Samarkand is one of THE sights along the old Silk Road, and one of the most spectacular places in Uzbekistan¹.

The drive to Samarkand takes about 3-4 hours for a 300km-distance. It is a lot easier than expected (in terms of the highway - quite decent, discounting the usual potholes, we could do a steady 100-120 km/h) and a little disappointing at the same time (in terms of spectacular landscape: all fields, little towns, no desert - but some nice snowy mountain ranges in the background! Sometimes, anyway.).

You ought to stop at a little place along the way, have tea and soup, and enjoy the sun: the weather is usually quite good, just don’t expect too much luxury... this is getting very local!

Once in Samarkand, however, everybody go: Aaahhhhh! The Registan, the main old square, is just a spectacular as on the travel posters. The ensemble consists of the Ulug Beg Madrassah (Islamic college), built 1417-20 (on the left); the Shir Dor Madrassah, built 1619-1636 (on the right); and the Tillya Kari Madrassah, built 1646-60 (centre), all in a very similar, most beautiful Islamic style, high arches and minarets: coloured, mainly blue tiles and mosaics cover the entire facade, outside and the courtyards inside.

At first glance the ensemble seems symmetrical, but the Koran forbids symmetry, so a closer examination will reveal subtle differences, especially in the design of the ceramic decoration.

The Ulug Beg Madrassah

The Shir Dor Madrassah

The Shir Dor Madrassah's facade is exceptional in that it shows lions chasing two does, through spiralling shoots and flowers. The reason for this break in Islamic taboo is unclear, but legend has it that the architect died for this heresy. It is so exceptional, in fact, that this image has become a motive on the local 200 Sum banknote.

Inside the madrassahs you’ll find an open courtyard, from which several rooms were accessible.

The Tillya Kari Madrassah

From the Tillya Kari Madrassah you’ll have access to the mosque (which has already been restored to its previous splendour).

Another highlight is the Gur-Amir Mausoleum (15th century), where, among others, Timur (Tamerlane) himself is buried. The main room with the sarcophaguses is a fake, however: the real grave is one floor below, in the crypt. But people were not supposed to know that. Legend has it that Timur will bring war and devastation to whoever disturbs him. A Soviet Archeological Commission did open his grave and examined his remains (he was indeed lame on one side, hence Tamerlane - Timur the Lame). This took place in 1941. The next day Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. Timur's grave was closed again in late 1943 - and the war turned to the Soviet's favour. Well, the locals say the connection is obvious. If you want to see the real grave below, it’ll be a very hush hush affair and requires a proper $-tip. Admittedly, the "show room" upstairs was much more impressive (pictured left). Just like real life, actually. You, dear reader, will no doubt know everything there is to know about Timur. However, for those who do not: Timur is a bit of a national hero in Uzbekistan. Born 1336, he is chiefly remembered for the cultural achievements of his dynasty, and/or the barbarity of his conquests ranging from India and Russia to the Mediterranean Sea. He presumably modelled himself after Ghengis Khan (who proclaimed himself the Scourge of God: "If you had not commited great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me").

Which then also led to a fair bit of local folklore: when Ghengis Khan took Bukhara, he razed the city and killed every man higher than the butt of a whip. When Ghengis Khan's grandson Hulaku approached Bukhara again years later, he was met by a boy with a camel and a goat. Demanding an explanation for this, Hulaku was told by the boy: "If you want someone larger, talk to the camel. If you want to talk to a beard, talk to the goat. if you want to reason, talk to me." The city was spared.

Next door there is the Rukhabad Mausoleum (as yet unrestored). Legend has it that a casket with seven strands of Muhammad's hair was built into the roof (well, if all allegedly true remnants of the cross Jesus died on were collected, you would probably have enough wood to rebuild Noah's arc!).

(Someone should, however, explain the difference between “Craft” and “Graft”...)

