Samarkand Things to Do Tips by Trekki Top 5 Page for this destination

Relax in the huge University park

Following the history of Samarkand’s importance as scientific city already under Ulug’bek, it is quite logical that the city has a big university today with over 3000 students in several faculties. The university buildings are mainly concentrated southwest of Gur-i-Amir Mausoleum, often in beautiful old buildings, like the University of Biology (pic. 1). The best of all is the huge, gaden-like park around the university, open to the public. It is very much inviting with huge trees, shady areas, benches, walkways, a lot of little cafes and restaurants (with students’ prices of course), for relaxing or people watching. In the southwestern part of the park, a big statue of Alisher Navoi, a poet, painter and musician of Timurid period.

At the southeastern part of the park, the restaurants get higher in prices, but quality is still good. Interesting buildings, like the one in pic. 4 – it looks more like something Norwegian, and has a cock as wind vane (thus not much Norwegian any more).

University of Samarkand

Address: Samarkand

Directions: From Timur statue, turn south into Universitii road and then right (west) into the park. You can't miss the gates.

Amir Timur watches over his folk

Now we leave the area of Samarkand’s ancient history (northeastern part) and walk a bit around in the more western section.
At the western end of Registan street, at a huge traffic circle we’ll see the statue of Amur Timur – the leader watching over his folk. The statue is huge and seems to guarantee a job forever, given that it is always clean (from bird ***), anytime I passed it, someone was busy polishing it. It must be fairly new (didn’t find a date however), so surely Kharimov had it erected, following his newly established cult about Timur, which also might explain the very mild and gracious features of his face. Timur and his heirs did not reign long in the area (1366 – 1506), but their impact on culture and architecture and sadly, on the defeated regions, cities and people is not negligible. It is said that he had ravaging Delhi and other cities and regions and that he had the habit of piling up the heads of the rebels. This has to be considered as well, when looking at his efforts and impact on art, culture and architecture, where he wanted to make Samarkand the mirror and centre of the world or threshhold to paradise.

A vertical line leads from Timur’s statue to Navoi Opera, which is no longer in use today. Maybe this, as it was erected by the Soviets once, and I believe to have seen a tendency to let deteriorate Soviet buildings at least in Samarkand and Bukhara (not in Tashkent, though). It is a nice stroll through the little park between the statue and the opera, with shady areas and benches.

Address: Samarkand

Directions: West of Registan, the traffic circle and statue cannot be missed.

The biggest observatory in ancient days

Timur’s grandson Ulug’bek was not only a ruler in Samarkand, but also an excellent scientist, mathematician and astronomer. In 1428, his observatory Gurkhani Zij was built. Given the scetches and the model I saw in Tashkent’s Timur Museum (pic. 5), it must have been a huge building; 46 m in diametre and 30 m in height on 3 floors. According to the plans it contained not only the huge sextant, but also solar clock and quadrant sector. Only the remains of the sextant have survived and can be seen on the site. It has been discovered by a Russian team of archaeologists in 1908.
Ulug’bek and the other scientists (including Qadi Zada al-Rumi and al-Khasi) did make remarkable findings, given the time of their researches. They located over 900 stars with exact position and calculated the sidereal year with a difference of only 58 minutes. Their measurements are still used today and he is a recognized astronomer in the whole world, see:
Space.com, although they got his country a bit messy, it is Uzbekistan and not Afghanistan….,
St.Andrews University, Mathematics,

However, his scientific ideas and work did not quite meet the expectations of the religious elders, who hated him as he put science over god. He was murdered by beheading in 1449, thus being not the first and last scientist who was sacrificed for religious power over science.

A little museum helds an interesting exhibition about Ulug’bek’s astronomy and work.

Opening hours: daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission:
2800 som and additional 700 som for taking pictures (all valid for 3 days).

