Colour photograph taken in Samarkand ca. 1912.

Samarkand (Samarqand or Самарқанд in Uzbek, in Persian سمرقند) (population 400,000) is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan, capital of Samarqand Province. It is located at latitude 39° 39' 15, longitude 66° 57' 35E, at an altitude of 702 meters. The majority of the city's inhabitants are Tajik-speaking. In 2001, after several abortive attempts, UNESCO inscribed the 2700-year-old city on the World Heritage List as Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures. Image File history File links Stork nests on the Ulugh Beg Madrasa in Samarkand. ... Image File history File links Stork nests on the Ulugh Beg Madrasa in Samarkand. ... 1912 was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Persian may refer to more than one article: the Western name for Iranian (see Iran/Persia naming controversy) Persian, an Iranian language the Persians, an ethnic group a Persian, a breed of cat Persian, a Pokémon character Etymology English Persian < Old English, < Latin *Persianus, < Latin Persia, < ancient Greek Persis... Samarqand Province (Samarkand Province) is an administration division, or viloyati of Uzbekistan located in the center of the country in the basin of Zarafshan River. ... Tajik or Tadjik (own name: Taҗйкы, Tojikí, تاجیکی in Persian script) is a descendant of the Persian language spoken in Central Asia. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

History

A minaret in Samarkand.

Samarkand (Greek: Marakanda) is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the (Silk Road) trade route between China and Europe. At times Samarkand has been the greatest city of Central Asia, and for much of its history it has been under Persian rule. Founded ca. 700BCE, it was already the capital of the Sogdian Empire when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BCE (see Afrasiab, Sogdiana). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1764, 368 KB) Summary A minaret in Samarkand. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x1764, 368 KB) Summary A minaret in Samarkand. ... The Silk Road (Traditional Chinese: 絲綢之路; Simplified Chinese: 丝绸之路; pinyin: sī chóu zhī lù, Persian راه ابریشم Râh-e Abrisham) was an interconnected series of routes through Southern Asia traversed by caravan and ocean vessel, and connecting Changan (todays Xian), China, with Antioch, Syria, as well as other points. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Persian may refer to more than one article: the Western name for Iranian (see Iran/Persia naming controversy) Persian, an Iranian language the Persians, an ethnic group a Persian, a breed of cat Persian, a Pokémon character Etymology English Persian < Old English, < Latin *Persianus, < Latin Persia, < ancient Greek Persis... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompeii mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ... Afrasiab, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan is both a historical city and its legendary founder. ... Sogdiana (Sugdiane, O. Pers. ...

From the 6th to 13th centuries, it grew larger and more populous than modern Samarkand, and was controlled by the Western Turks, Arabs, Persian Samanids, Karakhan Turks, Seljuk Turks, Karakitay and Khorezmshah before being sacked by the Mongols in 1220. A small part of the population survived, but Samarkand suffered at least another Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army with. The town took many decades to recover from these disasters. The Arabs ((Arabic: عرب ʻarab) are a large ethnic group widespread in the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... The Sāmānid dynasty (819-999) was a Iranian dynasty in Central Asia, named after its founder Saman Khoda. ... The Muslim, Turkic Kara-Khanid Khanate is not to be confused with the Sinitic, Khitan Kara-Khitan Khanate. ... The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in Turkish Selçuklu; in Arabic سلجوق Saljūq, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; in Persian سلجوقيان Saljūqiyān) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Khwarezmid Empire (also known as the Khwarezmian Empire) was a Muslim state formed by Oghuz Turks in the 11th century in Khwarezmia that lasted until the Mongol invasion in 1220. ... The Mongols are an ethnic group that originated in what is now Mongolia, Russia, and China, particularly Inner Mongolia. ... Centuries: 12th century - 13th century - 14th century Decades: 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s 1210s - 1220s - 1230s 1240s 1250s 1260s 1270s Years: 1215 1216 1217 1218 1219 - 1220 - 1221 1222 1223 1224 1225 See also: 1220 state leaders The world in 1220 Middle Ages in Europe Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Events Mongols...

In 1370, Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) decided to make Samarkand the capital of his projected world empire, which extended from India to Turkey. For the next 35 years, he built a new city, populating it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had captured. Timur gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity, and Samarkand grew to become the center of the region of Transoxiana. Events Beginning of the rule of Poland by Capet-Anjou family. ... For the chess engine Tamerlane, see Tamerlane. ... Transoxiana (sometimes spelled Transoxania) is the largely obsolete name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan and southwest Kazakhstan. ...

