Samarkand

Samarkand is the third most populated city in Uzbekistan, the administrative center of the Samarkand region.

The total area of the city is 123.82 km². The population as of October 1, 2021 was 559.4 thousand people.
In 2001, the city and its historical architectural and archaeological monuments were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Samarkand - the crossroads of cultures."

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded, according to archaeological data, in the middle of the 8th century BC. e. (Ancient Maracanda - 742 BC).

For more than 2 millennia, the city was a key point on the Great Silk Road between China, India, Iran and Europe, as well as one of the main centers of science in the medieval East.

For more than a century, in the period from 875 to 999, this settlement, stunning in beauty and grandeur, was considered one of the largest political and cultural centers of the Samanid Empire. For 17 years, Samarkand even bore the title of the capital of this state.
In the XIV century it was the capital of the empire of Tamerlane and the Timurid dynasty. The vast majority of architectural masterpieces of the city were built in this era and in the era of the Uzbek Ashtarkhanid dynasty (XVII century). It was the period of the highest development of Samarkand.
In 1925-1930 Samarkand was the capital of the Uzbek SSR.

TOP 17 SIGHTS IN SAMARKAND

Registan Square
Mausoleum of Guri-Emir
Bibi-Khanum Mosque
Memorial complex Shakhi-Zinda
Observatory Ulugbek
Museum and settlement Afrasiyab
Siab Bazaar
Paper workshop "Meros"
Carpet factory "Khujum"
House Museum of Filatov Wine (Khovrenko)
Synagogue and hammam of Samarkand Jews
Cathedral of St. Alexis of Moscow
Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist
Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God
Church of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God
Memorial complex of Imam Al-Bukhari
Mausoleum of Saint Daniel

REGISTAN SQUARE

Registan is a square in the center of Samarkand. "Registan" was the name given to the main squares in the cities of the Middle East.

GUR-EMIR MAUSOLEUM

Gur-Emir is the mausoleum of Tamerlane (Amir Timur), his mentor Mir Sayyid Barak, and some members of Timur's family - (Timurids).

BIBI-KHANUM MOSQUE

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque (early name - Masjidi Jami) is an architectural monument of 1399-1404, a grandiose cathedral mosque of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), richly decorated with tiles, carved marble and murals.

MEMORIAL COMPLEX SHAKHI-ZINDA

Shakhi-Zinda is a monument of medieval architecture, an ensemble of mausoleums of the Karakhanid and Timurid nobility.

OBSERVATORY OF ULUGBEK

The construction of the observatory began in 1424 under the leadership of the grandson of Amir Tumir - Ulugbek during his reign of the Timurid Empire, and by 1428-1429 the building of the observatory was ready.

MUSEUM AND AFRASIAB SETTLEMENT

Afrasiab is an ancient settlement with an area of more than 200 hectares, in the form of a cluster of yellow-gray loess hills. Afrasiab is the ruins of ancient Samarkand. In the 17th century, the ruins got their name in honor of the mythical king of Turan Afrasiab.

SIAB BAZAAR

The Siab bazaar is the largest and oldest bazaar in Samarkand, one of the largest and oldest bazaars in Central Asia. The area of the bazaar exceeds seven hectares.

PAPER WORKSHOP "MEROS"

An old factory for the production of paper suitable for writing was built at the beginning of the 8th century near ancient Samarkand, in the village of Koni Gil.

CARPET FACTORY "KHUJUM"

From time immemorial, carpets have been a symbol of luxurious life, full of prosperity and home comfort. The Khujum factory was opened in 1992 and the production of hand-made silk carpets was launched here, using a hook and scissors - simple hand tools.

HOUSE-MUSEUM OF VIN FILATOV (KHOVRENKO)

In Zoroastrianism, which once dominated Central Asia, the ritual of drinking wine, the healing properties of which were already revealed at that time, was given quite a lot of importance.

SYNAGOGUE AND HAMMAM OF SAMARKAND JEWS

The Jewish street (mahalla) of Samarkand, also known as Mahallai Yahudien (that is, the Mahalla of the Jews), and Mahallai Shark (that is, the Eastern mahalla) is one of the largest mahallas in the eastern part of the historical center of Samarkand

CATHEDRAL OF ST. ALEXY OF MOSCOW

The Cathedral of St. Alexis of Moscow is an Orthodox Cathedral of the Tashkent and Uzbekistan Diocese of the Central Asian Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in Samarkand, built in 1911.

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

The Church of St. John the Baptist is a Catholic church, part of the apostolic administration of Uzbekistan.

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

The Church of the Holy Mother of God is an Armenian church located in the city of Samarkand and built in 1903 at the expense of the local Armenian population.

CHURCH OF THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God is the current Orthodox church of the Tashkent and Uzbekistan diocese of the Central Asian metropolitan district of the Russian Orthodox Church. Consecrated in honor of the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

MEMORIAL COMPLEX OF IMAMA AL-BUHARI

The memorial complex of Imam Al-Bukhari is a complex of buildings of memorial, religious and spiritual and educational purpose of the late 20th century in the village of Hartang, Payaryk district, Samarkand region of Uzbekistan.

MAUSOLEUM OF SAINT DANIEL

The mausoleum of St. Daniyar (Daniel) is a unique burial place of the saint, revered in three world religions at once: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.