Uzbek name: Ulug`bеk оbsеrvаtоriyasi
Russian name: Обсерватория Улугбека

Address: Samarkand

Directions: It is located roughly 3 km northeast of the bazaar; If you want to take a taxi, make sure, you note down the observatory’s name in Russian or Uzbek on a sheet of paper.

Website: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulug_Begs_Observatorium

Rukhobod Mausoleum – one of the oldest..

… buildings in Samarkand, which survived destruction during all the battles.
Built in 1380 for Sheikh Burkhan al-Din Sagarji, it is a beautiful building, and …. among all the blue and turquoise decorated ones, a little rest for the eye, as it is only plain brickwork. Inside, it is filled with muqarnas (in the cupola) and a little souvenir stand.
There is a legend saying that it holds a hair of Mohammed, but I cannot judge. I only had a quick peek inside, as I was already late for visiting Gur-I-Amir and admission of 2000 som seemed to be a bit much for me.
In the neighbourhood (on the way to Gur-i-Amir) is a little U-shaped building, which might have been a caravanseray one day. It also hosts souvenir stands and workshops, but from what I could see, nice ones.

Lonely Planet reports that the area between both Mausoleums had to make room for huge parking lots to take-in the masses of visitors for Gur-i-Amir. It is sad to think how busy and lively this neighbourhood once must have been before the bulldozers came. I am pretty sure, this would not have happened in Bukhara – but Samarkand seems to have a different status in preserving the peoples’ life.

Address: Samarkand

Directions: Just opposite of Hotel Afrosiab in Registan Street.

.. and now simply beautiful – Bibi Khanum

Bibi Khanum Mosque has such a magic atmosphere almost all day long; so you should take your time and stay here at least 1 hour in the morning and some time in late afternoon. Morning, as nothing can beat this mysterious feeling inside of the main sanctuary, when light falls through the wood carved windows (of which I still don’t know why it has the hole :-), pic. 5). And evening, as then all is painted with golden light.

As soon as I entered the huge restored main pishtaq, I was somehow on another planet. It was quiet inside, only birds were singing and some old men came to sit on the shady benches, while a souvenir seller was quietly setting up his goods around the Qu’ran stand in the middle of the courtyard. This Qu’ran stand is said to have once stood in the main sanctuary – another proof of the dimensions, Bibi Khanum Mosque was meant to have. There is a cute belief about this stand – read what Leyle of WanderingCamels wrote about it.

The main sanctuary is restored on most of its outside, the turquoise dome gleams in the sun (pic. 4). Interesting that the minarets flanking the sanctuary’s iwan are of octagonal shape (pic. 2). Take some time to look at all the marvellous restored tile work, which is kufi calligraphy and geometric ornaments in perfect symmetry.
Wandering around the rest of the areal gives you an idea of the mosque’s size once. In some places, you can still see parts of the marble and granite pillars; 500 of them once supported the arcades around the courtyard.
I’ll add some additional pictures of this magic place into travellouges.

Opening hours:
Daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except national holidays),
Admission:
2800 som and additional 700 som for taking pictures (all valid for 3 days).

Uzbek name: Bibiхоnim mаsjidi
Russian name: Биби Ханум

Address: Samarkand

Directions: Leave Registan northeastwards, and walk along the pedestrian street until you see it on your left.

Website: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/uz/samarkand/bibiKhanymMosque.html

Gur-I-Amir’s tombstones and legends

The mausoleum’s centre is dominated by the cenotaphs (the tombs themselves are in the crypt below) of Timur and his closest family and friends. In the middle, of course, the one of Timur, a big block of nephrite (dark-green jade). If you take a picture with flash, you’ll see the crack, room for yet another legend: Nadir Shah stole it in 18th century, but it broke. Then he went into a period of bad luck and upon advice of his staff, he brought the stone back to Samarkand. Needless to say that his bad luck turned into good again.
With flashlight, you’ll see even more decorations on the tombstone – inscriptions, which list Timur’s (believed-to-be) genealogy from Genghis Khan and Ali, 4th caliph of Islam.
And it also has an inscription saying “When I raise from the dead, the whole world will tremble”, adding just another legend to these words: in 1941 anthropologists opened the graves to examine the bodies; next day, Hitler invaded Russia.
During this exhumation, it was proven that Timur was lame on right leg and arm and that Ulug’bek was murdered by beheading.
Together with Timur and his grandson Ulug’bek, his sons Shah Rukh (Ulug’bek’s father), Miran Shah and Umer Sheikh are buried here, as well as Timur’s teacher, Sheikh Said Burke (pic. 5).

