"Beefy's Samakand (Samarqand) Page" Samarqand by Beefy_SAFC

Samarkand (Samarqand), the second city and former capital of Uzbekistan (switched to Tashkent during Soviet times) has at various times been the key city of Central Asia.

The first major milestone in it's history was it's occupation by Alexander the Great, after overunning Egypt and Persia on the way to India. Samarkand was a key city on the Silk Road during Roman times and after and many goods and beliefs passed through it on the way to and from Rome and China.

The Arab invasion in the 6th Century brought with it Islam, completely replacing the Zoronastrianism and (to a lesser extent) Buddhism and Nestorian Christianity dominant before this. This was nearly prevented by Tang Dynasty Chinese troops who occupied the nearby Ferghana valley at the same time and were finally defeated at the Battle of Talas outside Tashkent. Hence Islam held sway.

The following centuries saw many conquests and conquerers pass this way, including Genghis Khan in the 13th century and Timur Lange (Tarmelane) in the 14th Century, who was born in nearby Shakrisiabs and made Samarkand his capital.

Many of the great monuments of Samarkand were built during this period and include Tarmerlane's Mauseleum (rumoured to have a curse forbidding anyone to open it), Bibi Khanum's mosque (Tarmelane's favoured wife), the Astronomical Observatory of Ulug Beg (the astronomer king, grandson of Tarmerlane) and above all, Registan Square, around which three massive mosque / madrassa complexes stand. Registan Square is regarded as the spiritual heart of Uzbekistan to this day.

Russian invasion and rule came in the 19th Century and the Bolshevik Revolution made it capital for a brief period before power was transferred to Tashkent (continued trouble by anti-Communist elements there delayed this move) - Russian rule ended with independance in 1991, though a large Russian minority still live in Samarkand and other Central Asian cities. Although Samarkand did not see the massive development of other cities such as Tashkent (redeveloped after two devastating earthquakes in the late 1960's), traces of the Rusisna presence can still be seen to this day - for a more complete central Asian city, Bukhara (Boxoro) or Khiva are better bets.