Samarkand is one of the oldest of the existing cities of our planet. Warriors from the armies of many great conquerors marched through its streets, and medieval poets sang it in their works. The history of Samarkand from the moment of its foundation to the present day is devoted to this article.
Ancient history
Although the history of the city of Samarkand dates back more than 2500 years, archaeological finds indicate that people lived in these parts already in the Upper Paleolithic era.
In antiquity, it was known as the capital of Sogdiana, which is described in the holy book of the religion of Zoroastrianism - the Avesta, dating back to the 6th century BC. e.
In Roman and ancient Greek sources it is referred to as Maracanda. In particular, the so-called biographers of Alexander of Macedon, who conquered the city in 329 BC, are called Samarkand. e.
In the 4th-5th centuries AD, he came under the power of the East Iranian tribes. Perhaps this makes some politicians misinterpret the history of Samarkand and Bukhara. These cities cannot be called Tajik land. At least at the moment there is no serious scientific justification for this.
At the beginning of the 6th century, ancient Samarkand, in the history of which there are many white spots, was part of the Ephthalite empire, which included Khorezm, Bactria, Sogdiana and Gandhar.
Early middle ages
In 567-658 years of our era, Samarkand, the history of which is not fully understood, was in vassal dependence on the Turkic and West Turkic kaganates. There is no reliable information about the events that took place there during this period.
The year 712 in the history of Uzbekistan and Samarkand was marked by the invasion of the Arab conquerors, led by Kuteiba ibn Muslim, who managed to capture the city.
During the Muslim Renaissance
The years 875-999 entered the history of Samarkand as the heyday of the city. During this period, he turned into one of the largest cultural and political centers of the Samanids.
When the Turkic dynasty of the Karakhanids came to power, the foundation of the first madrassas began in Samarkand. The most famous of them was an educational institution, opened at the expense of Ibrahim Tamgach Khan.
The heyday of Samarkand was also marked by the construction of a magnificent palace decorated with paintings in the city. It was erected by order of Ibrahim Hussein Karakhanid, who ruled from 1178 to 1200.
Decline
The events that took place in the region almost always left their mark in the history of Samarkand, since without the capture of this important political and cultural center of Central Asia, no ruler could consider his influence to be absolute.
In particular, at the beginning of the 13th century, the city was embroiled in a confrontation between the karakhanid Osman and the Khorezmshah Ala ad-Din Mohammed II. The latter managed to defeat the rebel vassal and make Samarkand its capital. However, this was only the beginning of the troubles that awaited its inhabitants.
Conquest of Genghis Khan
In 1219, Genghis Khan, enraged by the disrespectful attitude towards his ambassadors by the rulers of Khorezm, stopped the invasion of China and moved his troops west.
Khorezmshah Muhammad in time found out about his plans. He decided not to give a decisive battle, but to sit out with the army in the cities. Khorezmshah hoped that the Mongols would disperse throughout the country in search of prey, and then it would be easier for garrison fortresses to cope with them.
One of the cities that were to play an important role in this regard was Samarkand. By order of Muhammad, high walls were erected around him and a moat was dug.
In March 1220, the Mongols destroyed and plundered Khorezm. Genghis Khan decided to use the soldiers who were captured for the siege of Samarkand, where he moved his troops. According to various sources, the garrison of the city at that time ranged from 40 to 110 thousand people. In addition, the defenders had 20 war elephants. On the third day of the siege, some representatives of the local clergy went into betrayal and opened the gates to the enemy, surrendering Samarkand without a fight. 30,000 Kangl warriors who served Khorezmshah Muhammad and his mother Turkan-Khatun were captured and executed.
In addition, the soldiers of Genghis Khan took away from the locals everything that they could carry away, and left behind only ruins. According to travelers at that time, only 50,000 people were left alive from the 400,000th population of Samarkand.
However, the hardworking Samarkand did not accept. They revived their city at some distance from their former place, where modern Samarkand is located today.
Age of Timur and Timurids
At the end of the 60s of the 14th century, a new empire was formed in the territory of the former Chagatai ulus, as well as the southern part of the Juchi Ulus of Great Mongolia, called Turan. In 1370, a kurultai took place, at which Tamerlan was elected emir of the state.
The new ruler decided that his capital would be in Samarkand, and decided to turn it into one of the most magnificent and powerful cities in the world.
Heyday
According to historians, during the reign of the Timurid dynasty, Samarkand reached its highest development.
It was under him and with his descendants that architectural masterpieces were built there, which even today admire the perfection of the architects' design and the skill of those who worked on their construction.
The new emir forcibly drove to Samarkand masters from all countries, where he made aggressive campaigns. In a few years, magnificent mosques, palaces, madrassas and tombs were built in the city. Moreover, Timur began to give the nearest villages the names of famous cities of the East. This is how Baghdad, Damascus and Shiraz appeared in Uzbekistan. Thus, the great conqueror wanted to emphasize that Samarkand is more magnificent than all of them.
At his court, he gathered prominent musicians, poets and scientists from different countries, so the capital of the Timurid Empire was rightfully considered one of the main cultural centers of not only the region, but also the world.
The beginning of Timur was continued by his descendants. In particular, an observatory was built under his grandson Mirzo Ulugbek in Samarkand. In addition, this enlightened ruler invited the best scholars of the Muslim East to his court, turning the city into one of the centers of world science and the study of Islam.
Late middle ages
In 1500, the Bukhara Khanate was founded. In 1510, accession to the throne of Kuchkunji Khan took place in Samarkand. Under his rule, large-scale construction continued in the city. In particular, two famous madrassas were erected. However, with the advent of the new ruler of Ubaidullah, the capital was moved to Bukhara, and the city became the capital of beqi.
A new round of revival of Samarkand occurred in the period from 1612 to 1656, when the city was ruled by Yalangtush Bahadur.
New and Modern
In the 17-18th centuries, the city lived a calm measured life. Dramatic changes in the history of Samarkand and Bukhara took place after Russian troops entered the territory of modern Uzbekistan in 1886. As a result, the city was annexed to the Russian Empire and became the administrative center of Zerafshan district.
In 1887, local residents revolted, but it was crushed by the Russian garrison under the command of Major General Friedrich von Stampel.
The fastest integration of Samarkand into the Russian Empire was the construction of the railway, which connected it with the western regions of the state.
After the October revolution
After the well-known events in Petrograd in 1917, Samarkand was included in the Turkestan ASSR. Then, from 1925 to 1930, he had the status of the capital of the Uzbek SSR, later changing it to the title of the administrative center of the Samarkand region.
In 1927, the Uzbek Pedagogical Institute was founded in the city. This first higher educational institution subsequently became a university, and it was given the name Navoi.
In general, during the Soviet period, other universities were also founded in Samarkand, thanks to which the city became a major educational center throughout the entire Soviet Central Asia.
During the Second World War, the Artillery Academy and several large industrial enterprises were evacuated from Moscow in Samarkand.
The Soviet period was also marked by the active development of tourism. In addition, several large industrial enterprises were opened in the city.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union
In 1991, Samarkand became the capital of the Samarkand region of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Three years later, the largest university in Uzbekistan, the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, was opened there.
Now you know what a long history Samarkand has. In recent decades, much has been done there for the development of tourism, therefore, once in Uzbekistan, be sure to visit the ancient capital of Sogdiana to see the masterpieces of medieval architecture recognized as part of the world heritage of mankind.