Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Samarkand is situated in the central part of the Zarafshan valley at
Mawarannahr with moderate climate and altitude of ideal range with an
average height of 695 meters above sea level. Her climate is dry and ter-
restrial. January is the coldest month with −5 to 5°C and July is the hottest
with 29-30°C.
According to legend, Timur who was the dominant of Turkistan, ap-
plied an ancient Turkish tradition to determine the location of the city that
was to be made the capital. He would have his servants kill and flay sheep
to be hung on poles at chosen locations under his rule including his birth
town of Shehri-Sebz. Then the meat would be checked to determine rot-
ting every day. The city where the meat doesn't rot for the longest would
be Samarkand. So Samarkand once again proving why she was called the
“Haven on Earth” for centuries becomes the capital of Timurs' State.
Long before Timur, another legend recounts when Samarkand was just
a young, attractive girl, after looting all the surrounding cities, the cruel-
est of many who wanted to possess her suddenly attacked her gates at the
Afrasiab Hill. People of Samarkand resist the enemy who were as many
as the grains of sand and a lot of blood was spilled. A miracle happens just
when the enemy was about to capture the city. A colossal sand hill and
a shepherd who dwells on top of it come down on to the enemy high up
above from the sky. That mound still exists today and is called the Kuhak
hill, also known as the “Father Shepherd” (Esin, 1997). Due to this miracle
people think of this site to be a sacred place. They dig for gold and silver
with extreme gratitude towards this holy place. They cannot find any gold
or silver but they find flint, marble and excellent sand which makes Sa-
markand the pottery center of the world. Ever since, Samarkand has been
the pottery hub of the world for centuries and these fine arts' masters have
always been the Oghuz tribe of Turks. Ceramics that were produced had
red or a pink surface and decorated with black and red drawings (Rice,
1997). Today many of these works are exhibited in the Museum of History
and Culture of Uzbeks in Registan (Fig. 3).
Even though having the Turan King as a father, Samarkand could not
have achieved its prosperity without her loyal Sogdian bureaucrats and
merchants. Sogdians, who had been living side by side with the Turks
since 1000 B.C. in the Mawarannahr region, always achieved to make
their skills sought-after no matter who ever was the ruler and never mix-
ing in politics. Chinese chronicles record Yueh-chis as the forefathers of
Sogdians and the K'ang-chus as the forefathers of Turks (Esin 1978). Ach-
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