Samarkand, Uzbekistan (August 2026)

After finishing our 3-day trip to Tashkent, we took a day trip to Samarkand, an important historical city at the heart of the Silk Road. We took an express train from Tashkent to Samarkand and hired a tour guide and a van. The tour guide was an Uzbek lady who studied Korean at college. Her name was Jinari, and she was so fluent in Korean. We thoroughly enjoyed her guiding services. 

Tashkent Train Station

Samarkand Train Station

Our first stop was at Timur's Graveyard. Timur was a hero in ancient Uzbekistan. He expanded the territory by conquering the neighboring countries. In this conquest, he annihilated Christians. It was a tragic time period for Christians. But, he was famous and well respected among Uzbek people. His graveyard was well decorated. 

We walked around a few structures that are used for different purposes. To me, they all looked alike. 

Jinari explained the different decorations of the hijabs that women wear in Uzbekistan, depending on their marital status. 

We had salad and Tilaf for lunch at a local restaurant. It was a cuisine with rice stir-fried with veggie oil. Jinari explained that Tashkent people cook Tilaf with lamb oil, thus very oily. Our lunch was delicious. 

We also visited an old observatory. We saw a statue of Ulurgbek, a grandson of Timur. He was an astronomer and left significant achievements. 

We visited the Afrosyab Museum. This museum is significant because it houses the ancient history, culture, and trade of the prehistoric Sogdiana along the Silk Road. The Sogdian merchants traveled along the Silk Road to China and spread Christianity. In fact, they were the genesis of the modern-day BAMers. I remembered what we learned at the Eastern Christianity Forum held in Bishkek. 

Ancient frescoes were showing the archaeological treasures of the Sogdians, but the colors were tarnishing fast. I cannot explain them all here, but I am saving them for possible future reference.

Our last stop was at Shaidjinda, meaning the graveyard of the living. They represented the martyrs who never die; they believed. Jinari mentioned at the beginning of the tour that her tour would begin with a visit to a graveyard and end with a visit to another graveyard. It was true. 

It was a really hot day, but we survived it. We hoped to visit another town along the Silk Road, called Bukhara, but we could not this time. Nonetheless, our day trip to Samarkand was rewarding and very meaningful. - Jeffrey