The tomb of a saint revered by three religions, a king who loved the stars, a curse that caused the Nazis to invade Russia during World War 2 and getting high on Uzbek wine! Samarkand has it all!
Samarkand, the second largest city in Uzbekistan has a rich history spanning 3 millenniums. From Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan to Amir Taimur to Babur, great-warrior kings have ruled Samarkand for different spans in their lives.
Historically, Samarkand was a key city on the ancient Silk Road. Merchants, traders, noblemen, diplomats, intellectuals of yore have all passed through the city at some point. It was during Amir Taimur’s rule that Samarkand truly flourished. Taimur made the city his capital and built many mosques, mausoleums and madrassahs, a lot of which are standing today.
Over a century after Timur’s death in 1405, the Timurid empire fell apart and Samarkand’s stature started declining. The Shayabanids who were Uzbek nomads took over and moved their capital to Bukhara. This was followed by weak rule over the city and it came under several assaults, which caused much of the infrastructure and buildings to crumble.
It was only in the late 1800’s that Samarkand got the attention it deserved. The Russian empire took control of Samarkand and named it capital of Uzbek state under Soviet rule till 1930. The Soviets dedicated themselves to restoring and rebuilding many of the dilapidated monuments and bringing them back to life. Even after the Soviet rule, the Uzbekistan government has taken some serious steps to bring Samarkand back to its glory days.
Today, the city is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List and attracts tourists and historians alike from all over the world. Here are some of the top things to do in Samarkand –
Table of Contents
THINGS TO DO IN SAMARKAND
1. Gawk at the beauty of the Gur-e-Amir
The Gur-e-Amir is the mausoleum of Amir Taimur, the founder of the Timurid empire. Interestingly, the Gur-e-Amir was not intended to be his burial place. He wanted to be buried in his birthplace of Shahrisabz, some 85kms south of Samarkand.
The Gur-e-Amir was originally built in 1403 for Taimur’s grandson, Muhammad Sultan, who died aged just 27 from battle wounds and exhaustion. Grief-stricken, Taimur ordered the construction of the Gur-e-Amir.
Taimur passed away in 1405 and did not see the mausoleum completed. It was, eventually, completed by his other grandson Ulugh Bek (we’ll come to him later), who buried Taimur alongside Muhammad Sultan.
Fast forward to a few centuries later, as the power of the empire waned, the mausoleum went into a state of neglect. In 1941, it caught the attention of Russian archeologists who began to excavate the site. The events that followed this excavation are linked to a popular legend native to the region.
Taimur’s tombstone is said to have proclaimed “When I rise from the dead, the world shall tremble. Whosoever disturbs my tomb will unleash an invader more terrible than I am”. Two days after his tomb was opened by the Russian archeologists, Hitler invaded Russia, a war that saw over 25 million Soviet deaths. To some extent, the prophecy was true as Hitler turned out to be a more ruthless invader than Taimur.
After years of repeated restorations by the Soviets and by the Uzbek government, the Gur-e-Amir captures its past glory to a large extent. It also served as inspiration to two prominent monuments in India – Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. These were built by Mughal emperors, who were descendants of Taimur.
The lovely Gur-e-Amir was located right outside our B&B, and we were able to get in quite early, even though there was a reasonably sized crowd. The best part of staying near the Gur-e-Amir is that you can see it all lit up at night.
Some blogs say that there is an entry fee of about $3-$4. However, we entered through a small inconspicuous back gate near our B&B and we did not realise that there was an entry fee till we exited from the main gate.
2. Explore an ancient astronomical wonder
A short cab ride away from the Gur-e-Amir lies the Ulugh Bek Observatory, the history of which dates back to the early 1400’s.
Ulugh Bek was one of the grandsons of Amir Taimur. Even though he was born into a warrior family, he didn’t inherit the military nous of his grandfather. He had, instead, a keen yearning of astronomy and the stars. In order to further his interest in the celestial sciences, he built an observatory.