His grandson Ulugh Beg ruled the country for 40 years. In Samarkand, Ulugh beg created a scientific school that united outstanding astronomers and mathematicians. He also ordered the construction of an observatory; it contained a gigantic but precision-made marble sextant with an arc length of 63 meters. Ulugh Beg, here depicted on a Soviet stamp, was one of Islams greatest astronomers during the middle ages. ... A sextant is a measuring instrument used to measure the angle of elevation of a celestial object above the horizon. ...

In the 16th century, the Uzbek Shaybanids moved their capital to Bukhara, and Samarkand went into decline. After an assault by the Persian warlord Nadir Shah, the city was abandoned in the 18th century. The Emir of Bukhara forcibly repopulated the town at the end of the 18th century. Bukhara (Buxoro or Бухоро in Uzbek (the Cyrillic alphabet was officially phased out for Uzbek after independence); بُخارا /Bukhârâ/ in Persian, Buhe/Puhe Tang Chinese, Бухара in Russian; also Boxara in Tatar) is one of... Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto (complete) military control of a subnational area, due to a military force which is personally obedient to that warlord. ... Tomb of Nadir Shah, a popular tourist attraction in Mashhad Nadir Shah (Nadir Qoli Beg, also Tahmasp-Qoli Khan) (October 22, 1688 - June, 1747) ruled as shah of Iran (1736–47) and was the founder of the short-lived Afsharid dynasty. ... Bukhara (Buxoro or Бухоро in Uzbek (the Cyrillic alphabet was officially phased out for Uzbek after independence); بُخارا /Bukhârâ/ in Persian, Buhe/Puhe Tang Chinese, Бухара in Russian; also Boxara in Tatar) is one of...

In 1868, the city came under Russian rule, when the citadel was stormed by a force under Colonel A.K. Abramov (1836-1886). Shortly thereafter the small Russian garrison of 500 men were themselves besieged. The assault was led by the Bek of Shahrisabz, and the attack was beaten off with heavy losses. Abramov, now a general, became the first Governor of the Military Okrug which the Russians established along the course of the River Zeravshan, of which Samarkand was the administrative centre. It later became the capital of the Samarkand Oblast of Russian Turkestan, and grew in importance still further when the Trans-Caspian railway reached the city in 1888. It became the capital of the Uzbek SSR in 1925 before being replaced by Tashkent in 1930. 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is an American musician and songwriter. ... Shahrisabz or Shahr-e Sabz (from the Persian meaning green city), also known as Kesh, is a city in Uzbekistan approximately 50 mi. ... Okrug is a term to denote administrative subdivision in some Slavic states. ... The Zeravshan or Zarafshan river, whilst smaller and less well-known than the two great rivers of Central Asia, the Oxus or Amu-Darya and the Jaxartes or Syr-Darya, is if anything more valuable as a source of irrigation in the region. ... An oblast (Slavonian verbalism or term, Czech: oblast, Slovak: oblasÅ¥, Russian, Ukrainian: о́бласть, Bulgarian: о́бласт) English equivalent area, province or zone. ... Russian Turkestan (Russian: Ру́сский Туркеста́н), also known as Turkestansky Krai (Туркеста́нский край), was a subdivision (Krai or Governor-Generalship) of Imperial Russia, comprising the oasis region to the South of the Kazakh steppes, but not the Protectorates of Bukhara and Khiva. ... The Trans-Caspian railway (later called the Central Asiatic Railway) is a railway that follows the path of the Silk Road through much of western Central Asia. ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... State motto: Бутун дунё пролетарлари, бирлашингиз! (transliteration: Butun Dunyo Proletarlari, Burlashingiz! (Uzbek: Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Tashkent Tashkent (Toshkent or Тошкент in Uzbek, Ташке́нт in Russian; its name is Turkoman language for Stone City It is the current capital of Uzbekistan. ...

Major Sights

Registan

• Registan

One of the most awesome sights in Central Asia, if not one of the most remarkable in the world, the Registan was the center of medieval Samarkand. It consists of three huge madrassas, forming three sides surrounding a huge square. Samarkand Registan Small File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Samarkand Registan Small File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Categories: Central Asia geography stubs | Buildings and structures in Uzbekistan ... Madrassa in the Gambia The word madrassa in the Arabic language (and other languages of the Islamic nations such as Persian, Turkish, Indonesian etc. ...

