Information AboutSamarkand |
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Samarkand (, , , ), population 412,300 in 2005 , is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province . Despite its status as the second city of Uzbekistan, the majority of the city's inhabitants are Persian -speaking Tajiks . The city is most noted for its central position on the Asian Silk Road between China and the west. It is located at the altitude of 702 meters. In 2001 , UNESCO inscribed the 2750-year-old city on the World Heritage List as ''Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures''. ETYMOLOGY Samarkand derives its name from the Old Persian ''asmara'', "stone," "rock," and Sogdian ''kand'', "fort," "town."1 HISTORY Samarkand is one of the Oldest Inhabited Cities in the world, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and Europe ( Silk Road ). At times Samarkand has been the greatest city of Central Asia . Founded circa 700 BC it was already the capital of the Sogdian Satrap y under the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia when Alexander The Great conquered it in 329 BC (see Afrasiab , Sogdiana ). Although an Iranian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran since the times of Alexander and his generals till the Arab conquest. Under Abbasid rule, the secret of Papermaking was obtained from two Chinese prisoners from the Battle Of Talas in 751, which led to the first Paper Mill in the Islamic world to be founded in Samarkand. The invention then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and from there to Europe (either through Spain or through crusaders). From the 6th to 13th centuries it grew larger and more populous than modern Samarkand and was controlled by the Western Turks , Arab s (who converted the area to Islam ), Persian Samanid s, Kara-Khanid Turks, Seljuk Turks , Kara-Khitan , and Khorezmshah before being sacked by the Mongols in 1220 . A small part of the population survived, but Samarkand suffered at least another Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army with. The town took many decades to recover from these disasters. In 1370 , Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane, decided to make Samarkand the capital of his empire, which extended from India to Turkey . During the next 35 years he built a new city and populated it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had conquered. Timur gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity and Samarkand grew to become the centre of the region of Transoxiana . In the 16th century, Shaybanids moved their capital to Bukhara and Samarkand went into decline. After an assault by the Persian king, Nadir Shah , the city was abandoned in the 18th century. The city came under Russia n rule after the citadel had been taken by a force under Colonel Alexander Abramov in 1868 . Shortly thereafter the small Russian garrison of 500 men were themselves besieged. The assault that was led by Abdul Malik Tura, the rebellious elder son of the Bukharan Emir and '' Bek '' of Shahrisabz was beaten off with heavy losses. Abramov, now a general, became the first Governor of the Military Okrug which the Russians established along the course of the River Zeravshan , with Samarkand as the administrative centre. The city became later the capital of the Samarkand Oblast of Russian Turkestan and grew in importance still further when the Trans-Caspian Railway reached the city in 1888 . It became the capital of the Uzbek SSR in 1925 before being replaced by Tashkent in 1930. MAJOR SIGHTS Registan See Also: Registan One of the most awesome sights in Central Asia, the Registan was the center of medieval Samarkand. It consists of three huge Madrassas surrounding a huge square.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque See Also: Bibi-Khanym Mosque Some argue that this gigantic ruined mosque was built by Timur's Mongol wife, Bibi-Khanym while Timur was away campaigning. According to one of the legends, the architect fell madly in love with her and refused to complete the job unless she agreed to kiss him. The kiss left a mark and the outraged Timur ordered both killed. There is no trustworthy source which mentions a wife of Timur who was known by the name 'Bibi-Khanym' (which literally means 'women's-woman or queen of all women' in Persian . Timur's senior wife, a powerful old woman called Saray-mulk-Khanum , in honour of whom the mosque was named, does not call to mind the beautiful heroine of charming fairy tale. In any event, the mosque, with its main gate over 35 meters tall, is one of the largest and most grandiose buildings in Samarkand. It mostly collapsed in an earthquake in 1897 but it has now been restored by the USSR Government obliterating what was left of the original tilework. Shah-i-Zinda See Also: Shah-i-Zinda One of the most beautiful of Samarkand’s sights is the “Tomb of the Living King". The complex is based on the grave of Qusam Ibn Abbas , a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad who brought Islam to this area. His shrine is one of the oldest buildings in Samarkand. The approach to the tomb is a vast Necropolis built on the ruins of the ancient Sogdian city. The major tombs belonging to Timur and Ulugh Beg’s extended family and favourites are covered in beautiful Majolica tile work. of Timur in Samarkand, Uzbekistan ]] Gur-e Amir Mausoleum See Also: Gur-e Amir After the death of his grandson Muhammad-Sultan in 1403 Timur ordered the mausoleum built for him. With time, the Gur-e Amir became the family mausoleum of the Timurid Dynasty . Main Bazaar Extending around and behind Bibi Khanym Mosque, things have been unchanged for centuries. The Ruins of Afrasiab Northeast of the Main Bazaar is the 2.2 km&2 archaeological site of ancient Samarkand (Marakanda) or Afrasiab , mostly exposed to the elements. The Afrasiab Museum has some 7th century Sogdian frescos. Of note is the purported tomb of Daniel , the Old Testament prophet. The restored building is a long, low structure with five domes, containing an immense 18-meter long sarcophagus. According to legend, Daniel’s body grows by half an inch per year, thus the long tomb. Ulugh Beg Observatory Ulugh Beg was probably more famous as an astronomer than a ruler. His works on Astronomy were known even in Europe. In the 1420s , he built an immense, 3-story tall Sextant , one of the largest ever constructed, in order to measure the positions of the stars with unprecedented accuracy. The ruins were unearthed in 1908 . State Museum This museum (which has not changed much since Soviet times) contains serious exhibitions on local archaeology, history, and folk crafts. NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN IN SAMARKAND IN FICTION
NON-FICTION
Posted by Jim Garner -- intended for the fiction section
TRIVIA
SISTER CITIES These cities were major cities of Greater Khorasan :
Other sister cities SEE ALSO
REFERENCES PHOTO GALLERY |
Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-53jpgOld Man, Photographed By
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Sergei_Mikhailovich_Prokudin-Gorskii" class="copylinks">Prokudin-Gorskii near Samarkand before 1915 |
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Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-54jpgBololar (children) With Bobo ('the Da')in Samarkand, Before
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/1915" class="copylinks">1915 |
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Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-15jpgMarketplace In Samarkand, Before
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/1915" class="copylinks">1915 |
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Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-14jpgFabric Merchant At The Samarkand Market Displays Colorful Silk, Cotton, And Wool Fabrics Before
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/1915" class="copylinks">1915 |
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