Samarkand
Overview
Samarkand is the most famous and mythic of all the Silk Road towns. It is also the most touristry and you really feel it. Although it is really nice and definetely a must visit if you are in Uzbekistan, you can get a bit disappointed if you’re coming from Bukhara. You have to pay a lot to visit any place, the center of town is too modern-like rebuilt and only the sights look like being apart from the city, not packed within it as in, for instance, Bukhara.
Anyway, the Registan is one of the most beautiful building complexes you will ever see, Bibi-Khanym Mosque is quite impressive, as it is Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum and Gur-e Amir mausoleum, the 4 big sights of Samarkand which are doable in on day if you are short of time. The pity is that in Samarkand they like money too much.
Anyway, the Registan is one of the most beautiful building complexes you will ever see, Bibi-Khanym Mosque is quite impressive, as it is Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum and Gur-e Amir mausoleum, the 4 big sights of Samarkand which are doable in on day if you are short of time. The pity is that in Samarkand they like money too much.
Sightseeing
-The Registan: Impressive, beautiful, jaw-dropping. You have to pay quite a lot even to set foot on the square (you can bargain the ticket Price, though) but it’s really worth it. It has a square surrounded by three medressas and a Golden mosque. You can get inside everywhere and explore it on your own. A totally must.
- Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Not far from the Registan, this mosque is huge although half destroyed due to an earthquake in town long time ago. The Soviets tried to rebuilt it, but still, it didn’t quite work. Worth a visit from the outside, to get inside you have to pay a lot. There’s the Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum in front of it, not really worth it.
- Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum: Within walking distance from Bibi-Khanym, it is a huge cementery with huge domed mausoleums. Also overpriced.
-Hazrat-Hozr Mosque: Set on a hill next to the Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum, this is a quite nice mosque similar to the one in Bukhara but the difference is that you have to pay like hell to get inside, so have a look and take some pictures from outside, good enough.
-Siyob Bazaar: Samarkand’s main bazar. Especially worth seeing is the food section and within it the bread section. Samarkand’s Nan (bread) is famous all over central Asia and you can get a cheap one here and taste it.
-Gur-e Amir Mausoleum: Timur (the one who ordered building Samarkand as it is now) is buried here. Again overpriced, so you can have a look at the blue dome from the outside.
If you have more time, you can spend a couple of days in Samarkand visiting the rest of sights, but in a day these 4 sights are perfectly doable. All in all, Samarkand is a must on every Central Asia trip but this money-loving thing makes you have a quite bad feeling about the city overall.
- Bibi-Khanym Mosque: Not far from the Registan, this mosque is huge although half destroyed due to an earthquake in town long time ago. The Soviets tried to rebuilt it, but still, it didn’t quite work. Worth a visit from the outside, to get inside you have to pay a lot. There’s the Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum in front of it, not really worth it.
- Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum: Within walking distance from Bibi-Khanym, it is a huge cementery with huge domed mausoleums. Also overpriced.
-Hazrat-Hozr Mosque: Set on a hill next to the Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum, this is a quite nice mosque similar to the one in Bukhara but the difference is that you have to pay like hell to get inside, so have a look and take some pictures from outside, good enough.
-Siyob Bazaar: Samarkand’s main bazar. Especially worth seeing is the food section and within it the bread section. Samarkand’s Nan (bread) is famous all over central Asia and you can get a cheap one here and taste it.
-Gur-e Amir Mausoleum: Timur (the one who ordered building Samarkand as it is now) is buried here. Again overpriced, so you can have a look at the blue dome from the outside.
If you have more time, you can spend a couple of days in Samarkand visiting the rest of sights, but in a day these 4 sights are perfectly doable. All in all, Samarkand is a must on every Central Asia trip but this money-loving thing makes you have a quite bad feeling about the city overall.
Accomodation
We stayed at Bahodir B&B, 200 meters away from the Registan for 70000 som per room. Nice and recomendable place with bathroom inside the room and a nice courtyard to chillo ut.
Food & Drink
We didn’t have much time to check the dining options in Samarkand and ended up having some kebab and salad in a big two-storey restaurant across the road from the Registan. Avoid it: expensive, small portions and rude staff.
Transportation
We came to Samarkand from Bukhara after a 4-hour train ride. The train station is quite far from the center, so you need a taxi to get to the center. We payed 8000 som for that.
From Samarkand we had to go to Tajikistan, so the procedure was to take a shared taxi from the Ulugh Beg Observatory to Tashkent (3 hours, 25000 som per person) and then a bus from Qoyluk Bazaar to the Tajik border (1,5 hours, 6000 som per person).
From Samarkand we had to go to Tajikistan, so the procedure was to take a shared taxi from the Ulugh Beg Observatory to Tashkent (3 hours, 25000 som per person) and then a bus from Qoyluk Bazaar to the Tajik border (1,5 hours, 6000 som per person).
Safety
Samarkand is totally safe, the only annoyance is that these people like money too much. Yes, they are Samarkand and their city is a myth, but that doesn’t mean you have to pay European prices to get inside every single building. Of course you should pay, but reasonable prices. Otherwise you feel being ripped-off everywhere and decide not to enter the buildings, consequantly you missing them and they missing your money. If they had more normal prices, no problem at all to pay, but not like this, please.
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