We would go again to Samarkand in a heartbeat! This was the capital of the Temurid Empire. This is the place where you will be able to feel history in your bones!

General Travel/ Logistics Suggestions

Unlike Tashkent; Samarkand does not have a metro system. There were public buses but we only used the local app (Yango) or walked. Do not hesitate to hail a ride as the fares are the lowest we have ever experienced anywhere in the world!

Samarkand

A warning in advance: This is going to be a long blog with a plenty of pictures and details!

How many days are enough for Samarkand

Our suggestion would be at least 4 full days, if not more. You would want to visit all major locations during the day as well as in the evening! We stayed at least 2 days less than we should have and we will be going there again.

Places to visit

Although there are not a lot of places to visit as compared to a large city but the amount of time required at each location is high and so please keep that in mind when planning your trip to this amazing city!

Registan Square

The entire complex is well lit in the evenings and there is even a light show scheduled for every day. This is accompanied by music from high powered speakers.

Light shows projected on buildings have become a thing of the past now and so the show itself was not impressive. On top of that; I felt strongly about the fact that odd coloured lights were being projected on such beautiful structures that were made with such care and effort!

The Three Madrasahs

There are 3 buildings in this Square. Each of them was a centre of education and advancement. The Ulugh Beg Madrasah is the oldest of the three and sits on the left side of the Square. Right opposite that is the Sher-Dor Madrasah which was the second building to be erected. Right in the centre is the Tilya-Kori Madrasah which caps off this incredible Square!

All three buildings are larger than life, and at the same time the intricate handiwork leaves you spellbound by the quality of finishing! If you are awed by the Square in the evening, then you will be left speechless if you go there early morning!

A very strong suggestion from our side which will really help and you can thank us later: Get there right at the beginning of the day! The Square opens at 8am. We were there 7:45am! Even the person at the ticket gate hadn’t gotten there. Some security guard was there and he let us in free of charge along with some other early birds!

This is the time when most public is either getting up or having breakfast. Luckily the hotel we were at was serving breakfast at 7am in the morning and we were 5 minutes walk from the Square.

The craftsmanship on display is astounding and you can realise why it took so long to complete each structure. The beautiful weather only made the view so much more beautiful!

No picture can do justice and so we would really recommend booking a flight straight to Samarkand! For reference; Fly Dubai goes direct to Samarkand from Dubai.

There are a number of shops inside each building. They, in our opinion, are overpriced. The shops outside the Square have the same quality handicraft at much cheaper a price.

Shah-I-Zinda

Shah-I-Zinda, meaning, the Living King is a necropolis unlike most others we have seen. First of all; it was built over a span of eight centuries and now has more than 20 tombs of great personalities over the centuries. Secondly, the architecture and craftsmanship is as beautiful as on the buildings of the Registan Square and there are 20 of them!

We went to this venue in the evening and regret not being able to go during the day. The lighting does make everything look even more beautiful and it should be a professional photographers heaven. If only we were better at taking pictures!

Bibi Khanum Mosque

Third on your must do list would be the Bibi Khanum Mosque. This is walking distance from the Registan Square and if you are frequent walkers then you can even walk back from Shah-I-Zinda to this mosque.

There are a couple of stories behind the reason for construction of this building. We will leave it to Google to tell you better than we can. Both believable and both interesting considering the era it was built in. We took a free walking tour with one of the locals and would recommend doing the same. There are (as we have learnt over the years), quite a few free tour websites that you can choose from. We normally look at Freetour.com to select tours in different cities.

Some other places of interest

Samarkand & Bukhara Silk Carpet Factory

The best way to get there is by car. You probably will not require more than an hour and a half at this location, unless you are serious about buying a carpet or two. All beautiful and all made with great care and dedication. The owner of the establishment was kind enough to take us through the entire facility and talk to us about the history of the place as well as show us how carpets are made.

The process might look simple but only because of the expertise of the females who are working there. They are truly adept at maintaining a symmetry of design without the aid of an electronic device. Not enough credit is given to the person behind a beautiful handicraft.

Ulugh Beg Observatory

Ulugh Beg was the grand-son of the great Amir Temur and was instrumental in the massive developments in Samarkand. A visionary at heart; he encouraged great minds to come to Samarkand. The observatory is a testament to that.

Gul Emir Mausoleum

About 3 km away from the carpet factory. Not a must do but if you are out on a stroll, it is well worth a visit.

Food Options

Not really many really good options. We probably had meals at the same restaurant about three times after being disappointed with some of the other options. Emirhan Restaurant has a wide variety of meal options and all the dishes that we tried were delicious. Would give it a five star for quality of food and quality of service.

Where to Stay

Please stay close to Registan Square. You might not find the best options or any five star hotels in that area but in our opinion, that is the area to stay!

General Suggestions

We would go to Samarkand again for sure! We went during Spring and that would be the best time to go. However, next time, we would prioritise Bukhara over Tashkent not because we did not manage to visit Bukhara but only because if you are short on time then Bukhara over Tashkent.

Wishing you safe travel. We leave you with some pictures of this beautiful city!