Address: Samarkand

Directions: Head west from Registan, along the main street. When you pass Hotel Afrosiab, turn left (south) and walk until you see the cupola.

Website: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/uz/samarkand/guriAmirMausoleum_in.html

Gur-I-Amir – beyond imagination

Another example of Timur’s building style and surely of his idea about himself as the centre of the world is Gur-i-Amir (“the leader’s tomb”), located southwest in the city.
Timur had it built around 1404, his grandson Ulug’bek finished it (in 1434) to be the burial site for the close family. The completely finished ensemble did have a khanaka (pilgrim hostel) and medressa together with the mausoleum itself around the courtyard (see pic. 5, taken in Tashkent’s Timur Museum). Today, only the entrance pishtaq and outer walls are left, and of course the mausoleum building.
Inside the building is a small exhibition about Timur’s empire size and some souvenirs on display (beautiful ones, however; I still regret not to have bought some fine tile work there).
The inner room of the mausoleum itself is beyond imagination, and even the website below can only give a static view; you need to see this all with your own eyes. Try to get inside when the masses are gone (late afternoon to evening), otherwise the tourists’ twaddling and blethering will destroy the magic atmosphere inside.
The walls are all covered with fine alabaster and onyx; green jaspis with golden inscriptions (pic. 2) tell about Timur’s life (glamourising of course) and arabesces and geometrical patterns of all kind decorate the walls, all in blue and gold (pic. 1). The niches are fitted with marvellous muqanas made of paper-maché also in gold and blue (pic. 3). Make sure you ask the sitekeeper to illuminate the room – this all will best show you the details of all this splendid decoration.

For those who are interested in the architecture – Bernhard Peter has also a highly interesting article with scetches of Gur-i-Amir, including a cross-section, which gives you ideas about the Timurid cupola concept (inner one separated from the outer one, to give more room for expansion):
Bernhard Peter about Gur-i-Amir

Address: Samarkand

Directions: Head west from Registan, along the main street. When you pass Hotel Afrosiab, turn left (south) and walk until you see the cupola.

Website: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/uz/samarkand/guriAmirMausoleum_out.html

Take your time for Shah-i-Zinda….

…. you won’t regret it, as you will see finest majolica and fayences of Timurid artwork.
After entering the site through the big pishtaq, steep stairs lead to the upper passageway. Just behind the gate at the end of the stairs, the beautifully decorated mausoleums on the left are of a niece and nephew of Timur (Amir Zadeh and Shadi Mulk Aka). The ones on the right are now being restored. It is fascinating to watch the workers doing their delicate work (but give them a smile while watching and not just gaze). Next time, I’ll take more time to watch J Just some metres on the right is a very unusual mausoleum of octagonal shape.
In the passageway’s middle on the left are two marvellous mausoleums, which are again examples of Timurid artwork – adorable and breathtaking colours in all different shades and hues of blue and turquoise (pic. 2 and 3).
And finally, after some more steps, we reach the mausoleum, which bears the tomb of Qusam (on the right). Note the marvellously carved and painted wooden entrance door (pic. 5); upon (smiling) request, one of the sitekeepers will close it for you to show its full beauty.
Also, don’t miss the 3 mausoleums just behind Qusam mausoleum – another example of fine tile work ! (pic. 1 and 4).
(I’ll add more pictures of Shah-i-Zinda mausoleums and details of the tile work into travellogues).

