museum
Ulugh Beg Observatory
The excavated arc of a giant 15th-century sextant, sunk in a trench in the hillside, with which Timur's astronomer grandson measured the year to within a minute.
4 km · about 10 min drive
Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan · Asia
Samarkand is worth a stop: 25 minutes from Jomboy Shahri, 46km from Sarazm.
Samarkand is a city located in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan. With a population of 595,200, it is an important destination in Asia.
On a road trip, Samarkand sits in Uzbekistan. It's in the Asia/Samarkand time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Samarkand to your route.
Samarkand is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarkand is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements Kimyogarlar, Farhod and Khishrav. With 551,700 inhabitants (2021), it is theRead more
third-largest city in Uzbekistan.
Historically, Samarkand has long been one of the principal urban centers of Iranian (Persian-Tajik) civilization in Central Asia and played a major role in the cultural and commercial networks of the Silk Road. There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city dating from the late Paleolithic. Though there is no direct evidence of when Samarkand was founded, several theories propose that it was founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China, Persia and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities in Central Asia, By the time of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, it was the capital of the Sogdian satrapy. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC, when it was known as Markanda, which was rendered in Greek as Μαράκανδα. The city was ruled by a succession of Iranian and Turkic rulers until it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in 1220.
Since the 11th century, the city has been under Turkic/Uzbek political control, but the city's culture and dominant language has always been Persian.
The city is noted as a centre of Islamic scholarly study and the birthplace of the Timurid Renaissance. In the 14th century, Timur made it the capital of his empire and the site of his mausoleum, the Gur-e Amir. The Bibi-Khanym Mosque, rebuilt during the Soviet era, remains one of the city's most notable landmarks. Samarkand's Registan square was the city's ancient centre and is bounded by three monumental religious buildings. The city has carefully preserved the traditions of ancient crafts: embroidery, goldwork, silk weaving, copper engraving, ceramics, wood carving, and wood painting. In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.
Modern Samarkand is divided into two parts: the old city, which includes historical monuments, shops, and old private houses; and the new city, which was developed during the days of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and includes administrative buildings along with cultural centres and educational institutions. On 15 and 16 September 2022, the city hosted the 2022 SCO summit.
Samarkand has a multicultural and plurilingual history that was significantly modified by the process of national delimitation in Central Asia. Small group of inhabitants of the city are bilingual speakers of the Tajik language, whereas Uzbek is the official language and Russian is also widely used in the public sphere, as per Uzbekistan's language policy.
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Samarkand offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Samarkand is located in Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan, Asia. The coordinates are 39.6546 latitude, 66.9644 longitude.
Samarkand has a population of approximately 595,200 people, making it a city in Uzbekistan.
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2 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
The excavated arc of a giant 15th-century sextant, sunk in a trench in the hillside, with which Timur's astronomer grandson measured the year to within a minute.
4 km · about 10 min drive
ancient ruins
A 5,500-year-old proto-urban settlement excavated on the Zarafshan plain, with mudbrick temple and palace foundations under shelters. Tajikistan's oldest UNESCO site and rarely visited.
46 km · about 55 min drive
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