In the following years, after having lost a large part of the empire to nearby kingdoms, he was eventually overthrown and killed by his own son. After over 3 decades of scientific activity, the observatory was torn down, only to be discovered over 5 centuries later in 1908 by a Russian archeologist, Vladimir Viyatkin.
At its height, the observatory was known for its discoveries of over 1000 stars (way before the advent of telescopes), determining the exact tilt of the earth as well as determining the length of the year and time of the day. In addition to that, he invited Islamic mathematicians and astronomers to study and collaborate at the Ulugh Bek Madrassah in nearby Registan.
During the tour of the observatory, you can peer through the Fakhrī sextant (over 40 meters in diameter) which made it the largest astronomical instrument in the world of that type.
The views from the observatory were pretty good even though we visited during an overcast afternoon.
The Ulugh Bek Observatory is a 10-minute ride away from the Gur-e-Amir and a 7 minute ride from Registan. You can simply hail a yellow taxi off the road or book a Yandex cab.
Entry to the Ulugh Bek Observatory costs 25k Uzbek soum (₹175/$2.5) per head.
3. Visit the tomb of a revered prophet
The tomb of St. Daniel is truly one of the most unique places in the world where Christians, Jews and Muslims come to pray. The story of Daniel goes as far back as the 6th century BC, in which he was a noble Jew from Jerusalem. He is the hero in an apocalyptic biblical prophecy called the Book of Daniel.
Interestingly, there are multiple places that claim to house the remains of the revered prophet. These include places in Iran and Iraq. A local legend says that Amir Taimur’s multiple attempts to capture Syria failed. One of his generals suggested that it was because the prophet Daniel was buried in Syria. As a result, Taimur sent a much stronger army to conquer Syria and after a fierce battle, he was able to bring back the remains of Daniel.
More local folklore states that the body grows every year, and hence a sarcophagus measuring 18m was built. Some other stories state that Taimur purposefully ordered a larger coffin to put off grave robbers.
The tomb is a 5-domed building flanked between the Siab river and a hillock and is a pleasant 10-minute downhill walk from the Ulugh Bek observatory. You can also reach this place by hailing a taxi or a Yandex cab – parking is in plenty.
If you have some time to spare, you can walk up a flight of stairs behind the tomb which leads to a large open field.
Entry to the tomb of St. Daniel is 15k Soum (₹105/$1.5) per head.
4. Gape at the opulent Bibi-Khanym Mosque
One of our favourite monuments in Samarkand was the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. At one time in history, it was the largest mosques in the Islamic world. However, after years of neglect, it was only in the 20th century that the Soviets began careful restoration of the mosque.
Amir Taimur ordered the construction of the mosque in 1399 to honour his favourite wife, Bibi Khanym. Soon after, he left for his conquest of India and the construction was completed just in time before he returned in 1404.
Taimur, however, had other ideas. He ordered the reconstruction of several aspects of the mosque which proved to be disastrous for the building. Over the course of many years, the building fell into a state of disrepair. It was only in the late 1960’s that the Soviets took the complex task of restoring the mosque to its former glory.
Today, you will be welcomed into the Bibi-Khanym mosque by a large facade at the entrance which is deemed to represent the Milky Way. On the inside, domed structures are flanked by gardens before you walk up to a second facade at the opposite end of the mosque compound.
Entry to the Bibi-Khanym mosque is 25k Uzbek Soum (₹175/$2.5) per head.
5. Tour the dilapidated mausoleum of Taimur’s favourite wife
Right opposite the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, is the mausoleum of Bibi-Khanym. This is slightly underwhelming and plain compared to what lies opposite the road, it is devoid of any tourists and has limited opening hours. Nevertheless, it definitely makes for an interesting visit.
Entry to the dilapidated mausoleum is 20k Uzbek Soum (₹140/$2) per head.
6. Have traditional chai at a choykhona
All meals in Uzbekistan are accompanied by a pot of green or lemon and in some cases black tea. These are great to either start and/or wash down your meal.
