Visit Samarkand: Heart of the ancient world

Following one full day and night in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, my friend and I attempted to make our way to the other side of the country to visit Samarkand.

It was Nowruz holiday. This is New Year in Persian cultures, including places like Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, to Azerbaijan, and almost everywhere in between. Instead of taking a shared taxi or the train, we hired a private taxi to take us. Shared taxis are common in Uzbekistan, and train travel there is typically simple. However, for the holiday many taxis weren’t operating and the trains were sold out. So, onward, for a full day journey down to Samarkand.

1. History of Samarkand

Samarkand is one of Central Asia’s oldest inhabited cities. This is mostly because of its location on the Silk Road. Archaeological sites in the area revealed that its earliest inhabitants were between the 12th – 7th millenia BC. Although there is no direct evidence when Samarkand was founded, scientists believe it to be between the 8th and 7th centuries BC.

In 329 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Samarkand. At that time, the city went by its Greek name, Maracanda. From then, a string of conquerors and empires ruled Samarkand. First, the Persian Sassanians around 260 AD. Then, the Turks and Arabs. Legends from this time tell a story of two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas (751 AD), who revealed the secret of papermaking, leading to the foundation of the Islamic world’s first paper mill in Samarkand. The secrets of making paper then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and onward to Europe.

By 1220, the Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered Samarkand. The Mongols ruled until 1307 when Timur (or Tamurlane) made Samarkand the capital of the Timurid Empire. And so began the Timurid Renaissance, during which all of the places we visit in this post, were built.

This is where our journey begins.

2. The trip to Samarkand

A brief note for travelers to Uzbekistan, most Uzbeks do not speak English. Of course, I don’t really expect them to. Oftentimes, the ability to communicate with locals is the key to easily getting around a country. However, let me just say, we could not communicate with our driver.

There were times where we thought we had communicated to pull over for a bathroom break. As soon as we opened the door and stepped outside the car, the driver yelled at us to get back in. The driver subsequently sped off with some kind of vigor. There were times that my friend attempted some form of communication to say she wanted food with no meat. We even showed “no meat” in Uzbek on Google Translate. Curious what we got? Meat filled samosas.

This isn’t to say the driver was unkind or intentional in the way he treated us. There were just serious gaps in communication.

When we were nearing Samarkand, our driver began (almost frantically) yelling “Ulugh Beg! Ulugh Beg!” Do you have any idea what’s happening? Neither do we. But soon, we pulled into a parking lot of the Ulugh Beg Observatory on the outskirts of Samarkand.

3. Ulugh Beg Observatory

3.1 Who is Ulugh Beg?

You can’t visit Samarkand without being introduced to Ulugh Beg. But, if you don’t know who Ulugh Beg is, you wouldn’t be the only one. Ulugh Beg (prounounced oo-LOOG beg) was a sultan in the Timurid Empire, reigning only from 1447 – 1449. During his short reign, he never established authority and was subsequently overthrown and assassinated. However, the world remembers Ulugh Beg foremost an astronomer and mathematician.

The Ulugh Beg Observatory, built in the 1420s, was one of the finest observatories in the Islamic world. From there, Ulugh Beg calculated the length of a year, within 25 seconds of today’s calculations. Copernicus, on the other hand, only calculated the length of a year within 30 seconds. His great contributions to astronomy include the calculation of earth’s axial tilt and the creation of a star catalogue. His star catalogue, which has 1,018 stars, includes only 11 less than Ptolemy.

3.2 Ulugh Beg Observatory Museum

Below are photos from the Observatory Museum itself. Extremely crowded inside, because of its small interior and the holiday tourists. I am claustrophobic when there’s lots of people around, so I couldn’t fully enjoy myself. The plaques included English translations, but my claustrophobia forced me out before I fully read them.

3.3 The Astronomical Sextant

Across from the museum was a giant tunnel, with a beautiful tile facade decorating the entrance. Tons of people crowded around the entrance to this giant tunnel. But what is it?

When we reached the mouth of the tunnel, we stared into the below abyss. With literally no clue what we were looking at. This is the only part of the observatory that still remains. Yet, we were clueless as to its importance.

