Samarkand History of the Samarkand

Samarkand

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  History of the Samarkand
  
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  Sights of Samarkand
  

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  Registan square
  
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  Gur-Emir Mausoleum
  
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  Bibi-Khanym Mosque
  
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  Siab Bazaar
  
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  Shakhi-Zinda
  
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  Ulugbek Observatory
  

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  History of the Samarkand
  

Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and Europe. There is no direct evidence of when it was founded. Researchers at the Institute of Archaeology of Samarkand date the city's founding to the 8th–7th centuries BCE.
Archaeological excavations conducted within the city limits (Syob and midtown) as well as suburban areas (Hojamazgil, Sazag'on) unearthed 40,000-year-old evidence of human activity, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic. A group of Mesolithic (12th–7th millennia BCE) archaeological sites were discovered in the suburbs of Sazag'on-1, Zamichatosh, and Okhalik. The Syob and Darg'om canals, supplying the city and its suburbs with water, appeared around the 7th–5th centuries BCE (early Iron Age).
From its earliest days, Samarkand was one of the main centres of Sogdian civilization. By the time of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia, the city had become the capital of the Sogdian satrapy.

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  Sights of Samarkand
  

Samarkand is Uzbekistan’s undisputed claim to fame. This magnificent city remains cloaked in its past splendor as the capital of the powerful Timurid Empire, which in its heyday stretched across Asia from eastern Turkey to India. The city was a haven for caravan traders, intellectuals and Islamic scholars, a heritage still evident in the handicrafts, religious schools and observatory for which Samarkand is now known.
We invite you to this crossroad of cultures, where history and legend are almost magically intertwined at each site. Each of these Landmarks and Attractions in Samarkand has something unique to offer:

• Registan square, The crowning jewel of Samarkand, Registan Square once served as the central plaza of Tamerlane’s renowned capital. This carefully restored 15th-17th century ensemble now constitutes a UNESCO site and Uzbekistan’s most popular attraction. Its three imposing monuments – Ulugbek Madrasah, Sher-Dor Madrasah and Tilla-Kori Madrassah – dwarf everything in their vicinity and have a near-hypnotic way of arresting the gaze of many an admiring visitor.

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