Nov 298 min read

Samarkand

After leaving the Tajikistan border near Panjakent, I arrived in Uzbekistan. It was rainy and the drive through the countryside which was largely rural farmland and villages took around 45 minutes. Around mid-afternoon I finally arrived in the legendary city of Samarkand, it was rainy and grey unfortunately. Notwithstanding my first blog post and James Elroy Flecker’s poem therein, my arrival in Samarkand would not be the end of the journey by any means, but it still felt like a special moment to arrive after surviving the wilds of Tajikistan.

As expected, given the large extent of the growth of the modern city, it is rather difficult to get an idea of what the ancient and medieval city may have looked like, though it is said to have been surrounded by four rows of defensive walls during the early Medieval period.[1] This would have to wait for subsequent exploration. Unlike Khiva for example, little of the original layout or defences remains today.

My hotel was around 30 minutes’ walk from the Registan square and the other main historical sites which I had planned on seeing, so I was well placed to explore. However, given the weather I decided to hold off on this and run some errands, namely, getting some water, lunch and some Uzbekistan som / cash. The cash was first, and I was surprised that the machine started withdrawals at 100,000-som (a little over £6), inflation was clearly an issue… I next got some bottled water and decided to try the Uzbek KFC, as I had a fast-food craving and figured I would have no worries about proper preparation in a chain (the insides were not 100% at this point). I grabbed some food, returned to the hotel and had a nap. Unfortunately, I awoke in a bit of state feeling quite ill. I tried to sleep it off but unfortunately the discomfort continued until I had vomited the KFC into the loo. I didn’t leave the hotel room for the next 12 hours or so. Clearly, the strong antibiotics and any residual dysentery meant that I was not yet ready to eat any excessively fatty or fried food. Another lesson learned, I would have to eat banana, kiwis, yoghurt and bread for the next few days (at least in mornings, thanks to what the hotel had on offer), how boring. Obviously, I have no photos of this fabulous experience.

With the second bout of stomach discomfort somewhat resolved, I was finally able to venture into Samarkand and explore. I suppose it was timely as the sun decided to come out as well. I walked down the large tree-lined University Boulevard and headed towards the key sites of the day, the Emir Timur mausoleum, and of course, the magnificent Registan square. Along the way there are several pleasant historic buildings, I explored these later during the evening.

Emir Timur Mausoleum

Statue of Emir Timur (Tamerlane):

The visage of and references to Emir Timur, also known by the name Tamerlane the Great, is rather difficult to avoid in Central Asia, not dissimilar to Genghis Khan; I suppose this is not surprising given the extent of their brutal conquests. I think this made the chance to visit his actual mausoleum rather more momentous. It’s on the way to the Registan square. It is not an enormous structure compared to some of the madrasahs and mosques, but the entranceways and especially the magnificent, tiled interior are quite something. The ceiling and corners of the mausoleum are particularly detailed and beautiful in my opinion. Interestingly, Emir Timur is not the only individual buried within his mausoleum.

Emir Timur Mausoleum exterior - day & night:

Interior (including the inner courtyard) of the Emir Timur mausoleum:

Close-up of the stunning tilework and plasterwork inside the Emir Timur mausoleum:

The Registan

The famous Registan square in Samarkand:

A short walk from the Emir Timur mausoleum is the famous Registan square which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Registan is quite literally a square; however, it is the structures surrounding it which are of most interest to the visitor. Surrounding the square are three large madrasahs. These are, from left to right facing into the square, as follows: the Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah. These madrasahs were built between 1417 and 1660 AD. I think the façade of the Sher-Dor Madrasah with its rare depiction of natural beings, namely, two tigers.

Registan exterior and rooftop, daytime:

Each madrasah is decorated with the exemplary tilework that Central Asia is famous for. The designs are both beautiful and dazzling. I do think the ceilings are the best). Behind the central facades which are so common in photos of the square, there are (relatively, if sans tourists) quiet courtyards lined with rooms which must have been a peaceful place to contemplate the heavens in earlier days. I decided to get fleeced and pay 100,000 som (about £5.50) to climb one of the towers on the Ulugh Beg Madrasah, it was a steep climb which I captured on Go-Pro and rather amusing. However, the view is nothing special, as you are unable to see directly below the tower. What you can see are the sides, and roofs of the madrasahs, which are almost entirely undecorated from those angles and thus are a bit less interesting given that all the business is at the front.

The impressively ornate and tranquil interior of the Registan:

I visited the Registan square both during the day and in the evening to try to capture it with different lighting and different exposures (as best my meagre camera skills would allow). The good thing about the long exposure photos at night is that it largely blurs out some of the tourists.