One of the must-do things in Uzbekistan is to have chai at a choykhona (tea house), which will usually have shaded area under trees or small cabins. One such choykhona is the Bibinkhaum teahouse which is situated outside the Bibi-Khanym mosque. Savour some tea while you do some people-watching and munch over some hot samsas.
The price for a pot of chai and 2 samsas was 31k Uzbek soum (₹210/$3).
7. Shop at Siyab Bazaar
Siyab Bazaar is a haven for shoppers looking to take a bit of Uzbekistan back home. Since we usually prefer buying something extremely local such as a handicrafts, this bazaar was a true delight. We ended up buying a few fridge magnets and some suzani table runners for close family back home.
The Siyab Bazaar is located right next to the Bibi Khanym mosque and is the largest market in Samarkand. It’s a great way to see and experience locals going about their daily lives.
The main centre of the Siyab bazaar is dotted with sellers selling dry fruits, spices, condiments, fruits, vegetables and the famous Samarkand bread. Towards the edges of the bazaar, you will see several souvenir shops where we helped ourselves to a quick photo-op!
8. Catch the sunrise and sunset at the Registan Square
The Registan Square is the most defining monument in Samarkand and probably in all of Uzbekistan. This stunning architectural ensemble has madrassahs on three sides with a large central open space.
The Registan has a long and rich history, and has been central to life in Samarkand for centuries. Roughly translated, it means ‘place of sand’. Interestingly, in Hindi, Registan means desert. The large central space of the Registan was originally full of sand.
The Registan square served as a place for public congregations, religious celebrations and even public executions. It flourished during the times of the Silk Road when traders would gather around the buildings to sell their wares.
There are three madrassahs that make up the Registan ensemble –
- The Ulugh Bek Madrassah which is on the left from the viewing deck and was ordered for construction by Ulugh Bek himself. It is the oldest of the three and served as a school for subjects such as astronomy, mathematics amongst others, back in the day.
- The Sher-Dor Madrassah which is on the right from the viewing deck and is located right opposite the Ulugh Bek Madrassah. Built nearly two centuries after its predecessor, the Sher-dor madrassah was intended to be built taller than the Ulugh Bek madrassah. It is named after the tigers (sher=tiger in the local dialect) that adorn its portal.
- The Tilya-Kori Madrassah which is in the centre from the viewing deck and is the most magnificent of the three structures. The youngest of the three, its dome is truly magnificent. The dome looks like it contains perforations and is carved out but is actually a flat surface and is purely the magic of light that gives it its stunning look.
The best times to visit the Registan square are at sunrise (between 6-7AM) and sunset (around 5-6PM), where you can attempt to get brilliant photos of the sun shining on these ancient domes. Unfortunately for us, both our days in Samarkand had heavy downpours. Nevertheless, we still managed to get some nice shots at sunrise and sunset below!
Entry to the Registan is 42.5k Uzbek soum (₹300/$4.2) per head. Apparently, a night pass is available too for viewing post 7PM. On the days that we were there, the monuments weren’t open to the public at night.
9. Get a little tipsy at the Khovrenko Wine Museum
When one talks about the best wines in the world, countries usually associated would be France, Italy, Australia or South Africa. Uzbekistan is typically not associated with wine. Prepare to be surprised!
In the mid-1800’s, when the Russian empire advanced to invade parts of Uzbekistan, Samarkand flourished with traders, merchants and entrepreneurs. Samarkand’s grapes had higher sugar content (25%) than the world’s average (16%). A Russian winemaker, Filatov, saw potential in starting a wine business.
With the 1917 Russian revolution on the horizon, Filatov had to shut down the winery and leave. But, he ensured to preserve his well-crafted wine from being plundered or confiscated. These preserved wines were only discovered nearly a century later, in a cellar.
Pro-tip : These wine samples are available during the tour. For an extra fee, of course.