Please be properly dressed when visiting (cover arms and legs) and behave appropriate – remember, this is a site of pilgrimage for Uzbek people.

Opening hours: daily 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Admission:
2800 som and additional 700 som for taking pictures (all valid for 3 days).

Address: Samarkand

Directions: After passing Bibi Khanum Mosque, follow the pedestrian street (Tashkent) until it meets the big east-west road. Shah-i-Zinda is on the right, in some distance.

Website: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/uz/samarkand/shar-i-zindah_down.html

Shah-i-Zinda – the holy necropolis

Shah-i-Zinda is still a very sacred site in Samarkand, given the many people who come for pilgrimage here daily, and where, until early 20th century, it was forbidden for non-believers to enter the site.
Built on the southern hills of Afrasiab (ancient Samarkand) its name derives from Persian for “the living king” and refers to the holy centre of this necropolis – the tomb of Qusam-ibn-Abbas, a cousin of Mohammed. Legends say he brought Islam to this area, but he was defeated, maybe beheaded, which gave room to many other legends. Since then, its use as burial ground was extended and many more mausoleums have been erected here. Most were destructed when Mongols wrecked the city in 1221, but they left Qusam’s tomb untouched.Timur did “use” this cult about the saint to select this burial ground as the one for his own family members, which either died before he had completed Gur-i-Amir or which have been too low in hierarchy to get their tombs there.

Shah-I-Zinda can roughly be divided into three sections – one close to the entrance gate around the stairs, one along the passageway in the middle and finally one around Qusam’s mausoleum. I won’t list all buildings and names here, it wouldn’t help and can’t describe the site. I will more concentrate on the highlights and splendid architecture which can be found in the necropolis (in next tip).

Check the website below for description of each building.

And German speakers, please check this website, another fine example of Bernhard Peter’s Islam architectural knowledge. (and then Samarkand/Mausoleen)

The necropolis had its fate of deterioration as well, but restoration started also here mid last century. For those who are interested in how it looked before restoring, please check this website, which includes pictures of the British Museum (taken in 1925):
Shah-i-Zinda in the past

Address: Samarkand

Directions: From Bibi Khanum Mosque, follow the pedestrian street (Tashkent street) until it meets the big east-west road. Turn right (east) here and you will see it in a short distance.

Website: http://www.pagetour.narod.ru/samarkand/Shakh-i-Zinda4.htm

Once the biggest mosque in the world

We continue now to what once was the biggest mosque in Central Asia and the one with the maybe shortest shelf life – Bibi Khanum Mosque. Timur had erected it in honour of his favourite wife, Saray Mulk Khanum, daughter of Chagatay Khan, around 1404. Paintings of this legendary woman are found all over in the museums of Tashkent (see pic. 5). The mosque was meant to be bigger than anything, Timur had build before and even bigger than anything else in those Central Asia days. But this also was her fate – she was built too quick, too high, too enormous and started to collapse just years after she was finished. This was also enhanced by the earthquakes, which are typical for this region.

But a visit, not even a virtual one, cannot be described or recommended without showing how the mosque once looked after contruction.
Undoubtedly it was the biggest and most probably also the most beautiful one in Islamic world – according to the model, which is displayed in Tashkent’s Timur Museum (and reconstructional drawings and sketches of independent architects); see pictures 1-4.
The ensemble covered once an area of 140 x 100 m, its main entrance portal was less bulky than others, had vaulted arch windows all over and two minarets, placed at the sides of the iwan. All in all she must have been covered in tile work of different decoration techniques, mostly blue, turquoise and white and kufi writings on walls and domes.
A chronicler of these days once compared her beauty unique as heaven and the Milky Way.

Address: Samarkand

Directions: Leave Registan northeastwards, and walk along the pedestrian street until you see it on your left.

Website: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/uz/samarkand/bibiKhanymMosque.html