Samarkand Visit Guide: Travelling Through Silk Road Splendour

In the 14th century, the city of Samarkand, which had been sacked by the Mongol horde of Genghis Khan more than a century earlier, witnessed a remarkable transformation.

Timur, a local ruler from the nearby city of Shakhrisabz, made Samarkand his new capital city.

Under the reign of Timur’s grandson, Ulughbek, and the subsequent Shaybanid rulers, further monuments were constructed in the city.

Golden road to Samarkand

We travel not for trafficking alone.
By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned.
For lust of knowing what should not be known
We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.

Writing these lines, which I know by heart, once again gave me goose bumps as I recall the unforgettable moment of setting foot on Registan Square for the very first time.

Similar to the other two structures on the Registan, the entrance to the Ulughbek Madrassa is highly impressive in both size and beauty, featuring exquisite blue tiles adorned with intricate Islamic calligraphy.

A smaller hallway leads to the inner courtyard of the building, which was completed in 1420 during the reign of Ulughbek, the grandson of Timur after whom it is named.

The students resided in dormitory cells that lined the interior courtyard, prayed in the madrassa’s own mosque and studied in lecture halls.

In present times, most of these dormitory cells have been repurposed as souvenir shops, while others remain closed with their wooden doors tightly shut.

He also instructed me to keep my head lowered, not only due to the low ceiling but also to avoid being noticed by others in the vicinity, as it became apparent that he was technically not permitted to allow visitors to climb up the minaret.

The views from the top of the 33-metre-high minaret were absolutely worth it, as I not only enjoyed sweeping views over the Registan but also could admire the Bibi Khanym mosque in the distance.

Tilla-Kari Madrassa

The second building on the Registan (the ‘middle’ one) that I visited was the Tilla-Kari Madrassa, constructed in the year 1660.

Characterised by a predominantly blue-colours tiles on its exterior, the Tilla-Kari Madrassa truly lives up to its name as the “gold-covered” madrassa once you step inside.

The interior of the Tilla-Kari Madrassa is decorated with so much gold that it can almost be blinding.

The gold does however blend brilliantly with the blue tiles, creating some absolutely stunning visual effects.

From the interior courtyard you have a good view of the equally beautiful but oddly shaped azure blue dome of the Tilla-Kari Madrassa.

Sher Dor Madrassa

This madrassa is undeniably stunning too, although I couldn’t help but notice that the two depicted animals bear a closer resemblance to tigers rather than lions.

No amount of pictures or words can truly capture the immense beauty of the Registan.

Personally, I believe that the Registan in Samarkand should be among the top-ranked buildings in the world that one must visit in their lifetime, alongside such places as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat or the Acropolis in Athens.

Dinner

The entire meal, including a bottle of water, salad as well as complimentary tea, amounted to no more than 4 euro.

According to the tales of yore, Timur had expressed his desire to be buried in his birthplace of Shakhrisabz.

However, after he unexpectedly died from pneumonia during a severe winter, Timur’s remains could not be transported over the mountain pass towards Shakhrisabz, which meant that he had to be buried in Samarkand instead.

Upon passing through the main gate, you will find yourself in the inner courtyard, where the entrance to the main building, which is adorned with a breathtaking blue dome, awaits.

You will encounter several information signs that offer an overview of Amir Timur’s life and military accomplishments.

To the right, a door leads to the main chamber of the mausoleum beneath the dome, which is exquisitely adorned with blue tiles and golden decorative elements reminiscent of the interior of the Tilla-Kari Madrassa.

As lunchtime approached, I decided to stop at a nice-looking restaurant on Registanskaya Street, one of the main streets in the historic city centre of Samarkand.

I opted for a meat and potato dish, which turned out to be highly generous in portion size.

The dish was garnished with a generous amount of onions and flavoured with lemongrass and ginger, creating a unique flavour.

Karimov

On my way to the next sights in town, I once again passed by Registan Square, where I noticed a couple capturing their wedding photos.

Even though it was a weekday, I was surprised by the large number of couples taking wedding pictures in the area.

Already in the 3rd century BC, when the city was still known as Marakanda, it was reportedly an affluent and cosmopolitan place.

In the centuries that followed, Samarkand emerged as a pivotal stop along the historic Silk Road, facilitating the transport of goods between China and Europe through the trade caravans.

The park situated to the east of Registan Square was a popular spot for wedding photographers as well.

However, there wasn’t much to see in this park besides a colossal statue of Islam Karimov.

Karimov, who was born in Samarkand, ruled Uzbekistan with an iron grip from the moment the country gained its independence following the break-up of the Soviet Union until his death in 2016.

I continued down Tashkent Street, a leafy pedestrianised street, towards the next historic sight in town.

On Tashkent Street, directly across from the Bibi Khanym Mosque, stands the mausoleum where Timur’s wife, along with other influential women of the court, is buried.

Even though photography is officially prohibited on the premises, I managed to discreetly capture a few shots of the mausoleum.

En route to Shah-i-Zinda, I passed an old graveyard that provided stunning views of Samarkand, with the Bibi Khanym Mosque and the three Registan madrassas clearly visible.

The Shah-i-Zinda, meaning “Living King,” is a vast necropolis consisting of around 20 mausoleums, each constructed in various years over the course of eight centuries.

The name Shah-i-Zinda originates from a legend surrounding a nephew of Prophet Muhammad, who is believed to have miraculously survived beheading when he arrived in this area to propagate Islam.

Oh boy, was I wrong!

Although the lower part of the Shah-i-Zinda complex isn’t the most impressive, the rather plain brickwork soon gives way to stunningly decorated mausoleums with perhaps even more colourful tilework and impressive domes than the madrassas of the Registan.

The Shah-i-Zinda is an absolute stunner of a sight and should really not be missed when you visit Samarkand.

Different mausoleums

At the Shah-i-Zinda complex, I observed a group of veiled women praying in the functioning mosque during my visit.

In Uzbekistan, despite being nominally Sunni Islam like other Central Asian countries, conservative religious practices are generally discouraged and sometimes even suppressed in the secular nation.

Quite some people considered to be too fundamentalist, whether or not they were indeed supporting jihadist groups as the authorities feared, or might just have been very pious and conservative, were even arrested.

Uzbekistan has long been concerned about the threats of terrorism and radicalisation, although these problems are primarily confined to the conservative Fergana Valley region.

Although the question of whether repression effectively resolves the situation or potentially fuels more hatred and radicalisation is subject to debate, the new Uzbek president Mirziyoyev was however considering loosening some religious restrictions when I visited the country.

Back to the hotel

On my way out of the Shah-i-Zinda complex, I took the opportunity to visit some of the mausoleums that I had bypassed on my way in.

It is truly worth taking the time to explore each and every one of them, as they all have different designs and some are just absolutely breathtaking.

As dusk settled in, I grabbed a quick bite of kebab from a local eatery and purchased a few bottles of beer from a nearby liquor store near the Registan to enjoy in the comfort of my hotel room.

The friendly guys at the alcohol store even gave me two complimentary mini bottles of (very decent!) Uzbek vodka as a gift.

I had eagerly anticipated my trip to Samarkand as I had always longed to visit this historic city in Uzbekistan.

Fortunately, my experience visiting Samarkand easily exceeded my high expectations.