With large roads, blue monuments, Samarkand is the ultimate silk route destination. Places to see in Samarkand include Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Shah-i-Zinda, Bibi-Khanym mosque
Samarkand is very different from Khiva and Bukhara, more shades of blue than brown, larger sized and grander monuments. Don’t skip any of three cities thinking they are similar
Registan: Most popular monument of Uzbekistan with the famous courtyard and three large buildings on the sides. It has been restored after earthquakes to its present form. There is a tacky light show at night around 8 PM (could move across months) which we saw for first few minutes. It then got a bit repetitive, and we made a move
- Shah-i-Zinda– Blue tiled world housing mausoleums
- Mausoleum of Islam Karimov: Islam Karomiv was the first President of Uzbekistan. His mausoleum, just across Bibi Khanym mosque is open to all
- Bibi Khanym Mosque– Dedicated to wife of Amir Timur. Some parts are dilapidated and restored
- Amir Timur Mausoleum– Resting place of famous king Timur who is revered here
- Aksaray mausoleum : Just behind Amir Timur mausoleum. Small place with a gentleman maintaining it and helping visitors take superb photos of the place
You can cover key monuments in one day. Carve out a night to visit Registan and monuments in yellow light. Trains to Tashkent and Bukhara are just couple of hours away, but better to keep 2 days considering travel time
We stayed at Hotel Ishnoch. It had large rooms, a nice rose garden, beside a sprawling university campus park. It is better to go early for breakfast as they take time to refill once guests start coming in. The park around had scampering squirrels, attention seeking cats and huge old trees that gave a sense of calm
