Samarkand - the pearl of the empire of Tamerlane

According to archaeological data, Samarkand was founded in the 8th century BC. Located in the interfluve of the upper reaches of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, the city occupied a favorable geographical position on the route between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Being the capital of the ancient state of Sogdiana, Samarkand was repeatedly subjected to conquests and was a part of the Achaemenid empire, Bactria, Khorezm and other state formations of the region.

Being in the center of the intersection of important trade routes, the city has always flourished, and the glory of its wealth spread far beyond the region. And even after the complete destruction by the troops of Genghis Khan in the early 13th century, Samarkand was quickly rebuilt.

The era of the heyday of Samarkand falls on the XIV-XVII century, when the city was the center of the empire of Tamerlan and his descendants. It was during this period that Samarkand became not only a political and economic, but also a cultural center of the region. The majority of architectural masterpieces of the city belong to the Middle Ages, thanks to which it is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Tamerlane, the great commander who conquered half of Eurasia, strove to glorify the capital of his state for the whole world. In the city were built majestic buildings and mosques, which had no equal in all of Central Asia. The new architects of Samarkand worked on the best architects and artisans of the time, and under Tamerlan's grandson - Mirzo Ulugbek - Samarkand becomes the largest scientific center of the East. The city still retains the observatory of Ulugbek, which is one of the tourist attractions.

The central square of the city of Registan represents the greatest architectural value. Here are the famous madrassas (educational institutions), built in the style of Persian architecture.

Modern Samarkand is a large city on the territory of Uzbekistan, which is a district center. Despite the fact that today Samarkand is deprived of the capital status, it is still an important economic center not only of the country, but of the whole region. The city is visited annually by thousands of tourists from Asia and abroad. There is something to see even the sophisticated traveler, and visiting the magnificent monuments of architecture and walking through the streets of one of the oldest cities in the world leave an unforgettable impression.