Why Samarkand Is One of My Favorite Cities
If you are into medieval history, the Silk Road and the meeting of Persian and Turkic cultures, Samarkand in Uzbekistan is the city for you.
A city for lovers of medieval history
If you are into medieval history and want to know how empires built their societies and made them rich, you must visit Samarkand.
At the time, Samarkand was one of the richest cities in the world. You can even see a glimpse of the Mughal Empire of India here, in the similarities you notice all around.
Not a clash, but a mingling of civilizations
Samarkand is not a clash of civilizations but a mingling of two: the Persian and the Turkic. If you want to see how two great cultures mixed together, Uzbekistan should be your destination.
You will also notice that many of the words people use come from Turkic or Persian languages.
The Times Square of the Silk Road
I would call Samarkand the Times Square of its time. It was the center of the Silk Road, which connected the East to the West.
Great trains across Uzbekistan
The trains within Uzbekistan are really good. The Afrosiyob high-speed train connects Samarkand easily with Tashkent, and trains also take you to Bukhara, Khiva and other parts of the country.
A gateway to all of Central Asia
Samarkand is a very strategic place. You can easily connect by road to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan.
Panjakent in Tajikistan is a little over an hour's drive from Samarkand. You can also go further to Shymkent in Kazakhstan and on to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
My favorite country in Central Asia
Of all the countries I have visited in Central Asia, including Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan is my favorite. I have not visited Turkmenistan yet.
Samarkand is the city to go to if you want to see the connection between Turkic and Persian languages and cultures, and how rich the city was in its time.