← Explore on the interactive map

Samarkand, Silk Road Hub City

Type Object Region Central Asia Time c. -500–1220

Samarkand (Samarqand) is a long-standing Central Asian Silk Road hub, a center of East–West trade since Sogdian times, ruled by the Khwarazm Shah 116…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1170Samarkand · Samarkand ProvinceKhwarazm shah Ala al-Din Tekish consolidated control of Transoxiana, and Samarkand prospered as a tax and trade center; its markets traded silk, porcelain, spices, furs, and horses, with Islamic colleges and caravanserais lining the city, linking Persian, steppe, and East Asian trade routes.
  2. c. 1170–1220Registan area · SamarkandAfter the 1170s Samarkand continued to expand as the eastern metropolis of the Khwarazmian Empire; the Registan area gradually formed a cluster of public squares and religious buildings, laying foundations for Timurid-era monumental architecture and continuing to serve as a Silk Road distribution and cultural crossroads.

Sources