In the mid-1930’s, another Russian winemaker, Mikhail Khovrenko re-ignited the wine-making industry in Samarkand. He developed new wines and in general, brought in technology and improved production. To honour his contribution to the wine industry, a wine museum was sanctioned.
Cut back to our visit. We were actually a bit disappointed with the downpour on the day we had decided to visit Registan. The Khovrenko Wine Museum was on our to-do list but we hadn’t really prioritised it as we only had 2 days in Samarkand. Since there was little that we could do while waiting for the rains to stop, we decided to hail a taxi and head to the Khovrenko Wine Museum.
We hadn’t booked a session (which some blogs suggest you should) and decided to wing it anyway. To our luck, it only turned out to be us and an Indonesian photographer for the tour. The session takes place in a lovely room, with an opulent table, flanked by paintings of ancient wine-making.
The sampling is walked through by a focused host who knows his Uzbek wines well. The line-up starts slow with a white wine, graduates you through 6 red wines and has a grand-stand finish of 3 cognacs. We were well and truly buzzing towards the end of it. We even indulged in a debate on Indonesian politics (Widodo et al) with our photographer companion from Jakarta.
The wine tour costs just 50k Uzbek soum (₹350/$5) per head. Some websites quote a price of 100k Uzbek soum (₹700/$10). There are some websites that sell it for as high as $35. Avoid these! Our assumption is the price varies depending on the season.
10. Spend an evening at the Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis
The Shah-i-Zinda, for us, was the most stunning monument(s) in Samarkand. You could partially attribute it to the fact that majority of our time in Samarkand was spent getting drenched. The warm sunlight at the necropolis was a welcome surprise.
The architectural monuments in the Shah-i-Zinda are truly beautiful. They are primarily rows of blue tombs, all of which are square buildings with a dome and have an entrance in the form of a portico.
Loosely translated, Shah-i-Zinda means ‘The Living King’. It is named after a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, Kusam Ibn Abbas. The legend has it that when he was beheaded, he didn’t die but took his head with him into the Garden of Paradise.
There is yet another legend about the steps leading up to the necropolis. According to this one, if the number of steps going up match with the number of steps going down, you will be free of your sins. We did notice some locals carefully murmuring but didn’t know what they were up to.
Some of the porticos, domes and the artwork, while heavily restored, are lovely. Don’t forget to look up!
There are a few blogs that suggest taking an alternate route through a graveyard to get a nicer view but we couldn’t really find the path. Evenings are the best time as most of the tour groups are gone and you will mostly find locals and a few travellers around.
The Shah-i-Zinda necropolis is a short walk 10 minute away from the Bibi Khanym Mosque, and is reachable via a taxi or Yandex cab as well. Entry to the Shah-i-Zinda costs 15k Uzbek soum (₹105/$1.5) per head.
Some other things that you could do in Samarkand are –
- Visit the Hazrat-Hyzr mosque which is named after an important prophet in Islam. Photography inside is banned so we simply saw this from the outside. It is located very close to the Bibi-Khanym mosque, on the opposite side of a foot-over bridge.
- Visit the Rukhabad Mausoleum which is an interesting monument a couple of minutes by walk away from the Gur-e-Amir. It was built by Taimur to honour an Islamic theologist Sheikh Burhaneddin Sagaradzhi, who was married to a Chinese princess.
- If you have an additional day, you can visit the town of Shahrisabz which is 85kms south of Samarkand. It is the birthplace of Taimur and it consists of some interesting monuments. You will need to hail a normal taxi or a shared taxi or a minibus. Usually, hotels will help you with arranging transport.
GETTING IN AND GETTING OUT
Flights
Samarkand has an airport. However, the connectivity is not the greatest. You can fly in from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan in Russia; Istanbul and Tashkent.
Trains
It is highly likely you will arrive in Samarkand via train. This is the most comfortable mode of travel and a great chance to interact with curious and friendly locals. Samarkand is well connected to Tashkent, Bukhara and the Fergana Valley. You can refer to the entire train timetable on Advantour. It is ideal to book a few days in advance if you are sure about your plans. We will shortly publish a detailed article on train travel in Uzbekistan.
