Formally known as Chang’an, it is an … margin: auto; What did Samarkand trade on the Silk Road? In Samarkand itself, even after the Arab conquest, the center of the city continued to be Voronikhin's drawing reconstructing the upper Amid the ostensibly stark ruins of Panjikent are houses whose walls were decorated with murals portraying a religious ceremonies, scenes from the famous Persian epics and much more evidence of the cosmopolitan cultural connections of the last Sogdian state. Timur had a great interest in trade and wanted to reactive and restore the Silk Road. We know that some of the exotic products popular later in Tang China were imported from Samarkand. Soghdian merchants also went west and seem to have been involved in the development of new routes for the Silk trade with Byzantium in the sixth century. The Persian chronicler Juvaini's encomium to Samarkand and other Central Asian cities reflects his dismay at the destruction wrought by the Mongols when Chingis Khan invaded the area in 1220. Mosque, are Soghdian letters dating from 313-314 CE have been discovered there; they provide evidence about a network of Soghdian merchants in various places in China, whose commercial interests included precious metals, spices and cloth. Shah-i Zinde, In the early twentieth century, an Indiana Jones-ish archaeologist named Aurel Stein was exploring some of the more remote stretches on the trade routes in Western China. south, and a schematic map shows the rings of fortifications and the ponds and canal system Firm Arab control in the region was not established before the middle of the eighth century (CE), and a century after that, Samarkand came under the control first of the Samanid and then the Karakhanid states. Today it stands as a living museum of culture and architecture. Along with Bukhara, Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and the Mediterranean (Silk Road). But over a millennium ago, it was one of the richest cities on the infamous trade route known as the Silk Road. With the arrival of the railway in 1888, Samarkand became an important centre for the export of wine, dried and fresh fruits, cotton, rice, silk, and leather. Samarkand derived its commercial importance in ancient and medieval times from its location at the junction of trade routes from China and India. The city is a diverse mix, combining Uzbek people with those of Tajik ethnicity. As in Panjikent, the walls were covered with brilliant major aqueducts into the city can be seen on the left. Samarkand’s Registan is somewhere that conjures all the mystery of the silk road and for many, it was an image of this very place, dripping in history and glittering mosaics that first laid the seed. Outside Dunhuang, he found a mailbag of eight extremely well-preserved letters. The Great Silk Road is a famous ancient caravan trade route, which played an important role in the developpement of world civilization, it influenced the developpement of trade, cities, arts, and in addition it contributed to the infiltration, formation and mutual enrichment of cultures, religions and languages, which firms an important part of the heritage today. The wall paintings at Panjikent depict various goddesses and religious scenes, some even showing influences of Hinduism and others including local Central Asian deities not connected with one of the other major regions. This cultural-educational tour along the famous cities of the Great Silk Road will acquaint you with the ancient history and culture of Uzbekistan. The Silk Road Lives On Samarkand Non is a local flatbread known for its inimitable taste and features. 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