I knew little about Central Asia prior to this trip, especially the Stans. ‘World’ history in American education is narrow and only focuses on Europe. So I was excited to get a glimpse of Central Asia – its history, geography, politics and culture in Uzbekistan.
The city of Samarkand that we would visit in Uzbekistan has been at the crossroads of world cultures for over 2500 thousand years. Founded in 7th century BC as ancient Afrasiab, Samarkand especially flourished during the 14th and 15th centuries under the rule of Timur. It was an important site for commerce on the Silk Road and a waystation through which silk, textiles, spices, ceramics, precious metals and pearls traveled between China, the Middle East and Europe.
Samarkand was also one of the finest producers of paper in this era, a lost art that craftsmen today have resurrected.
Many of the monuments we would visit, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, Guri-i-Amir mausoleum, Shah-I Zinda complex, Registan Square were built during the Timuran dynasty and today give a glimpse of the magnificence of this ancient crossroads city.