Tashkent Kochasi ("street" in Uzbek) is one old Samarkand's main thoroughfares. The road was closed off and full of pedestrians, but we were told to drive on it anyway. A cop didn't seem to mind and opened the chain guarding the street... I gave up trying to understand local logic. Anyway, this is where we found the Bibi Khanum Mosque.

	Timur, loaded with loot from his sack of Delhi, vowed to build a mosque without parallel in grandeur or decor throughout the Muslim world. When it was finished, it was said that "The dome would have been unique but for the sky being its copy; the arch would have been singular but for the Milky Way matching it". The fact that people had to dodge falling bricks as soon as the mosque was opened was incidental... The facade is still most splendid, and it is pleasing to see that some serious restoration is under way.
The courtyard of the Bibi Hanum Mosque
Of course, before restoration takes place, most old sites look more like this:

This is what the Registan used to look like:

Resourceful as ever, these kids made their kites from sticks and plain newspaper... probably a lost skill in Europe.

Next door there is the main bazar, with the usual throngs of people hustling and bustling and buying fruit, meat, bread, and spices. Most people didn't pay us any special attention - but gave us furtive glances when we weren't looking. 

Samarkand is not yet overrun with group travellers...

The Shah-I-Zinda, the holiest site in Samarkand, a veritable necropolis of mausoleums, which in the 14^th and 15^th century turned into an architectural testing ground celebrating ceramic art. Here there is also the grave of Bibi Khanum, a Chinese princess and one of Timur's favourite wifes.

Story has it, that, when he was away, she decided to surprise him by building a beautiful mosque. The chief architect, however, refused to finish it lest she give him a kiss. She had to, but immediately developed a mark on her face. The mosque was finished, but Timur's joy at the spectacular present turned to rage when he saw the mark. He had her thrown from the top of a minaret, whereas the chief architect sprouted wings and flew to Mecca. Well, you know how it is with these legends.

The corner of Tashkent Street is a great place to rest and have some tea or a meal...

The whole corner is an open kitchen - fun to watch! If you can peer through the smoke screen, that is...

As always, food is a bit of a hit-and miss affair for European stomachs. It may be fine, or it’ll give you a severe case of Montezuma’s Revenge (or should that be Timur’s Revenge???). We tried “Plov”, which this time turned out to be quite ok. Some meat - usually mutton - is placed in a huge wok, and cooked in plenty of oil on low heat. On this, you pile strips of paprika. This you top off with heaps of rice. Simmer till done, don't stir, and serve.

Dinner at this particular place (which had a few live eagles sitting outside, tied up) consisted of: tomatoes, pickled cabbage, spicy carrots, followed by noodle and beef soup, followed by nondescript ravioli and shashlik of fat mutton; I did gladly partake, however, of the beer and 100 grams of Vodka to ensure a quiet night. (I have not yet been able to fathom why the Russians, who are normally logically- metric, insist on measuring Vodka in grams!)

The hotel, truth be told, was spick and span - and word of mouth propaganda makes sure that the Westerners keep coming! (A not uncommon local speciality was the wake-up call - a minor earthquake shook the bed enough to wake up).

Another sight one shouldn’t miss is the Ulug Beg Observatory which the astronomer-king Ulug Beg had built and used to create astronomical tables used for centuries. He also calculated the length of a stellar year to within one minute of today's calculations. Alas, his scientific approach displeased local dervishes, and they plotted to have him murdered, and razed most of the Observatory to the ground. Vandals. Ulug Beg's fellow scientist Ali Kushji feld to Constantinople, and had the star atlas published to great acclaim in the whole Muslim world (of course, ages before anyone in Europe got anywhere close).

The remains of the Observatory...

.... and the great man himself.

On the way back, the savvy traveller will stop to buy some fresh fish...

¹ I highly recommend the guide "Uzbekistan - The Golden Road to Samarkand", by Calum MacLeod & Bradley Mayhew, 1999. For much of the narrative above, I owe thanks to this book.

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