Samarkand Highlights
A journey through one of the world's oldest cities and the crown jewel of the Silk Road — Samarkand. UNESCO-listed as a 'Crossroads of Cultures,' it was the capital of Amir Timur's empire and birthplace of the Timurid Renaissance that shaped Islamic art and architecture forever.
Trip Stops
- 1
Arguably the most magnificent public square in the Islamic world, the Registan is framed by three towering madrasahs spanning three centuries of Timurid and Janid architecture. The Ulugh Beg Madrasa (1417–1420) is the oldest; the Sherdar Madrasa (1619–1636) features controversial tiger-and-sun mosaics defying the Islamic ban on living figures; the Tilakari Madrasa (1646–1660) has a ceiling covered in gold leaf. Ulugh Beg himself lectured here. Visit at dusk when the tilework glows in warm golden light — one of the most breathtaking sights on earth.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 2
The final resting place of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), completed in 1404 and considered the prototype of all great Timurid and Mughal mausoleums — including the Taj Mahal. Timur's tombstone is the world's largest slab of dark green jade. Soviet scientists opened the tomb in June 1941; legend says this unleashed the curse inscribed inside: 'Whosoever disturbs my tomb will unleash an invader more terrible than I' — two days later, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin ordered Timur reburied with full Islamic rites, after which the tide of the war turned.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 3
Built by Timur between 1399–1404 using the spoils of his Indian campaign, this was once the largest mosque in the Islamic world — requiring 95 war elephants to haul its 450 marble columns. Its 40-meter outer dome was an engineering marvel of its time. The building collapsed over centuries from earthquakes, and was largely a ruin by the 20th century. The Soviet-era restoration rebuilt it to its former grandeur. Located next to the Siyob Bazaar, it sits at the living heart of the old city.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 4
Samarkand's largest and most authentic market, sprawling over 7 hectares adjacent to Bibi-Khanym Mosque. The triple-arched entrance is lined with blue majolica, leading to seven domed pavilions overflowing with dried fruits, nuts, spices, bread, and meat. Unlike tourist-oriented bazaars, this is where locals actually shop — prices are real and bargaining is expected. The name 'Siyob' means 'black water' in Persian, named after the river that flows nearby. Closed on Mondays.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 5
Perched on a hill directly opposite Shah-i-Zinda, this mid-19th century mosque offers the single most panoramic view over Samarkand's skyline of turquoise domes. Named after the legendary Islamic prophet Khizr, associated with Moses, it stands on the site of a mosque dating to the 8th-century Arab conquest. In 2018, the mausoleum of Uzbekistan's first president Islam Karimov was opened in its grounds. Free entry — a perfect quiet spot to breathe and absorb the view.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 6
Meaning 'the Living King,' this breathtaking avenue of mausoleums is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in Central Asia — and arguably Samarkand's most visually overwhelming monument. Over 20 buildings spanning the 11th–19th centuries line a narrow lane, their facades an explosion of turquoise, cobalt, and gold mosaic tilework unmatched anywhere. The name derives from the legend that Muhammad's cousin Qutham ibn Abbas is buried here but did not die — he lives on in a well beneath the complex, awaiting the Day of Resurrection.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 7
Built on the actual archaeological site of pre-Mongol Samarkand — a city destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1220 — this museum's crown jewel is the extraordinary Afrasiyab Murals: 7th-century Sogdian palace frescoes discovered only in 1965 during road construction. They depict ambassadors arriving from Tang Dynasty China, Korea, India, and the Turks to pay homage to the King of Samarkand — a vivid snapshot of Silk Road diplomacy over 1,300 years ago. An irreplaceable window into the pre-Islamic world of Central Asia.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 8
Built in the 1420s by Timur's grandson Ulugh Beg — astronomer-king and one of the greatest scientists of the medieval world — this was once one of the finest observatories on earth. Its main instrument was the 'Fakhri Sextant,' a 40-meter arc carved into the earth, so precise it could measure star positions to within seconds of arc. Destroyed by religious fanatics in 1449 after Ulugh Beg's assassination, it was rediscovered buried underground in 1908. The museum here displays Ulugh Beg's star catalogue of 1,018 stars — considered the greatest between Ptolemy and Tycho Brahe.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 9
One of the oldest surviving Timurid structures in Samarkand, built around 1380 by Amir Timur over the grave of Sheikh Burhanuddin Sagaradji, a revered Sufi scholar said to have possessed a hair of the Prophet Muhammad. Its name means 'Abode of the Spirit' in Persian. Standing quietly in a park between Gur-e-Amir and the Registan, it is often overlooked by tourists rushing between the bigger monuments — a peaceful, unrestored gem offering a rare glimpse of Timurid architecture before the grand restoration era.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
- 10
Samarkand paper has been prized for over 1,200 years — the Silk Road city was one of the first in the Islamic world to produce paper, and its handmade mulberry-bark sheets were the preferred medium for Qurans and royal manuscripts. Mulberry bark is beaten, soaked, screened, and sun-dried using techniques unchanged since the 8th century. The paper is said to last 2,000 years. Watch the entire process live, then browse handmade paper products, silk paintings, and traditional crafts. A fascinating and unexpected highlight of any Samarkand visit.
📍 Samarkand, Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan
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