This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Samarkand.
Samarkand is one of most ancient cities in the world, the heart of a historic area, the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the administrative center of the Samarkandskoj area. The city population is more than four hundred and eighty thousand people. For more than two thousand years, the city was a key point on the Silk Road between China and Europe, as well as one of the main science centers in the Medieval East.
The city was founded in the eighth century BC. It was impacted by many cultures and it was partly destroyed a few times. In the fourteenth century, Samarkand was the capital of Tamerlane's empire and the Timurid dynasty and that was the highlight in the city history. Samarkand is full of history and nobody will leave the city disappointed, because you need several days to see the major monuments.
Registan is one of the most visited places in Samarkand. In the Middle Ages, it used to be the central square. At the moment, it is an ensemble of three massive buildings or madrasahs -- Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah, and Sher-Dor Madrasah -- which date from the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Ulugbek Observatory was one of the most significant observatories in the Middle Ages, built in the thirteenth century. There are also many mosques and other buildings that simply must be visited.
Visitors can definitely ask for more than what the hostels in Samarkand have to offer. The number of Samarkand hostels is definitely not enough, and most of them are quite far from the center and make the main sights not very accessible for tourists. This is a pity, as the city has much to show and if you visit it for a short time, this could be a problem as you might spend much time traveling. Another problem is that Samarkand hostels are not very cheap and do not have very good conditions.
Written by local enthusiast for Samarkand hostels
George Traveller
