#679 Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan

Ak-Saray Palace Gateway - 50m high

2000 feet high over the Takhtakaracha Pass south of Samarqand (#978) in Kashka-Darya province lies an unassuming Uzbek town that was hometown of one of history's most famous central Asian rulers: Timur the lame, a.k.a. Tamerlane (born 1336). Known as Kesh at the time, Timur gave the town its currently name, christening it 'Green Town' in Tajik. The beautiful constructions (or ruins of them) were all built by Timur or his grandson, Ulugbek.  

The Ak-Saray Palace just north of the center of town was Timur's summer palace, dubbed the 'White Palace'. Actually, very little is left, but what can be seen is magnificent: the 50m high pishtak (gateway) remains and is covered with fine unrestored zellij mosaic tiles. It is crumbling (although I saw it in 1997, so it may have been more restored by this point) and surrounded by the modern town. Probably the most ambitious project of his reign and taking around 24 years to construct using 'imported' Khorezm artisans, this majesty of constructions can be best appreciated with a climb up the 116 steps of one side of the collapsed arch.

Nearby are the brilliant blue domed Ko-Gumbaz Mosque built by Ulugbek in honor of his father and Timur's son Shah Rukh, the Mausoleum of Shiekh Shamseddin Kulyal completed in 1374 (spiritual tutor for Timur and his father Amir Taragay) and the Gumbazi Seyidan -- Dome of the Seyyids, completed in 1438 by Ulugbek as a mausoleum for his own descendants. The Khazrati-Imam complex lies further east and holds the remnants of a 3500m mausoleum finished by Timur in 1392, of which the most important remnant is the crumbling Tomb of Jehangir, Timur's eldest and favorite son who died at 22, who is joined by another son Umar Sheikh. The others are buried with Timur at Guri Amir in Samarqand, although the back alley holding the Crypt of Timur (discovered in 1963) hold two unidentified corpses.

This hidden gem is a beautiful study in Persian architecture's majesty, and being hidden away up a mountain makes it that much more rewarding. Apologies that pictures are not the best -- I was there in 1997!
Source: Lonely Planet Central Asia 4th Edition 2007

#978 Samarqand, Uzbekistan

The Registan main square.

The mystique and impressiveness of the Silk Road cannot be captured any better than in Samarqand. Hot desert, snowy winters, an Islamic religious center, a pilgrimage site, the riches of kings, a center for learning, astronomical discoveries by Ulughbek, capital of the infamous Tamerlane (Timur the lame) and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.

Some might have called it the center of the world during Timur's reign of the 14th C, and in fact, from the 6th to the 13th C it was bigger that it is today. It's name means simply, 'rock town' or 'stone fort' in Turkic or perhaps it could, if it hadn't already been called Marakanda when Alexander the Great sacked it in 332 BC, part of Transoxiana (an area encompassing the Oxus and Jaxartes Rivers, a.k.a. Amu Darya and Syr Darya).

As is true of all Silk Road cities, it was held by many groups over the years, from Arabs to Turks, Perisans, and others before the Mongols arrived in 1220. Later of course, there were Uzbeks, Tajiks and Russians/Soviets. It was visited by Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta and has several important historical areas, from the Registan central square, including Ulugh Beg's Madrasa, and the Lion's Gate. There's also the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Gur-e Amir Mausoleum, Ulugh Beg's Observatory, the Shah-i-Zina necropolis and other important sites.

Photos taken 1997 - film!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkand