Samarkand

History: The city of Samarkand was founded prior to the 3rd millennium BCE

As a city on the trade routes (silk road) between China and the Middle East, Samarkand was captured by Alexander the Great in 329 BC.

Under Arab rule (since the 7th century CE), the city flourished as a trade center until the devastation of the city by Genghis Khan.

The city contains the Biblical prophet Daniel's tomb, carried there from his original burial place. The tomb is roughly 70 feet in length, because the scientists who had measured the body length before and after the journey found that the body had grown; they assumed that this process would continue.

The city contains numerous former mosques and madrassas.

Timur (Tamerlane) (1336 - 1405) was born at Kesh[?] situated some 50 miles south of Samarkand. Samarkand became the capital of his empire, which extended from India to Turkey.

In 1868, the city came under Russian rule, and it became the capital of the Uzbek SSR[?] in 1925 before being replaced by Tashkent.