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!<\/p>\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n
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.<\/p>\r\n
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 –\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
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