Dating back to the 7th century BC, Samarkand (Samarqand in Uzbek) is one of the oldest cities of Central Asia (alongside Bukhara). It lies very close to the Tajikistan border and was also an important city in the Persian empire. Alexander the Great captured the city in the days when it was called Maracanda. It then passed to the Persians, Turkics and Mongols (as it is the case with most cities, Genghis Khan came and destroyed the entire place). The city gained its peak during Amir Timur’s time – becoming a cultural and religious centre. In fact, Ibn Battuta (the inventor of #wanderlust) called Samarkand “one of the greatest and finest of cities, and most perfect of them in beauty“. Today, we dive right into this beautiful Silk Road city!