World Heritage Identification Number: 603
World Heritage since: 2001
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Samarkand: A Historical and Cultural Melting Pot
Samarkand, located in southeastern Uzbekistan, stands as one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in Central Asia. Known as the 'Crossroad of Cultures,' this ancient city has been a center of trade, religion, and learning for over two millennia. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, Samarkand boasts a rich history dating back to the 7th century BC, with its most significant development occurring during the Timurid period from the 14th to the 15th centuries.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The historic town of Samarkand is a crossroad and melting pot of the world's cultures. Founded in the 7th century B.C. as ancient Afrasiab, Samarkand had its most significant development in the Timurid period from the 14th to the 15th centuries. The major monuments include the Registan Mosque and madrasas, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Shakhi-Zinda compound and the Gur-Emir ensemble, as well as Ulugh-Beg's Observatory.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion i : The architecture and townscape of Samarkand, situated at the crossroads of ancient cultures, are masterpieces of Islamic cultural creativity.
Criterion ii : Ensembles in Samarkand such as the Bibi Khanum Mosque and Registan Square played a seminal role in the development of Islamic architecture over the entire region, from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent.
Criterion iv : The historic town of Samarkand illustrates in its art, architecture, and urban structure the most important stages of Central Asian cultural and political history from the 13th century to the present day.
Encyclopedia Record: Samarkand
Samarkand is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarkand is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements Kimyogarlar, Farhod and Khishrav. With 551,700 inhabitants (2021), it is the third-largest city in Uzbekistan.Additional Site Details
Area: 1,123 hectares
(ii) — Significant interchange of human values
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: 39.66861 , 67
Image
© Adam Harangozó, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
