Samarkand

The heart of the Silk Road: the blue domes of the three Registan madrasas, the Gur-e-Amir (Timur's mausoleum) and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis make up Central Asia's most breathtaking ensemble of monuments.

Samarkand lies in the Zeravshan Valley in eastern Uzbekistan at about 700 m above sea level. Founded some 2,750 years ago, it is a Silk Road city as old as Rome and Athens. Known as Maracanda when Alexander the Great took it in the 4th century BC, it was the homeland of the Sogdian merchants of Kangju during the Tang dynasty. After Genghis Khan razed it in 1220, Timur made it his capital in 1370 and brought in artisans from across his empire, building the most splendid capital in the Islamic world. In 2001 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a "Crossroad of Cultures." The main sights are compact and walkable: the three madrasas of Registan Square in the city center; a 15-minute walk north along Tashkent Street to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Siyob Bazaar; farther northeast, up on the Afrasiyab hill, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, the Tomb of Saint Daniel, the Afrasiyab Museum and the Ulugh Beg Observatory; and the Gur-e-Amir, Timur's mausoleum, 10 minutes' walk southwest of the Registan. The climate is dry and continental: April–May and September–October are the most pleasant (20–28°C) and also peak season; June–August often tops 38°C, so sightsee early and late; November–March is cold with occasional snow, but there are fewer visitors and flights are cheaper. Getting there: Chinese passport holders can enter Uzbekistan visa-free for 30 days from June 2025. There are direct flights from Beijing and Urumqi to Tashkent, and Samarkand International Airport also has routes from Urumqi, Istanbul and elsewhere. The Afrosiyob high-speed train from Tashkent takes 2 hours 10 minutes (book ahead on the Uzbekistan Railways website or 12go; seats are tight in peak season), and Bukhara is about 1.5 hours away by high-speed train. In town, use Yandex Go for taxis; rides between sights cost 10,000–20,000 sum. Allow 2–3 days. Tips: foreigner admission to sights is about 50,000–60,000 sum (roughly 30–35 yuan), and some sights charge extra for photography; cover your shoulders and knees when entering mosques and mausoleums, and women should ideally bring a headscarf; the Registan has a free light show every evening (around 20:30–21:00); eat Samarkand plov at a plov center near the bazaar at midday, as it sells out by afternoon; Samarkand bread (non) can be vacuum-packed to take home.

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