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“Precious Pearl of the Orient”, “Oriental Rome”, “Dazzling star of the World” – that is how
Samarkand was called for already 2500 years.
A rich city with developed culture, trade and crafts attracted many conquerors.
Alexander the Great made his way towards this city – the capital of Sogdiana – in the 4th Century B.C., after
conquering Bactria. |
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Since the beginning of the 8th Century Samarkand became an important centre of Muslim culture.
But in the 13th Century the city was almost fully destroyed by the Mongolian ruler named Genghis-Khan.
In the 14th Century Samarkand became the capital of Timur’s Empire, spreading from Syrdarya River to
Gang and Bosporus |
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Registan square became the centre of Samarkand since
the times of Timur’s ruling.
There was a time when the heralds announced good
deeds and stern decrees of the ruler to the
townspeople supported by the sounds of huge copper
trumpets.
At the moment there are three madrasahs towering
above the Registan Square. One of them – Ulugbek’s
Madrasah – was erected back in the 15th Century,
following the instructions of the scientist himself.
That was a true temple of science. |
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Ulugbek, the
grandson of Emir Timur, was a great scientist and
encyclopedic expert, and at the age of 15 he became
the ruler of Samarkand.
His contemporary wrote: “Ulugbek was a Padishah – a
scientist, he was fair, powerful and generous. The
expertise of scientists was at a very high level
during his times and merited scientists held
important position. In geometry he was similar to
Euclid, in astronomy – to Ptolemy…” |
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