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| Samarkand is one of the world's oldest cities, located in the very centre of Uzbekistan in the valley of the Zarafshan River. It has seen periods of power and decline throughout its 2700-year history. It was destroyed by Alexander the Grate, the Arabs, Gengiz Khan and many other conquerors, but rose each time from the ashes, like a Phoenix.
Samarkand was a capital of ancient Sogdiana, part of the huge Akhemenian Empire in the 14th century BC. In the 14th century, when Tamerlane made it his capital, Samarkand became one of the most powerful and desired cities in the world. |
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| One can sense the old grandeur of the city on arrival by road from Tashkent, catching a sudden view of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque (15th century), the largest structure of its time in the world, standing beside a noisy and crowded oriental market full of colorful fruits, vegetables and fragrant spices grown on Uzbek land. |
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| Later, visiting the harmonious Registan Square, one can fully agree with Lord George Curzon - the Viceroy of India, who said, " Registan in Samarkand is the best central city square in the world". |
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| Shah-I-Zinda, a big medieval burial complex (10th to 20th centuries), often referred to as "the Street of the Dead", gives a good idea of Tamerlane's intention to turn Samarkand into a collection of the world's architectural styles. |
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| The Gur-Emir Mausoleum (15th century), where Tameriane is buried along with several sons and grandson, is the most brilliant example of medieval Central Asian architecture. It is reminiscent of the famous mosques of Cordoba and Granada and was an inspiration for the Great Moguls' Taj Mahal in Agra. |
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| Samarkand was also an important scientific center, with scholars who influenced scientific work in other countries. Among them was Ulugbek, Tamerlane's grandson, the ruler of Samarkand. His observatory, built in 1439-30 in the northern suburbs of Samarkand, was a model for the two famous Indian observatories of the 18th century in Jaipur and Delhi. The observatory has not survived, but and underground portion of its enormous sextant still attracts the eye. |
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