| Samarkand Samarqand | ||
 | ||
Coat of arms  | ||
| State | Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 702 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 108 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 388.600 (2011) | |
| Prefix tel | 998 662 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 140100 | |
| Time zone | UTC 5 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Samarkand is a city ofUzbekistan.
To know
The city is mostly known for being in the middle of Silk Road in the path between the China and theEurope and, despite being an important city ofUzbekistan, most of the inhabitants are Tajik-speaking.
In 2001 theUNESCO added the 2700-year-old city to the World Heritage List.
When to go
| Climate | gen | Feb | mar | apr | mag | down | Jul | needle | set | Oct | nov | dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum (° C) | 6,1 | 8,1 | 13,1 | 20,5 | 26,3 | 31,7 | 33,9 | 32,2 | 27,9 | 21,0 | 14,0 | 8,5 |
| Minimum (° C) | -3,5 | -2,0 | 2,8 | 8,8 | 12,9 | 16,5 | 18,5 | 16,5 | 11,6 | 6,1 | 1,6 | -1,3 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 47 | 39 | 67 | 63 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 42 |
Samarkand has a typical continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The best seasons for travel are April / May and September / October.
Background
The Scythians, an Indo-Aryan nomadic people known by the Persians as "Saka", were the first to settle in the region.
To put an end to their raids, Cyrus the Great subjugated their territories and made Samarkand the capital of a new satrapy, the Sogdiana which was conquered by Alexander the Great two centuries later. The Macedonian leader married Roxana, daughter of the local Satrap and destined to give him the only child. After Alexander's death the city was part of the Hellenistic kingdom of Bactriana which perished under the blows of the Yuezhi or Kushan, Indo-Aryan invaders from the North. In the 5th century A.D. the territories were subdued by the Sassanids, a Persian dynasty that re-established the glories of the ancient Achaemenid empire. An exponent of this dynasty, Bahram V (421–438), repelled an attempted invasion of the region by the Heftalids or White Huns. The Sassanid empire vanished from history under the blows of the Arabs who, in the battle of Navahand in 642 AD, won a definitive victory over Yazdgerd III, the last Sassanid emperor.
Samarkand was conquered in 712 AD. by the Arab commander Qutaiba Ibn Muslim who founded the first mosque there. Later the Arabs defeated the Chinese Tang dynasty's attempt to take over Central Asia. In the battle of Talas, near today's Taraz, in Kazakhstan, which took place in July 751 AD, some Chinese were taken prisoner who revealed to the Arabs the secrets of the procedure from which the writing paper was obtained. In the 9th century Samarkand flourished under the Samanids, an Islamized Persian dynasty which was alternated with Seljuk Turks. In 1220 Genghis Khan conquered the city putting it to fire and sword. In 1370 Tamerlane made Samarkand the capital of his vast empire. Under his successors, the Timurids, the city was enriched with splendid buildings that determined its present glory. The Uzbeks took over in the 17th century under the Shaibanid dynasty. They preferred to reside nearby Bukhara, a decision that marked the decline of Samarkand. The Russians took possession of the city in May 1868. Under their domination the old walls and the Ark were demolished, the citadel of Samarkanda became the seat of the Russian headquarters while in the west a new city with wide avenues took shape according to the European model of time. The Bolshevik troops, under the command of General Frunze, reconquered the city in 1920. In the following years numerous industries arose there which made Samarkand the second largest city in Uzbekistan by population.
How to orient yourself
Samarkand: full screen map.The center of the city is the Registan square flanked by the Registan street, the road axis that moves along the east-west direction and also connects with the Tamerlane mausoleum. To the north-east, instead, along a pedestrian street is the Bibi Khanoum mosque, next to it there is a hill on which the site of Afrosiab is located on the top, while on the side of the hill the Shah-i Zinda.
How to get
By plane
- 1 Samarkand International Airport (SKD).
By car
A viable option is to use a shared taxi from Tashkent or Bukhara to Samarkand. This means is used if it is not possible to take the train.
