Places of Interest - Uzbekistan

The "Registan" and surroundings:

The Registan (literally: "place of sand") is the big square in the historic heart of Samarkand and one of the biggest sights of and Uzbekistan and even Central Asia. The square was designed in the 14th century by Timoer Lenk and embellished by his successors. The square is surrounded on three sides by large religious buildings: madrassas (Islamic schools) and was probably used as a market square from the beginning of construction. The oldest is the beautiful "Uleg Bek" madrassa, built in 1417-1420 by Timur's grandson Ulug Bey and very nicely decorated with the famous blue tiles. Opposite is the Shir Dor madrassa, built between 1619 and 1636. Shir Dor means `decorated with tigers' and the building is indeed painted with tigers. The third madrassa is Tilla Kari ("covered with gold", 1646-1659) which also functions as a mosque. The buildings have been completely restored in the past century.

North-West Samarkand:

A few hundred meters north-west of "The Registan" is the crown on "Timur Lenk's" work - the beautiful mosque "Bibi Khanum". It was built just before the death of the cruel ruler and is named after his beloved "Bibi". Once was it the world's largest mosque with an entrance height of 35 meters. And then there is also "Shai-i-Zinda", the age-old cemetery with accompanying mosque. It looks like a street with on both sides the most beautifully decorated mausoleums worldwide. 

Other attractions:

"Hazrat Hizr" mosque and "Guri Amir" mausoleum (Timoer Lenk is buried here).

Samarkand was most likely founded somewhere in the 14th century BC in the fertile soil of Serafšān as a oasis-city. It became one of the cities on the Silk Road between the Middle East, Persia, India and China, and thanks tot his it’s largely got it’s prosperity. Alexander III the Great conquered the then completely walled city in 329 BC. When he arrived in the city he spoke the legendary words; "Everything I have heard about Marakanda (now Samarkand) is true, except that it is much more beautiful than I had ever imagined”. The Arabs brought Islam to the region of Sogdia, which was largely Christian before that time. “Ibn Qutaiba” conquered the city for the first time in 712, but a number of revolts followed. It took until 753, after the defeat of the Chinese by the river Talas in 751, for Islam there was solid ground underfoot. In 1141 the Kitan prince Yelü Dashi of the western Liao, who maintained good relations with the Nestorians, added the city to his empire. In 1220 the Mongols of “Genghis Khan” conquered the city, which was severely damaged. Timur Lenk made Samarkand in 1370 the capital of his great empire. Timur ordered architects from all over the empire to come to Samarkand to embellish his capital. Many of the historic buildings that can still be seen are from Timur's hand. When the Uzbeks made Bukhara their capital, Samarkand partly fell into oblivion. After a number of heavy earthquakes hit the city it was almost unpopulated. 

In 1868 the city came under Russian control (protectorate). In 1920 the last emir, Alimkhan, was expelled by the Bolsheviks. It was him who forced the city to be "populated" again. After this, the Soviet republic Bukhara was proclaimed. In 1924, however, it was absorbed in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, which until 1930 was the capital. Tashkent then acquired this position and has retained it until now. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1990, the city came under Uzbek administration.