Little did we know, this abyss was the pièce de résistance of the Ulugh Beg Observatory.

Not an expert on astronomy? Fear not! Neither were we. What you’re looking at is an astronomical sextant, basically 1/6th of a circle. No clue what an astronomical sextant is? Me either! It’s a device primarily used in measuring the position of stars. There are two types of sextants – a mural sextant and a framed sextant. The one at Ulugh Beg is a mural sextant. From the white, cylindrical model building above, the sextant would have been placed in the middle of the cylinder.

According to the radius of the sextant the height would have to be so large that it could cause the building to be too tall and could potentially fall. They were able to solve this problem by building half of the sextant underground. This allowed the size of the sextant to be maintained without the height being dangerously tall.

Wikipedia

4. The Registan – the Heart of Samarkand

4.1 What is the Registan?

The Registan, which means “sandy place” or “desert” in Persian, was the heart of ancient Samarkand. Comprised of 3 madrasas (Islamic schools) in a U-shape, the Registan is a public square which served as the center of the Timurid Empire. People gathered in the Registan, not only to hear royal proclamations, but also to witness public executions.

The three madrasas are:

1. Ulugh Beg Madrasa (on the left), built by you know who, between 1417 – 1420;
2. Tilya-Kori Madrasa (in the center), in Persian meaning “guilded” madrasa, built between 1646 – 1660;
3. Sher-Dor Madrasa (on the right), built between 1619 – 1636 along with Tilya-Kori by Yalangtush Bakhodur, ruler of Samarkand.

4.2 Photo journal of the Registan

The rest of the Registan, I will let the photos speak for themselves. Unfortunately, most of this is because I can’t remember which madrasa I took which photo in. I do have a general idea, but I don’t want to accidentally misinform.

Pro tip: Enter every single nook and cranny. The reward for your curiosity? Hidden courtyards, little shops, and of course, stunning Islamic architecture.

Archway, and close up of the tile work

4.3 The Golden Room

The following photos are what I call “the Golden Room.” I don’t remember which madrasa this room is in. However, do not leave the Registan without finding and visiting it!

5. Gur-e-Amir

5.1 History of Gur-e-Amir

Remember Amir Timur from my last post? Gur-e-Amir (or Gur-i-Amir) is the mausoleum of Timur. Gur-e Amir, Persian for “Tomb of the King,” was built between 1403 – 1404. It stands as an important example of Persian-Mongolian Architecture and as a precursor to other famous Mughal tombs – i.e., the Taj Mahal in India and Babur Gardens in Kabul.

Initially built following the sudden death of Timur’s heir apparent (Mohammad Sultan) in 1403, Amir Timur originally had another burial tomb ready for him. However, he too died suddenly in 1405 (while on military campaign in China) and mountain passes blocked by snow prevented him from reaching his burial site. Therefore, he was laid to rest in Gur-e-Amir, as was his grandson, Ulugh Beg. Since then, it became the family crypt of the Timurid Dynasty.

Following the decline of Samarkand in the 1700s, Gur-e-Amir fell into disrepair.

Tamerlane’s [Amir Timur’s] tomb was opened shortly before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, 19 June 1941. Exhumation of Timur in 1941 was made under the direction of Soviet scientist and anthropologist Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov, who was able to reconstruct Tamerlane’s facial features from his skull, and it was also confirmed that he was 172 cm in height and would have walked with a pronounced limp.

Wikipedia

It wasn’t until after World War II, that restoration on Gur-e-Amir’s exterior began. In the 1970s, interior restoration work began on the interior.

5.2 Exterior of Gur-e-Amir

5.3 Interior of the Mausoleum

Parting Thoughts on Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Hope you enjoyed this brief tour through Samarkand. Did it convince you to visit Samarkand? There are other sites worth visiting, but time and holiday hours prevented me from doing so. Although everything was stunningly beautiful in Samarkand, I enjoyed our next stop, Bukhara, much more. Stay tuned for more photos and stories of my time in Uzbekistan! As always, stay healthy and stay safe!

Heading back to Tashkent? Be sure to check out the Amir Timur Museum!

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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