Not sure if anyone knows this, but I’m a pretty big nerd. Like many of my ilk, I spent a lot of my childhood (OK, and adulthood) playing Final Fantasy. Alas, life and responsibilities got in the way, and the last Final Fantasy I was able to play was Final Fantasy X. I never did finish it, but I remember that the city of Zanarkand was important to the game. It was an ancient and thriving city that was destroyed by some horrific accident.

Imagine my interest when I was looking at places to visit in Uzbekistan and saw Samarkand at the top of the list. Zanarkand? Samarkand? Surely that can’t be a coincidence. It’s not. According to trust Wikipedia, Samarkand was one of the inspirations for the fictitious Zanarkand. Whether or not the inspiration is deeper than the name is unknown to me, for I never reached Zanarkand in Final Fantasy X. I do know that Samarkand is an ancient city that was destroyed–not by a horrific accident, unless you count Genghis Khan as a horrific accident–and then rebuilt to even greater glory. Was Zanarkand also restored? Maybe someone reading this blog can tell me.

Samarkand is about three hours away from Bukhara via train. After being razed by Genghis Khan, it was restored by Temur (aka Temur the Lame, aka Tamerlane), a warrior conqueror who was born just 100 km away from Samarkand. His empire was massive and rivaled those of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. He established his capitol in Samarkand and imposed his personal architectural tastes onto the ruined city. Those tastes are now world renowned. He likes turquoise domes, glazed tiles, and mosaic facades. If you think of Central Asian architecture, you’re likely thinking about something dreamed up by Temur.

The crown jewel of Samarkand’s architectural splendor is the Registan Ensemble (above). It consists of two enormous madrassas facing each other, and another madrassa in the middle, creating a U shape with a large public square in between all of them. The middle madrassa is also home to a splendid mosque. Cindy and I only had the afternoon in Samarkand, but it was obvious what we needed to see.

Side of one madrassa

Front of middle madrassa

Front of east madrassa

Front of west madrassa

Here are some close ups of Temur’s specific architectural tastes.

“Divoted” cupolas inside archways

“Twisted” carved columns around archways

The interior of the madrassas are no less spectacular.

Inside of the west madrassa

The mosque inside the west madrassa is also noteworthy. To demonstrate the wealth of Samarkand, it was covered in blue ceramic and gold leaf.

Inside of mosque

Not much needs to be said. This is a highlight. If these were attractions in London or Paris, it would cost at least $50 to go in, and everyone would pay. It cost Cindy and me a total of $7.

Temur’s mausoleum at night