We took the 2-30PM train from Andijan on a Sunday afternoon and it arrived in Samarkand at about 1-30AM in the wee hours of Monday. For our outward journey, we chose the comfortable Afrosiyob to Bukhara, a journey of about 280kms covered in just 90 minutes.
Taxis
This isn’t an option we really explored. That said, there are several shared taxis that run through the day to Tashkent, Bukhara and Shahrisabz.
WHERE TO STAY IN SAMARKAND
Budget – B&B Emir
We chose the B&B Emir as it is a great budget option in Samarkand. It is conveniently located, close to Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum. We had a really late night check-in which was quite smooth and a taxi was arranged to pick us up from the train station. We stayed in a room of 4 (2 bunk beds). The beds were quite comfortable, with a small lamp and charging port.
The common room is great to socialise with fellow travellers or to just sit and work. The breakfast was strictly okay as the breads were exhaustingly chewy for cold Samarkand mornings.
Mid-Range – Jahongir Guest House
WHERE TO EAT IN SAMARKAND
Yulduz
Yulduz is a cosy cafe/restaurant located outside the Ulugh Bek observatory. The service was great and the food was served piping hot to satiate our appetite on a chilly Samarkand afternoon. We ordered plov, some meat soup and tea. It was quite reasonable at 38k Uzbek soum (₹260/$3.75).
Bibinkhaum Choykhana
Located right next to the Bibi-Khanym mosque, the Bibinkhaum Choykhana is an excellent way to spend some time in the evening. The service is okay and the prices are decent. The price for a pot of chai and 2 samsas was 31k Uzbek soum (₹210/$3).
Registan Restaurant
The Registan restaurant is located right opposite the Registan complex and serves traditional Uzbek fare. Service is quick and friendly. For starters, we had the Kucha Oshi which is a wheat soup, followed by meat mantis which are Uzbek momos. We particularly enjoyed the main dish, Karakhan, which is a rice preparation garnished with fried meat and dried apricots. The final price, also inclusive of some traditional sweets, was 91k Uzbek soum (₹630/$9).
Samarkand Restaurant
The Samarkand restaurant is a swanky place for lunch or dinner and is located right next to the Khovrenko Wine Museum. Honestly, we were too buzzed after all that wine to even remember what we ordered. It definitely made for a good afternoon siesta. For about 3 (or was it 4?) items, the final bill came up to 68.5k Uzbek soum (₹465/$6.75).
Platan
Platan is a highly recommended restaurant on a few blogs and travel websites, known for its western and fusion Uzbek cuisine. Honestly, we were quite disappointed with Platan. The service was shoddy, we had to repeat our order thrice and it took nearly an hour’s waiting time to be served. The food was quite okay and expensive at 65k Uzbek soum (₹440/$6.4). Best to avoid in our opinion.
Muborak-Opa
This is a great option to have traditional Uzbek cuisine. Make sure to call and reserve a few days in advance as there are limited slots and the hostess takes great care in preparing the dishes. This also happens to be a great option for vegetarian food. As we were short on time, we couldn’t visit.
TRAVELING IN SAMARKAND
The Yandex app works in Samarkand and is a convenient way to book taxis. We couldn’t make use of it as our SIM card just wouldn’t work.
Pro tip – Do not buy the sim card in the airport. Instead, buy it from the city.
Alternatively, there are local yellow taxis that run by the meter. You could hail them from the streets.
Taxi drivers will wait outside every popular monument and ask if you need a ride. If you are short on time, you can go for these. Before you board the taxi, ensure that you have agreed on a price and the driver knows where to take you.
OTHER UZBEKISTAN RESOURCES
Enjoyed our blog on Samarkand? Here are our other Uzbekistan-related blogs –
The Complete Uzbekistan Travel Guide 2020
7 Best Things to do in Tashkent
The 10 best Tashkent Metro Stations
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