Ulugh Beg Madrassa on the west was finished in 1420 under Ulugh Beg himself, and contains mosaics with astronomical themes. About 100 students were taught the sciences, astronomy, and philosophy in addition to theology. Events May 21 - Treaty of Troyes. ... Ulugh Beg, here depicted on a Soviet stamp, was one of Islams greatest astronomers during the middle ages. ... Astrometry: the study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. ... These five broad types of question are called analytical or logical, epistemological, ethical, metaphysical, and aesthetic respectively. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογος, logos, word or reason). It also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

Sherdor Madrassa on the east was completed in 1636 by the Shaybanid Emir Yalangtush as a mirror image of Ulugh Beg Madrassa, except with decoration of roaring lions, in blatant violation of Islamic rules. Events February 24 - King Christian of Denmark gives an order that all beggars that are able to work must be sent to Brinholmen Island to build ships or as galley rowers March 26 - Utrecht University founded in The Netherlands. ...

Tilla-Kari Madrassa in between was completed in 1660, with a golden decoration and with a pleasant courtyard. Events Expulsion of the Carib indigenous people from Martinique by French occupying forces. ...

• Bibi-Khanym Mosque

This gigantic ruined mosque was built by Timur's Mongol wife, Bibi-Khanym, while Timur was away campaigning. Bibi-Khanym was the niece of Genghis Khan. According to legend, the architect fell madly in love with her, and refused to complete the job unless she agreed to kiss him. The kiss left a mark, and the outraged Timur ordered both killed, and decreed that thenceforth the women of his empire would wear veils in the Arab-style. In any event, the mosque, with its main gate over 35 meters tall, was one of the largest and grandiose buildings in Samarkand. It mostly collapsed in an earthquake in 1897. Genghis Khan â–¶(?) (c. ... 1897 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

• Shah-i-Zinda

The most beautiful of Samarkand’s sights is the “Tomb of the Living King". The complex is based on the grave of Qusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, which brought Islam to this area. His shrine is one of the oldest buildings in Samarkand. According to legend, he is not dead, but only sleeping and his tomb draws thousands of pilgrims. The approach to the tomb is a vast necropolis built on the ruins of the ancient Sogdian city. The major tombs belong to Timur and Ulugh Beg’s extended family and favorites, and are covered in fantastic majolica tile work. Shah-i-Zinda (شاه زنده in Persian meaning The Living King) is the mausoleums of the Timurid cemetery in the Registan quarter in Samarkand (todays Uzbekistan). ... Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... Islām is described as a dÄ«n, meaning way of life and/or guidance. ... A necropolis (plural: necropolises or necropoleis) is a cemetery or burying-place, literally a city of the dead. Apart from the occasional application of the word to modern cemeteries outside large towns, the term is chiefly used of burial grounds near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations. ... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ... Majolica is earthenware with a white tin glaze, decorated by applying colorants on the raw glazed surface. ...

• Guri Amir Mausoleum
  

  

  Timur's mausoleum, Gur-e Amir

After the death of his grandson Muhammad-Sultan in 1403 Timur ordered the mausoleum built for him. With time, the Gur-e Amir became the family mausoleum of the Timurid dynasty. See main article at Gur-e Amir mosque in samarkand (donation) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... mosque in samarkand (donation) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Reconstruction of Timur from exhumation of his tomb. ... A mausoleum is a large and impressive tomb, usually constructed for a deceased leader. ... Timurs mausoleum Gur-e Amir at Samarkand Gur-e Amir is the mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Timur in Samarkand (now in Uzbekistan). ... Events July 21 - Battle of Shrewsbury. ... Timurids Map The Timurids were a mixed Turkic-Mongol and Persian (Turco-Persian) dynasty of Central Asia established by Timur (Tamerlane). ... Timurs mausoleum Gur-e Amir at Samarkand Gur-e Amir is the mausoleum of the Asian conqueror Timur in Samarkand (now in Uzbekistan). ...

• Main Bazaar

Extending around and behind Bibi Khanym Mosque, things have been unchanged for centuries.

• Afrasiab ruins

Northeast of the Main Bazaar is the 2.2 sw km archaeological site of ancient Samarkand (Marakanda) or Afrasiab, mostly exposed to the elements. The Afrasiab Museum has some 7th century Sogdian frescos. Of note is the purported tomb of Daniel, the Old Testament prophet. The restored building is a long, low structure with five domes, containing an immense 18-meter long sarcophagus. According to legend, Daniel’s body grows by half an inch per year, thus the long tomb. Afrasiab, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan is both a historical city and its legendary founder. ... The Sogdians were an ancient people of Central Asia, who inhabited the region known to the West as Sogdiana. ... Daniel (דָּנִיֵּאל, Standard Hebrew Daniyyel, Tiberian Hebrew Dāniyyêl) is the name of at least three people from the Bible. ... Judaism uses the term Tanakh instead of Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as being part of the Biblical canon The Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures (also called the Hebrew Bible) constitutes the first major part of the Bible according to Christianity. ...

