Samarkand

Founded circa 700 BCE, Samarkand is the oldest existing city of Central Asia, and one of the oldest in the world. Ancient Arab manuscripts refer to it as the “Gem of the East”, Europeans called it the “The Land of Scientists”. When Alexander the Great first time saw Samarkand, he exclaimed “ I heard that the city was beautiful but never thought that it could be so beautiful and majestic”.

For much of its history it was under Persian rule. At the time of its greatest splendor from the 6th to 13th centuries Samarkand was the meeting point of merchants' caravans from India, Persia, and China and one of the principle cities along the Silk Road. It was a fabulous city of palaces and gardens, with paved and tree-lined streets, a water system that supplied most of the individual houses and great silk and iron industries - indeed the medieval city was larger than the modern city.

Photos and the historical background of the city can be found at:

Timurid Architecture in Samarkand

Samarkand- The Gem of The East

History of Samarkand

Samarkand

Contributed by Samarcande Bahktiari.