On the train
- 2 Railway station. The station is located 5km northwest of Navoi Park. It is served by Afrosiab high-speed trains from Tashkent (1,5h or 3h with the normal train) and from Bukhara. Night trains connect Samarkand with Urgench, just a few km from Khiva.
Tickets, in addition to being booked at the station ticket office, can also be purchased at an authorized ticket office (see purchases section).
How to get around
By public transport
The city is equipped with public buses, mashrutkas and trams.
By taxi
It is a very economical way to get around the city and can be taken in any place with a tourist value. It will be the taxi drivers themselves who will be recognized by asking tourists for the destination.
- 3 Taxi point, Tamerlane mausoleum.
- 4 Taxi point, Siab Bazaar.
Opposite the Registan Square is the point where taxi drivers gather for Shahrisabz. These are collective taxis that generally wait for the vehicle to be full, however it is possible to rent the vehicle by paying the full amount, which in any case remains cheap. About $ 15, but the price is always to be negotiated. 5 Shared taxis to Shahrisabz
What see
1 Registan. 
16,200 som. 
09:00-20:00. The most famous square in Samarkand where its most famous monuments overlook: the Medresses of Tillya-Kari, Ulug Beg and Shir Dor. The square and the buildings underwent a thorough restoration that began in 1994, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the birth of Ulug Beg.
16,200 som. 
09:00-20:00. The most famous square in Samarkand where its most famous monuments overlook: the Medresses of Tillya-Kari, Ulug Beg and Shir Dor. The square and the buildings underwent a thorough restoration that began in 1994, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the birth of Ulug Beg.- The ticket allows entry to the three madrasas and the central part of the square. It is advisable to go to the Registan (without necessarily having to buy the ticket) after sunset, when the lights are turned on and the scenographic effect is remarkable.
- 2 Medressa by Tillya Kari. It was built between 1646 and 1660. It is 75 meters high.
- 3 Medressa by Shir Dor. The Medressa of Shir Dor was built between 1619 and 1636. The dimensions of the facade are such as to form a square of 51 meters.
- 4 Medressa by Ulug Beg. The Koranic School of Ulug Beg bears the name of Tamerlane's nephew who succeeded him on the throne of Samarkand. The building housed up to 100 students who were introduced to both religious and secular sciences. According to legend, the same sovereign, known for his passion for astronomy, used to give lessons to the students who resided there. His passion is reflected in the star-studded sky blue decoration of the building's interior dome. The structure, including minarets, is covered with mosaic and majolica panels depicting geometric and calligraphic motifs in kufic characters. Inside are the students' cells that open onto two courtyards and the vast "Darskhna", the classroom where lessons were given.
- 2 Medressa by Tillya Kari. It was built between 1646 and 1660. It is 75 meters high.
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- 5 Gur-e Amir Mausoleum. The Mausoleum that houses Tamerlane's tomb is located southwest of the Registan. In 1401, the conqueror's favorite nephew, Sultan Mohammed, started work on the construction of a Koranic school there. His sudden death two years later pushed Tamerlano to hasten its completion. In life Tamerlane had expressed the desire to be buried in Shakhrisabz, his native town, but his wishes were not respected and Ulug Beg had his body interred in the mausoleum next to the tomb of his favorite nephew.
- 6 Shakh-i Zinda. Another place of great interest is the Shakh-i Zinda necropolis. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there were built funeral monuments that have no equal in the wholeCentral Asia making the necropolis an amazing place from an architectural point of view. Below are the main mausoleums:
- 6 Shah-i-Zinda Mosque, 7 Ulugh Ulzhaoyim Mausoleum, 8 Amir Hussein Mausoleum, 9 Amirzade Mausoleum, 10 Shirin-Bika-Aga Mausoleum, 11 Shadi Mulk Aga Mausoleum, 12 Octagonal mausoleum, 13 Alim Nesefi Mausoleum, 14 Amir Mausoleum Burunduk, 15 Qassim-ibn-Abbas shrine and mausoleum, 16 Mausoleum Tuman Aka, 17 Qutloug Aka Mausoleum, 18 Khodja-Akhmad Mausoleum.