• Ulugh Beg Observatory

Ulugh Beg was probably more famous as an astronomer than a ruler. His works on astronomy were known even in Europe. In the 1420s, he built an immense, 3-story tall astrolabe, one of the largest ever constructed, in order to measure the positions of the stars with unprecedented accuracy. The ruins were unearthed in 1908. Ulugh Beg, here depicted on a Soviet stamp, was one of Islams greatest astronomers during the middle ages. ... Astrometry: the study of the position of objects in the sky and their changes of position. ... Events and Trends Categories: 1420s ... For the ship of Dumont dUrville, see Astrolabe A 16th century astrolabe. ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

• State Museum

This crumbling and largely ignored museum contains serious exhibitions on local archaeology, history, and folk crafts.

Samarkand in literature

In The Arabian Nights, King Shah Zaman is king of Samarkand. The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (كتاب ألف ليلة و ليلة in Arabic or هزار و یک شب in Persian), also known as The book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, 1001 Arabian Nights, or simply the Arabian Nights, is a piece of classic Arabic literature in... Sultan Shah Zaman From The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. ...

Samarkand can appear as an archetype of romantic exoticism, notably in the work by James Elroy Flecker: The Golden Journey to Samarkand. James Elroy Flecker (November 5, 1884- January 3, 1915) was an English poet, novelist and playwright. ...

Samarcande is the title of a novel by Amin Maalouf, around Omar Khayyám's life. Amin Maalouf, born on (25 February 1949) in Beirut, Lebanon is a Lebanese author. ... Tomb of Omar Khayyám, Nishapur, Iran. ...

Samarkand is one of the cities Audre Lorde describes visiting in her collection of essays and speeches, Sister Outsider. Audre Geraldine Lorde (February 18, 1934 in Harlem, New York City - 1992) was a multi-faceted writer and activist. ...

Samarqand is the center of the Islamic Renaissance in Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt. Kim Stanley Robinson at the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow, August 2005 Kim Stanley Robinson (born March 23, 1952) is an American science fiction writer, probably best known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. ... The Years of Rice and Salt (2002, ISBN 0553580078) is an alternate history novel written by science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, a thought experiment about a world without Christianity. ...

In some futuristic science fiction universes (most notably BattleTech), there is a human-populated world named New Samarkand. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... 20 Year Anniversary of BattleTech logo BattleTech (MechWarrior) is a science-fiction board game (wargame) (designed by FASA in 1984) which simulates warfare in the distant future of the 31st century, where humans battle in gigantic walking machines powered by fusion reactors (known as BattleMechs), tanks, spaceships and other aircraft...

The Nightingale of Samarkand is a character in the Broadway musical Once Upon a Mattress. This article or section should include material from King Sextimus Once Upon a Mattress is a critically-acclaimed musical comedy that opened on Broadway on May 11, 1959 and ran for 460 performances. ...

Angela Carter's short story The Kiss discusses the legend of Tamburlaine's mosque in Samarkand. Angela Carter (May 7, 1940-February 16, 1992) was an English novelist and journalist, known for her post-feminist magical realist works. ...

In Islamic literature and discussions, Samarkand has taken on a semi-mythological status and is often cited as an ideal of Islamic philosophy and society, a place of justice, fairness, and righteous moderation.

For part of the history espoused in Clive Barker's Galilee, the city of Samarkand is held as a shining light of humanity, and one of the characters longs to go there. Clive Barker (born October 5, 1952, Liverpool, England) is a British author, director and visual artist. ...

The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. The Amulet of Samarkand is the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy written by Jonathan Stroud. ... Overview of the Trilogy The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a trilogy of books that feature a unique set of characters. ... Jonathan Stoud Jonathan Stroud (*1970, Bedford, England) is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and youths. ...

External links

• Monuments of Samarkand
• The Golden Journey ('Road') to Samarkand
• Samarkand - Silk Road Seattle Project / Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington
• Photos of Samarkand and Uzbekistan

Old man, photographed by Prokudin-Gorskii near Samarkand before 1915, probably an ethnic Tajik	Fields near Samarkand	Jewish children with their teacher in Samarkand, before 1915
Marketplace in Samarkand, before 1915	Fabric merchant at the Samarkand market displays colorful silk, cotton, and wool fabrics; before 1915	Shah-e Zindah Tombs