Samarkand

Samarkand

Things to do - general

 

We travel not for trafficking alone,

By hotter winds our fiery hearts are fanned.

For lust of knowing what should not be known

We take the Golden Road to Samarkand.

These final lines of James Elroy Flecker’s 1913 poem The Golden Journey to Samarkand evoke the romance of Uzbekistan’s most glorious city. No name is so evocative of the Silk Road as Samarkand. For most people it has the mythical resonance of Atlantis, fixed in the Western popular imagination by poets and playwrights of bygone eras, few of whom saw the city in the flesh.

On the ground the sublime, larger-than-life monuments of Timur, the technicolour bazaar and the city’s long, rich history indeed work some kind of magic. Surrounding these islands of majesty, modern Samarkand sprawls across acres of Soviet-built buildings, parks and broad avenues used by buzzing Daewoo taxis.

You can visit most of Samarkand’s high-profile attractions in two or three days. If you’re short on time, at least see the Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda.

Away from the main attractions Samarkand is a modern, well-groomed city, which has smartened itself up enormously in the past decade. This process has involved building walls around some of the less sightly parts of the old town, which many consider to have made the old city rather sterile, blocking off streets that have been linking quarters for centuries. While this ‘disneyfication’ of this once chaotic place is undeniable, it’s also true to say that Samarkand remains a breathtaking place to visit.

Grand Samarkand Superior

Grand Samarkand Superior

31 Bakhodir Yalangtush Str, Samarkand, Samarkand
Price from $ 75
Grand Samarkand Superior Hotel welcomes to Samarkand city the pearl of the East. The hotel located i More info
Malika Prime

Malika Prime

37 Kamraev Str., Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Samarkand
Price from $ 80
Number of rooms: 26 Hotel “Malika Prime” has a perfect location in the city center just100 metersto More info
15 Days Uzbekistan Tour

15 Days Uzbekistan Tour

Tashkent, Shakhrisabz, Nukus, Fergana, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand
Day 1: Arrival Tashkent Arrival to Tashkent Airport. Transfer is to the hotel. Check in to the hotel More info
Guaranteed Departure Uzbekistan tour 2018

Guaranteed Departure Uzbekistan tour 2018

Tashkent, Nukus, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand
Tour itinerary: Tashkent – Urgench – Khiva – Bukhara – Samarkand – Tashkent More info
Journey to the Aral Sea

Journey to the Aral Sea

Tashkent, Nukus, Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand
Day 1: Welcome To Uzbekistan! A taste of history… • Liaise with your tour guide and chauffeur More info
Bibi Khоnum Mosque

Bibi Khоnum Mosque

Bibi Khоnum Mosque 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the re More info
Gur-Emir Mausoleum

Gur-Emir Mausoleum

Gur-Emir Mausoleum 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the re More info
Gur-Emir Mausoleum 2

Gur-Emir Mausoleum 2

Gur-Emir Mausoleum 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the re More info
Registan Square

Registan Square

Registan Square 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the real More info
Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble

Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble

Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the More info
Shakhi-Zinda Ensemble

Shakhi-Zinda Ensemble

Shakhi-Zinda Ensemble 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the More info
The Gur-Emir mausoleum

The Gur-Emir mausoleum

The Gur-Emir mausoleum 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel th More info
Tillya-Kari mosque

Tillya-Kari mosque

Tillya-Kari mosque 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Feel the re More info
Ulugbek's observatory

Ulugbek's observatory

Ulugbek’s observatory 360 Pano View Virtual tour to this sight. Enjoy the full screen view. Fe More info

Unfortunately there are no car rental offers at this location at the moment.