Samarkand is located on what was one of the most important trade routes in history - The Silk Road. Founded around 700BC, Samarkand was the Capital City of the Sogdian province under the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia. During this time it was know as Afrasiab.

The Achaemenid Dynasty was the first Persian Empire to control great regions of what is called greater Persia, the control the empire had over Afrasiab was not direct but was ruled by a regional governor.

In 329BC the region was conquered by Alexander the Great in his great push east, this left Afrasiab seperated from the persian heartland. it would not be united again until the times of the Arab Conquest of Central Asia.

Afrasiab (Samarkand) was a large and densely populated City by the time of Alexander's conquest and it would remain an important trade and cultural centre for many years afterwards. Though most knowledge of pre-Islamic and post-Alexander years are extremely limited.

The Islamic Conquest came with the invasion of the Sassanids (Persian) lands by the Umayyads in 662AD. This led the land around Afrasiab (Samarkand) to come under the influence of local Turkic and Iranian tribes, as well as the Tang Dynasty of china. By 709, the area around and containing Afrasiab (Samarkand) was under Arab control.

This led to the Battle of Talas (751), between the Islamic Arabs and the Tang Dynasty who didn't want to give up their claims on the Syr-Darya region. It was an emphatic victory for the Islamic forces leading to the unchallenged conversion of the area to Islam.

The secrets of papermaking was obtained after the Battle of Talas, from two Chinese prisoners. This led to the first paper mill being built in the Islamic World in Samarkand. The technology swiftly spread to the rest of the Islamic influenced world and from here it spread to Europe.

After the Islamic Conquest, samarkand was ruled by a number of different powers including the seljuk turks and Khorezmshah. It was during hte reign of the Khorezmshah Dynasty that the Mongol invasions started. The Mongols sacked the City in 1220, destroying the once beautiful buildings and leaving only a small handful of survivors. Previous to the Mongol sacking, Samarkand was a huge and heavily populated City, with a larger population than even today.

In 1370, Timur (also known as Tamerlane), determined to make samarkand the new Capital of his vast empire. This empire stretched from India in the east to Bosphorus in the west. Timur was a great lover of the arts and he created a new City in Samarkand, gathering builders and artists from all over his ever expanding empire. This left us with what we have today and led to Samarkand becoming the cultural and religous centre of Transoxiana.

Upon the death of Timur, Samarkand had become a key player in the regions politics. The Shaybanids that took over from the Timur Dynasty eventually left Samarkand to base their Capital at Bukhara, this caused Samarkand to go into decline. In the Eighteenth Century, Nadir Shah, a Persian King raided the City causing the abandoment of this once great power.

The Russians were the next big players to take control of the City, after Colonel Abramov commanded a force that took the citadel in 1868. Shortly after this success, a small Russian garrison (supposedly containing 500 men) was attacked by Abdul Malik Tura, the eldest son of the Emir of Bukhara. Abramov later became the first Governor of the Military Okrug which had Samarkand as its Administrative Capital.

The influence soon returned to samarkand under Russian rule, as it first became Capital of the Samarkand Oblast of Russian Turkestan and then then the Capital of the Uzbek SSR in 1925, following the Red Army's smash into Central Asia. Tashkent replaced Samarkand as Capital of Uzbekistan in 1930.

Samarkand, Boukhara, Khiva: these mythical Oriental cities capture our imagination, even more so now that our curious eyes are allowed to freely view what was once forbidden land. Centered around these three towns, renowned for their artistic heritage, the photos demonstrate a rich and varied past. The name Samarkand is legendary and the emotive silhouettes of Bukhara and Khiva are straight from the world of A Thousand and One Nights. The text, both accessible and precise, serves to reinstate these realms of Islamic art within the chaos of world history. This insightful historical voyage begins over 2000 years ago when Alexander the Great approached the city walls of Samarkand with his iron phalanx and was stunned by its invincible size and beauty. It recounts how merchants on the Silk Road and warring armies, headed by Gengis Kahn and his likes, continued to cross paths for centuries in this region. Unceasing rivalries spurred these different parties to create ever more spectacular buildings, gardens, and mosques. The volume pays tribute to a culture that withstood repeated critical episodes - the Russian upsurge, Iranian and Afghan trials of the 19th-century, Queen Victoria's reign - and continued to thrive until soviet power set in. The reader is left to question whether Uzbekistan's new-found independence will witness not only the restoration of precious stones but also the cultureal rebirth of an entire civilization.

Tamerlane, the Ultimate Warrior paints the violent and controversial true story of the swift horseman who threatened much of the Old World, crushing the Ottoman Empire and intimidating kings and emperors. A trail of devastation followed the ruthless conqueror from Delhi to Baghdad, yet incidents of mercy for his enemies revealed a benign side to Tamerlane. In the pageantry of rulers, Tamerlane found little recognition from the historians of later centuries.

There is plenty to see and do in this wonderful City and people who get the chance to visit always rave on about the City - I know I do!

Here I am listing the Top Three things to see of historical interest, please remember this is only my view and everyone has different experiences.

One
The Registan
Majestic and elegant the Registan sits in the centre of Samarkand and is the sight to see in the City. These three buildings were built in different periods as Medrassas (Islamic places of learning). The earliest of the three buildings is the Ulugh Beg Madrassa, finished in 1420. The little corner domes of the building are sat upon lecture halls. At the rear is large and beautiful Mosque. Some of the dormitory cells occupied by the 100+ students are still visible.

The second Madrassa, Sher Dor, is directly opposite Ulegh Bek and is a near immitation of the earlier building. The only difference being the carved Lions decorating the outside - flagrant rule bending by the architect, as live depictions of animals is prohibited in Islamic scriptures. The building was finished in 1636.

The third Madrassa which sits in the middle between its two larger cousins, is the Tilla-Kari which was completed in 1660. The Mosque like courtyard is particularly attractive.

Two
Shah i Zinda
Another beautiful sight in Samarkand is the Tomb of the Living King, 'Shah i Zinda. The building is based around the grave of the prophet Mohammed's cousin, Qusam ibn Abbas. This is one of the oldest standing buildings in the City, sited upon the ruins of the ancient City of Afrasiab. It is alos the final resting place for Timur and Ulegh Beg.

Three
Ancient Afrasiab
To the northeast of the main bazaar is the archaelogical site of ancient Afrasiab (and Marakanda, Alexander's settlement). The museum here has some of the Seventh Century frescoes and one of the highlights of the site is the Tomb of Daniel, a prophet from the First Testament.

Flights to Uzbekistan usually fly into the Capital Tashkent and from there trains leave regularly to Samarkand. Flights are not the cheapest to Uzbekistan and you cannot find direct flights from everywhere. A lot of flights will have one change in somewhere like Moscow or Dubai.

Flights to Uzbekistan can be found on Travelocity, with the search engine finding the best prices to suit your needs. trains are always a good price in Uzbekistan and first class trains are comfortable. You can get flights to Samarkand from Tashkent, but the hassle and irregular timetable make the train a better choice.




For accommodation, your best bet is hotels.com, they have a large database of hotels and can find the hotels that suit you and your budget best. This is also handy if you are planning to merge your trip to Samarkand with the other Sights of Uzbekistan like Bukhara and Khiva.