Samarkand
Timur made Samarkand his capital in 1370 and rebuilt it by force: craftsmen from Damascus, Delhi, Shiraz and Baghdad were marched here to work, which is why the architecture combines Persian proportion with Central Asian scale and a use of tile that nothing in the Islamic world equals. His grandson Ulugh Beg built a forty-metre sextant into a hill and catalogued 1,018 stars.
Why go
The Registan — three madrasas facing one square, the finest ensemble in Central Asia. Timur's capital — a world conqueror's city, built with craftsmen deported from everywhere he took. Ulugh Beg's observatory — a sextant of forty metres, cut into a hill, from the 1420s. Tiles at industrial scale — turquoise, cobalt and gold across whole façades.
The character
Samarkand is 2,750 years old and was already ancient when Alexander took it in 329 BC. Genghis Khan destroyed it in 1220. Then Timur — Tamerlane — made it his capital in 1370 and rebuilt it by deportation: craftsmen from Damascus, Delhi, Shiraz and Baghdad were marched here to build, which is why the architecture combines Persian proportion with Central Asian scale and a use of colour that nothing in the Islamic world equals.
His grandson Ulugh Beg was a different sort of ruler — an astronomer who built a forty-metre marble sextant into a hillside and produced a star catalogue of 1,018 stars accurate enough to be used in Europe two centuries later. He was murdered by his own son. Timur's mausoleum, the Gur-e-Amir, has a fluted turquoise dome and a jade tombstone; the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis is a lane of tiled tombs so intense that it is hard to look at. Modern Samarkand is a Uzbek city of half a million, heavily restored under Soviet and independent governments, and the restoration is itself debated.
Places of character
Registan — three madrasas from three centuries; go at opening and again at night when it is lit. Shah-i-Zinda — a stepped lane of eleven tiled mausoleums; the most beautiful thing in Central Asia. Gur-e-Amir — Timur's tomb, with the fluted dome and the jade slab over his grave. Bibi-Khanym Mosque — built too fast and too large; it began collapsing during construction. Ulugh Beg Observatory — the underground arc of the sextant, and the museum explaining the catalogue. Siyob Bazaar — the working market beside Bibi-Khanym, for bread, dried apricots and non.
The way to do it
See the Registan three times — morning, evening and lit at night — because it changes completely. Take Shah-i-Zinda at opening when the light is low on the tiles. Go by high-speed train from Tashkent, two hours. And spend time in the bazaar, which is where the modern city is.
One perfect day
Shah-i-Zinda at eight, walking up the lane of tombs with the tiles catching low sun and almost nobody there. Gur-e-Amir next for Timur under the jade. Breakfast of non and tea at Siyob Bazaar. Late morning at the observatory on the hill for the sextant arc. Lunch of plov, which is a Samarkand institution. Afternoon rest, then the Registan for two hours in the golden light, walking into each madrasa's courtyard. Dinner, and back to the Registan at nine when it is floodlit and the square is empty.
Grand hotels
Registan Plaza — the city's traditional large hotel, well positioned. Hotel Bibikhanum — a courtyard house near the mosque, small and family-run.
When to go
Best expression: April and May, or September and October — warm days, cool evenings, clear light. Consider: late March for Navruz, the Persian new year, celebrated seriously. Avoid if possible: July and August, when it passes forty degrees, and January's damp cold.
The frame
Ideal stay 3 nights · Minimum 2 nights · Best arrival high-speed train from Tashkent, two hours · Airport SKD, 8 km · Walkability the monuments are spread; taxis are cheap · Best without a car yes