Samarkand is beautiful but also very important in historical aspect. Samarkand city is the second largest city after its “big brother” Tashkent. Like Tashkent, Samarkand once was the capital of Uzbekistan. Proudly standing right in the center of Uzbekistan, on the left bank of the Zarafshan River, Samarkand generously welcomes everyone wanting to know its unbelievable breathtaking story which takes the beginning in the earliest days of humanity.
Samarkand witnessed conquerors that brought bloody wars, but it resisted and rose, having become more beautiful and strong through the ages. The city soaked the culture and influence from the Sacs and Massagets, Greek-Macedonians, Mongols and Arabs. It absorbed only the best and survived.
Samarkand is the open-air museum: there is much to see and many places to visit. It is divided into old and modern pars of the city. And of course if you are visiting Samarkand, you should first pay your attention to the old city. This place is full of mysteries, filling every corner of every building.
Let’s start our walk from the Registan – the heart of Samarkand city. The name of this world famous square means “sand place” and was given to it because the square is standing on the earth where the river dried out many years ago. Ensemble of the Registan square includes three beautiful madrasahs (centers of education for Muslims): they are the 15th century Ulugbek Madrasah, 17th century Sher Dor Madrassah and Tilla-Kari madrasah. All three madrasahs together in one great graceful amazing ensemble will impress you a lot.
