Samarkand

Samarkand is the mythical, evocative name of one of the key trading cities of the ancient Silk Road. Known as Maracanda to the ancient Greeks, Samarkand was probably founded in the 5th century BC, but its golden age was under Tamerlaine (Amir Timur) who made it the capital in 1370 and cultural centre of Central Asia, gracing it with spectacular mosques and madrassahs.

Tamerlaine's grandson Ulugbeg who ruled until 1449 made Samarkand the centre of medieval science as well.

The centrepiece of the city is the majestic Registan Square, surrounded on 3 sides by magnificent blue tiled madrassahs: the Ulugbeg Madrassah (1420), the Shir Dor Madrassah (1636) and Tilli Kari Madrassah 1660.

Other unmissable sights in Samarkand include the huge Bibi Khanum Mosque, named after Tamerlaine's Chinese wife, Ulugbeg's observatory, the Gur Emir Mausoleum where Tamerlaine's body was laid to rest and the Shahi Zinda complex, one of the most exotic sights of Samarkand, a narrow street hemmed in on either side by the most exquisitely tiled mausoleums. One of the most photogenic places in Samarkand is the oriental bazaar by the Bibi Khanum Mosque.