- 7 Bibi-Khonym Mosque. After bagging the city of Delhi Tamerlane intended to use the spoils for the construction of a mosque that was unmatched in the Islamic world. Bibi-Khonym mosque (1399-1404) still draws the visitor's fancy despite its treasures having been plundered for centuries. For its construction the most skilled craftsmen of the kingdom worked in conditions of slavery and 100 elephants were used to bring there the treasures stolen from the city of Delhi. At the end of the works Tamerlane, judging the entrance portal too low for his tastes, had it rebuilt again.
- 8 Bibi-Khanym mausoleum.
- 9 Khazrat-Khizr.
- 10 Ruins of Afrasiab. To the north-east of the Grand Bazaar is the archaeological site of ancient Samarkand (Maracanda) or Afrasiab, extended for 2.2 km² and mostly exposed to the elements. The Afrasiab Museum contains some 7th century Sogdian frescoes. Noteworthy is the alleged tomb of Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, known in Islam as Danyāl. The restored building is a long, low structure with five domes, containing an immense 18 meter long sarcophagus. According to legend, Daniel's body grows by half an inch a year, and this would justify the length of the tomb.
- 11 Astronomical Observatory of Ulug beg (It is located at the foot of the hills overlooking the Afrosiab area). Built by the sovereign with a passion for astronomy and destroyed by religious fanatics in 1449. Today it is possible to visit the undergrounds that escaped the devastating fury of religious fanaticism.
- 12 Afrasiab Museum. This dilapidated and largely ignored museum contains important archaeological finds from the Afrosiab site, as well as several evidence of typical local history and crafts.
- 13 Ishratkhana Mausoleum. It is a timurid mausoleum now in ruins after the damage of the 1903 earthquake. The building is abandoned, unless you want to visit it inside by giving a tip to the farmer who lives nearby.
- 14 Mausoleum of Hodja Abdi Darun.
- 15 Rukhobod Mausoleum.
- 16 Ak-Saray Mausoleum.
- 17 Khoja Doniyor Mausoleum.
- 18 Khoja Akhrar complex (On the southern outskirts of the city).
- 19 Chorsu (Bazaar).
- 20 Hoja-Nisbatdor Mosque.
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
Apart from a few souvenir shops near the Bibi Khanum madrasa or in the nearby Tashkent street (Toshkent ko'chasi) there are not many possibilities for special purchases.
- 1 Siab Bazaar. Fruit and vegetable bazaar.
- 2 Supermarket. Supermarket with western standards and a good variety of products.
- 3 Airline and train tickets. Ticket office for booking air and train tickets.
How to have fun
Where to eat
There aren't many places to eat in the tourist area. Indeed the choice could always be reduced to the same places because of the limited possibilities.
Moderate prices
- 1 Ice cream shop, Registon Ko'chasi. Ice cream shop that sells from the window of a building. Definitely the best ice cream in town, with cone.
Average prices
- 2 Bibikhanum Teahouse, Toshkent Ko'chasi 22A (Not far from the Bibi Khanum madrasa), ☎ 998 91 537 84 73. A good restaurant very popular with tourists both for its excellent location and for the quality of the food and the typicality of the outdoor structure. There is also the option to eat inside a yurt.
- 3 Labi G'or, Registon Ko'chasi. Not an exciting place, especially for eating meat. But the proximity to the Registan is certainly a strong point.
Where stay
Average prices
- 1 Emir hotel, ☎ 998 66 235 74 61. $ 30 approx. Located in the old city, it is an unpretentious structure but very close to the Tamerlane Mausoleum.
Safety
In some secondary streets relating to the ancient neighborhoods, the absence of public lighting is possible, so only the private lighting of the halls is relied upon. Although you may be in the dark, the only danger could be a passing car.
How to keep in touch
Keep informed
- 19 Information Office, Toshkent Ko'chasi. 09:00-18:00. Very useful for getting information about the city or about excursions. You can also get a free map of the city.
Around
The most famous locality around Samarkand is the city of Shahrisabz about 1 hour and a half by taxi. However, thanks to its geographical position it is easy to reach both Tashkent that Bukhara.
