Ancient and historical places of Uzbekistan

Ancient and historical places of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan with its numerous ancient monuments, rich nature, and the present-day rapid progress attracts the whole world's attention. For centuries the country was at the intersection of the Great Silk Road routes along which merchants, geographers, missionaries, and later tourists traveled. It is striking how the history, traditions and cultures of the nationalities populating the present-day Uzbekistan have been entangled with the history of Great Silk Road.

Samarkand is one of the most ancient cities of the world. Samarkand stood at the cross-roads of caravan routes and played an important role in the economic ties of the countries of the East. Many centuries ago, it was a centre of ancient civillisation and the seat of historical and cultural traditions of the peoples of Central Asia.

Samarkand had difficult and, at times, condradictory history. The city is associated with the names of Alexander the Great, the Arab general Kuteib ibn Muslim, the great Amir Temur, the astronomer Ulugbek and the terrible conqueror Genghis Khan. Visitors who come to this city admire the artistic talent and skill of the ancient architects who created such amazing structures as the Shakhi-Zinda ensemble, the Bibikhanim mosque, the Gur-Amir mausoleum, the Ishrat-khana mausoleum and the Ulugbek, Sherdor and Tillya-Kari madrasahs in Registan square. The creations of the people’s genius and skills have deservedly become part of the treasury of world architecture.

Samarkand is a regional administrative centre of Uzbekistan. The city also stands on the highway from Tashkent to Termez.

The population of Samarkand is more than 550,000. It is a multinational city and its populations is comprised of people of 90 nationalities. The city occupies an area of 15,000 hectares. It sprawls in the picturesque valley of the Zarafshan River.

The main waterways in the city are the Zarafshan River and Darghom, Siab and canals.

It is a major scientific and industrial centre of Uzbekistan. It has a university and seven other institutions of higher learning, eight research centres, many plants and factories, libraries, museums and theatres.

As elsewhere in the country housing constructions in Samarkand is making tremendous progress.

Questions

1. 
   Who are some of the famous people who lived in or passed through Samarkand?
   
2. 
   In what river valley does Samarkand lie?
   
3. 
   How many different nationalities live in Samarkand?
   
4. 
   Why did Samarkand play an important role in the economic ties between the East and the West?
   
5. 
   By what names were the city associated?
   
6. 
   What are the main waterways of the city?
   
7. 
   There are how many institutions of higher learning in Samarkand?