the Temurid city at the Registan. The tomb is currently being restored. As Blair and Bloom suggest, " Temur's mosque was designed not only to continue the Iranian imperial tradition, but also to symbolize his conquest of the world.
GUR EMIR MAUSOLEUM -TOMB OF THE KING
The Gur Emir is the mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Tamerlane ( also known as Temur) in Samarkand. Gur -Emir means " Grave of Emir ' . The Gur-Emir Maousoleum was built in 1404 for Temur's grandson Muhammad Sultan. He was the heir apparent of throne after Timur, built in 1404 he died and Temur ordered to build big mausoleum for his beloved grandson.
In 1405, temur died in Otrar city and his sons decided to move his body and bury him near his favourite grandson. From that time on, this mausoleum was called the " Burial -vault of Temurids"Every headstone is made from marble, only Temur's headstone is from nephritis, it was brought by order of Ulugbek and put on Temur's grave.
In June 1941, Samarkand was part of the Soviet Union and Soviet scientists came to the mausoleum and opened the sarcophagus to study the body of Temur and found the inscription :
" Whosoever opens my tomb shall unleash an invader more terrible than i am ".
MAUSOLEUM OF AK-SARAY
One of the most mysterious buildings in Samarkand is the Mausoleumof AK-Saray. Externally, there is no attractive exterior decoration and the dome was not completed. However , the inner interior does not conform to the outer design - large richly gilded fragments of ornamental paintings in the "Kundal" style ( laying paints with gold covers on the relief ornament) remain on its wall, sails and dome. The relief, gold and wide colour gamur of vegetative patterns remind of rich carpets fabrics.
Locals say some of headless person is buried in the special niche by the eastern wall. It might be a tomb of Ulugbek's son Abdul Latif who was executed for murder of his father.
KHODJA ABDI DARUN MAUSOLEUM
The ancient cemetery , Khodja Abdi Darun Ensemble buried the Arabian lawyer of the 15th century. Darun which means " internal" indicated the tomb is situated inside the city Of Samarkand.Multiple restorians have changed the architecture. The interior of the mausoleum is more than modest; there are no gold paintings or ceramics here. Walls, sails, dome of the mausoleum are plastered by white alabaster. Almost all of its area is occupied by the big gravestone.
TKHODJA AKHROR ENSEMBLE
This site is the grave for the " Naqshbandiyya" Sufi order's leader. " He is the Khodja of Khodjas", the person who knows the importance of the people. Khodja akhror was buried near Samarkand, white stone and epitaphs were on the grave of Khodja. It is an important pilgrimage place as it was believe to be one of the scared cemeteries of Muslims. Nordir Divan Begi, one of the rulers of Samarkand in 1630, ordered to construct a madrassah and mosque.
HAZRATI HIZR MOSQUE
One of the oldest and most legendary mosques in Uzbekistan is the Hazrati Hizr Mosque in Samarkand . This mosque was built on the hill diagonal to the Bibi Khanum Mosque in the 18th century. It was said that Hazrati Hizr was the god of water.
Saint Hizer was very famous among the population of Central Asian oases including settled and nomadic people . he was considered to be a giver of good luck , abundance and a kind of patron of good people, workers and travelers. The mosque for Hazrati Hizr was erected in Samarkand in the medieval period.
NAMOZGOKH MOSQUE
According to legends, he was the brother of Kusama Ibn Abbas who was supposedly buried in the 11th century in Saamrkand's Shah-I-Zinda complex and was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.
ISHRAT -KHAN MAUSOLEUM
Ishrat-Khan which means " House of Joy" is a remarkable monument in the second half of the 14th century. Legends told that it was a burial place for women of aristocratic or a family burial place. The place was never renovated after the earthquake in the 19th century when Tamerlane's grandson Ulugbek rushed into the hall forcing everyone to leave the hall, in accordance with teh horoscope, his grandfather Amir Temur is in danger during the feast in Ishrat-Khan. Not long after they left, earthquake ruined part of the mausoleum.
Although the monument was never renovated, you will still be impressed with their architectural harmony.
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