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Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Posted on January 19, 2023January 21, 2023 by KK

A train ride took me from Bukhara to Samarkand – from the train station, a taxi ride to my hostel where my roommate was a jolly Aussie guy who spoke fluent Russian due to family heritage. (Was definitely great to be out and about with him as he chatted up the Russian-speaking elderly Uzbek taxi drivers.)

Madrasas, mosques, mausoleums, and mystique – Samarkand is full of them, and I spent several days checking them out. The most famous of  them all is of course, the Registan. And while I mentioned that seeing these majolica mosaic-filled structures starting to get old, the Registan still commanded a level of awe due to its size and intricacy of its décor. To be fair though, this beauty was due to a lot of restoration – if one googles “old photos Registan”, one would see how decrepit they were up until the early 20th century. I suppose I was appreciating the restoration work done (humans are amazing when they apply themselves correctly) and the idea of what it was supposed to be more than anything.

Just before the crowds started arriving – but unfortunately, not under the best lighting conditions.
Look at those patterns.
Inside one of the madrasas.
Look at that beautiful design and color!
A grand façade.

In these parts of the world, the name “Amir Timur” (or “Tamerlane”) is revered – basically Uzbekistan’s own fearsome version of Genghis Khan. He did his conqueror/ruler thing for a while and you see a lot of statues of him around – but I especially wanted to visit his final resting spot (as well as some other famous/infamous Uzbek rulers over the centuries) at Gur-E-Amir Mausoleum.

Amir Timur’s marker is the black one. However, they’re all resting in a chamber under the mausoleum.
The ceiling of the mausoleum – fitting for a fearsome ruler.
Wandering the alleys of a mosque complex.

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