Samarkand

Samarkand

In Samarqand, in the heart of the old "Turquoise city", you absolutely mustn't miss out on the monumental architectural group of the Registan - square where you can see, to the right, the Chir Dor medersa with its surprising animal hunt decorations, and to the left, the Ulugbeg merdesa, an old regional cultural centre where scholars, astronomers and poets met, and in the centre, the great medersa of Tillia-Kari, decorated with restored paintings and gild. Lower down, discover the remarkable architecture of Gur-e Mir - Tamerlan's tomb. Behind the Chir Dor medersa, Bibi Khanum mosque is one of the largest in the world. Beyond the archaeological site of Afrasiab, you will fall upon Ulugbeg observatory, unique in its style in the 15th century.