Samarkand II

Samarkand is another important city on the Silk Road. As the second largest city in Usbekistan it has around 600 000 inhabitants. It's foundation goes back to the 7th century B.C and has been the capital of different empires. The Mongols under Genghis Khan pillaged the city in 1220 and left only few survivors. In the 14th century Timur made it the capital of his empire and led to a period of prosperity. The famous astronomer Ulugh Beg lived and worked there. The city went into decline after the Sabyanids moved their capital to Bukhara in the 16th century. It came under russian rule in 1868.The railway reached the city in 1888. In 1925 it became the capital of the Uzbek SSR but was replaced by Tashkent in 1930.

Tashkent has a very distinctive city structure.In the heart of the city is a big void with the Registan in the East and adminitrative buildings in the West surrounded by green spaces. West of it the city extension built by the Russians, with it's radial street layout. East of it is the old town with its narrow streets and court yard houses. In the North-East lies Afrasiab, a now deserted hill that was occupied by the first settlements from the 7th century. Around this central part the city developped mainly to the west, east and south.