Samarkand
Timur's capital, and the tilework on the Registan is why anybody comes to Central Asia at all. Go early — what the low light does to the blue is the whole point.
Samarkand in eight slides
Wikipedia · 4 Sep 2026
Things to do in Samarkand
Where to stay in Samarkand
Samarkand in a day, two days, three
Landmarks in Samarkand
Afrasiyab is an ancient site in northern Samarkand, present-day Uzbekistan, that was occupied from c. 500 BC to 1220 AD prior to the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The oldest layers date from the middle of the first millennium BC. Today, it is a hilly grass mound located near the Bibi Khanaum Mosque.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 18 Jul 2026
Unknown author · Public domain
The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the 15th century, it was one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. It is considered a masterpiece of the Timurid Renaissance.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 30 Jul 2026
Шухрат Саъдиев · CC BY-SA 4.0
Registan, officially the Registan Square is a historic public square in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It served as the heart of the Timurid Empire and later as the city's commercial, educational, and ceremonial center.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 1 Sep 2026
Registan_-_Gusjer.jpg: Gustavo Jeronimo from Aranjuez, Spain derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0
Shah-i-Zinda is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 30 Jul 2026
Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0
Siyob Bazaar, also called Siab Bazaar, is the largest bazaar in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The building is built in the shape of a dome, under which there are several pavilions with a large number of shopping arcades. The main entrance has a triple arch lined with blue majolica.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 7 Dec 2025
Shuhrataxmedov · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Ulugh Beg Observatory is an observatory in modern day Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which was built in the 1420s by the Timurid astronomer Ulugh Beg. This school of astronomy was constructed under the Timurid Empire, and was the last of its kind from the Islamic Medieval period. Islamic astronomers who worked at the observatory include Jamshid al-Kashi, Ali Qushji, and Ulugh Beg himself.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 26 Aug 2026
Victoria · CC BY-SA 4.0
Afrasiyab is an ancient site in northern Samarkand, present-day Uzbekistan, that was occupied from c. 500 BC to 1220 AD prior to the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The oldest layers date from the middle of the first millennium BC. Today, it is a hilly grass mound located near the Bibi Khanaum Mosque.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 18 Jul 2026
Unknown author · Public domain
The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the 15th century, it was one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. It is considered a masterpiece of the Timurid Renaissance.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 30 Jul 2026
Шухрат Саъдиев · CC BY-SA 4.0
Registan, officially the Registan Square is a historic public square in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It served as the heart of the Timurid Empire and later as the city's commercial, educational, and ceremonial center.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 1 Sep 2026
Registan_-_Gusjer.jpg: Gustavo Jeronimo from Aranjuez, Spain derivative work: MrPanyGoff · CC BY 2.0
Shah-i-Zinda is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 30 Jul 2026
Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0
Siyob Bazaar, also called Siab Bazaar, is the largest bazaar in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The building is built in the shape of a dome, under which there are several pavilions with a large number of shopping arcades. The main entrance has a triple arch lined with blue majolica.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 7 Dec 2025
Shuhrataxmedov · CC BY-SA 3.0