Registan at night:

The Ancient city within Samarkand: Afrasiab

As noted in the history section below, Afrasiab is the ancient portion of Samarkand which was destroyed in the 13th century by the Mongols. I explored Afrasiab one afternoon before visiting the market. There is a decent museum constructed, and one can roam around the rest of the site with relative ease. The museum contains the Afrasiab Murals, for which the site is quite famous. Also contained within the museum are an array of other artifacts, from Zoroastrian altars for eternal flames, elongated human skulls, and information about the Sogdian inhabitants of Afrasiab. The condition of the ruins is quite poor as they are unfortunately very eroded, and excavations have been reburied. It is mostly heaps of dirt with broken pottery strewn about everywhere. There are a few areas where foundations of buildings are more easily identifiable, but these were uncommon. Apparently, there is a section of early crenelated wall and a citadel from the Hellenistic period, but regrettably I did not manage to see these while roaming the large site.

The eroded ruins of Afrasiab:

A few photos from the Afrasiab Museum:

The Afrasiab Mural (NB: there is some inconsistency in the spelling, i.e. "Afrosiab" vs "Afrasiab", I have used the latter:

Short video of the Afrasiab mural reconstruction:

Shah-i-Zinda

As I was exiting the Afrasiab site heading towards the market, I came across the Sha-i-Zinda site, which is a cemetery with various tombs and mosaic tiled mausoleums. It also provides a decent view of Samarkand itself. I took a few photos from the outside and headed towards the market, wanting to arrive before sundown.

Shah-i-Zinda exterior:

Samarkand Bazaar

A short walk from Shai-i-Zinda and Afrasiab is the large market / bazaar of Samarkand “Siyob Dehqon Bozori”. Whilst the market contains all manner of usual raw foodstuffs, vegetables, meat etc. for locals, it also contains (among other items) all sorts of items made by artisans for tourists, from terracotta vessels to mosaic tilework, nuts, nougat, honeycomb, spices and more.

Samarkand Bazaar:

A night walk and some modern buildings

After dinner at Emirhan and the evening photos of the Registan I walked back to my hotel and explored some of the older (albeit not ancient) buildings along the way. A few 19th century buildings caught my eye, namely a Russian/Chinese Bank from the 19th century, and another building which is presently the Silk Road International Research Institute and was certainly built in a 19th century style; in many ways it reminded me of the old Russian consulate which I had visited in Kashgar.

Some of Samarkand's 19th century buildings at night:

The History of Samarkand

There is evidence of settlements in the region of Samarkand from at least 1500 BC, with a more recognisable settlement being originally founded as ancient Afrasiab in 700 BC. The ruins of Afrasiab remain today in the northeastern part of the modern city of Samarkand. During the early period of Samarkand’s history, it was one of the principal Sogdian cities (an ethnic group I have mentioned previously), and during the height of the Persian Empire it was a satrapy. Subsequently, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC, and although this did some damage to the city it was repaired. After the breaking up of Alexander’s Hellenistic legacy Samarkand appears to have been conquered by various nomadic tribes until the beginning of the Islamic era around 710 AD. The city would be conquered again in 1220 by Genghis Khan and the Mongols. In the 14th century Samarkand was made the capital of Emir Timur (aka Tamerlane) whose mausoleum I explored – this would be the zenith of historic Samarkand[2] when many of its present monuments were constructed/expanded/repaired. Since the 15th century Samarkand was controlled by various Islamic rulers and ultimately has grown into a relatively prosperous modern city, thanks to the arrival of the Trans-Caspian railway in 1888 and to its continued location at a crossroads of civilisations. Samarkand was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1868, one of their major moves during the Great Game. Great Game and archaeological names such as Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (a Russian agent) and Paul Pelliot (French archaeologist) passed through in 1906; Pelliot would have passed through on his way to explore the Mogao Caves (and other sites) which I have mentioned in prior posts covering China.

As one might expect from a city at a major Silk Road crossroad, there is evidence of multiple religions being practiced in the vicinity, including from the Hellenistic deities, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Nestorian Christianity, and of course, Islam.[3]

Samarkand’s Culinary Scene

Whilst Central Asia is not known for its culinary delights, after visiting the Registan and other sites I was feeling better and was quite keen to enjoy some of the local food.

I settled on visiting two restaurants the next two evenings for dinner. The first of these was Emirhan, which sits behind and overlooks the back of the Registan. Unfortunately, it was fully booked in the evening for a party, so I settled on a very late lunch. The food was good quality, however, the seats on the terrace quickly became quite cold as the sun receded, so I left and grabbed some tea at a nearby café to warm up before trying to take some night shots of the Registan. The local white wine was acceptable, but I didn’t bother to finish the red.

Emirhan, a restaurant with a view of the Registan:

The following night I tried a quiet and homely and cozy looking restaurant called “Old City” which turned out to be quite good as well. I ordered the Central Asian staples of Lagman and Plov and a local beer. I would recommend both restaurants to visitors.

A quaint restaurant called "Old City", featuring Lagman & Plov (both done well I might add):