Registan Square in Samarkand. Photo / Unsplash
From turquoise-tiled mosques and Silk Road legends to echoes of empires past, a trip to Uzbekistan’s Samarkand is unlike anything else, writes Pauline Ray.
To stand in the huge main square in Samarkand is to be dazzled by a dizzying display of turquoise blue tiles bouncing off the three madrassas, or traditional Islamic schools, where the sons of the rich once trained to be statesmen or religious leaders.
It’s spine-tingling stuff and we all gape like travel newbies, even though most of our group are pretty well-travelled.
Samarkand in Uzbekistan is the undisputed star of the old (and modern) Silk Road, and to travel the route even in modern air-conditioned comfort is to wonder daily at the fortitude of the ancient traders who plied the route with their caravans of up to 100 smelly camels, carrying silk from China and glass and jewels from Italy, and taking up to 12 months on a one-way journey.
Samarkand is plum in the middle of the Silk Road, and is a tantalising blend of old and new, with its majestic Registan Square, and the Shah-i-Zinda, an avenue of mausoleums with a brilliant display of blue tile work dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
By day you can still catch glimpses of the past, such as the old men sipping tea under mulberry trees in the side alleys and quirky sights such as the two women hand painting stripes on a pedestrian crossing in midst of commuter traffic. Local life centres around bustling bazaars doing a roaring trade in fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices and candied sweets. The main bazaar is Siyob Bazaar in the old city. It was late summer and berry season, and we gazed longingly at huge buckets of fresh strawberries and raspberries. Shopkeepers plied us with free samples of candied sweets and nuts, so we obligingly bought bags of them. We also admired the counters of lepeshka, the typical sesame-topped flat bread.
Samarkand has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco, because of its significance as a historical “crossroads of world cultures”.
Prehistoric settlements in the area actually date back to 1500BC, making it one of the oldest cities in the world, on par with Rome. It was subject to numerous conquests by the likes of Alexander the Great and the monstrous mongol Genghis Khan, who almost wiped out the city. However, from the 14th century Samarkand began to flourish under the control of the great Turkic-Mongol Timur, known as Tamerlane, a hugely admired local hero, although I had barely heard of him. There is a great story about the origin of his name. He was wounded in the Mongol Wars and became paralysed down one side, causing a limp. Hence the name Timur the Lame, shortened to Tamerlane. There were numerous statues in his honour in Uzbekistan and the influence of his rule can be seen throughout the city, from the glittering blue tiles adorning the madrassas and mosques built during his reign.
The sides of Registan Square are dominated by three madrassas with their towering pillars of blue and gold majolica (glazed earthenware) tiles and fluted domes. The Ulugh Beg Madrassa is the oldest of three, built in 1420 and named after Timur’s grandson. I thought the most beautiful building was the Sher-Dor Madrassa, built in the 17th century. In the centre above the arch is an ancient swastika image and there are also images of tigers, unusual as animals rarely featured in Islamic decorations.
The Shah-i-Zinda, an alley of mausoleums, is about 20 minutes by foot away from Registan Square. Here is the impressive Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, another majolica tiled edifice with a fluted blue dome and containing the tombs of Tamerlane and his grandson. As well as the stunning gilded mosaic walls, you can also see the slab of marble and jade, supposedly the largest single piece in the world, that adorns their graves.
By night Samarkand comes alive with dazzling displays of flashy neon and promenading locals with hordes of scampering children. While we were there, renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli was performing in a huge concert in Registan Square. Our local guide remarked bitterly that not many locals would have attended as tickets cost US$400, the equivalent of an average monthly wage. Instead, the audience mainly came from Belarus and Italy, he said.
Samarkand is blessed by its position in the centre of the Silk Road, and now in the middle of the increasingly popular Five Stans tourist route.
The Silk Road was first coined by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen and is an umbrella term for not one but a network of Asian trade routes through several countries, and a timeline stretching from 200BC to AD1400. Silk was just one precious item (one that was, at times, more valuable than gold) along with glass, lapis lazuli, garnets and carpets taken along vast networks, mountains and countless borders. Often, the camel trains acted in relay and swapped riders and camels at the various borders with the rulers of each country guaranteeing the safety of the large camel caravans.
Despite enjoying the glorious sights and the friendly locals eager to practise English, it is impossible not to be aware of the scars left by previous rulers and populations. In 1220, the city was plundered and almost destroyed by the Mongols. Timur put Samarkand on the map and most of the monuments which are famous today were built by Timur and his descendants. Within 100 years, Samarkand was rebuilt and transformed into an incredibly beautiful city of breathtaking turquoise domes and magnificent minarets.
But in 1868, Samarkand was conquered by Russian troops and became part of the Russian Empire. It did not become fully independent until 1991 and the Uzbeks are particularly outraged by how the Soviets drained three rivers which fed into the Aral Sea, to irrigate the cotton fields they owned and ran.
Cotton is still grown in Uzbekistan, but the locals are furiously trying to replant the fields with new crops such as vegetables and fruit trees. However, it’s a slow process and the once vast Aral Sea continues to dry up; an ecological scandal that demonstrates the duality of the destination. While you can enjoy and admire the architectural glories of past eras, it can be difficult to ignore the damage caused by more ruthless recent conquerors.
The writer visited Uzbekistan at their own expense as part of Inspiring Vacations’ 24-day trip of the Five Stans.