Afrasiyab (Samarkand)

Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand (Uzbek: Afrosiyob-Samarqand shahar tarixi muzeyi) is a museum located at the historical site of Afrasiyab, one of the largest archaeological sites in the world and the ancient city that was destroyed by the Mongols in the early 13th century. Museum building and the archaeological site are located in the north-eastern part of the city of Samarkand in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan. It bears the name of Afrasiab, mythical king and hero of Turan. Permanent exhibition of the Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand is focused on the history of the city itself as well as the surrounding region. The museum building was designed by Armenian architect Bagdasar Arzumanyan in 1970, at the time when Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was still part of the Soviet Union. The opening of the museum was dedicated to the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the city of Samarkand. Thematically, the museum is divided into five rooms dedicated to different periods of life in the fort of Afrasiyab.The museum was conceived as the place that will share the story about the founding of the city of Samarkand, its subsequent history, as well as the settlement of Afrasiyab. The museum features a variety of exhibits, including not only artifacts found during excavations in Afrasiyab and Samarkand but its wider region as well. Among the artifacts one can find the remains of ancient swords, ossuaries, knives and other sharp objects, arrows, coins, ceramics, ancient manuscripts and books, statues and other ancient objects of everyday life. Museum exposition consists of more than 22 000 unique exhibits. One notable exhibit are the uniquely preserved Afrasiab murals of Samarkand palace belonging to the period of Ikhshid Dynasty from the 7th-8th centuries. In December 2015, as a part of cultural cooperation between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani pavilion was opened at the Afrasiab Museum. Azerbaijani Pavilion exhibits objects that present history and culture of Azerbaijan, samples of material culture, national dress, including hats and kalaghai, books about the culture and the Azerbaijani carpet weaving traditions.

The Afrasiab murals, also called the Paintings of the Ambassadors, is a rare example of Sogdian art. It was discovered in 1965 when the local authorities decided to construct a road in the middle of Afrāsiāb mound, the old site of pre-Mongol Samarkand. It is now preserved in a special museum on the Afrāsiāb mound.

Khoja Doniyor mausoleum is an architectural monument in Samarkand (built at the beginning of the 20th century). It is located in the east side of the Afrosiyab fortress along the Siyob stream. It was built on the grave of Wali Khoja Doniyor. It consists of a rectangular room with a gable and five domes (the length is about 15 m). The pediment (on the north side) and the domed, cup-shaped patterns on both sides of it were decorated with ganch carving, and the sides are decorated with arches. There is an oblong hut inside the mausoleum. The spring near the mausoleum is considered a blessing among the people. According to Abu Tahirkhoja's work "Samaria", Khoja Doniyor (Doniyol) was one of the companions of Kusam Ibn Abbas.

Amir Burunduk Mausoleum (Burunduk mausoleum) is an architectural monument (end of the 14th century) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It was built over the grave of Amir Burunduk, the commander of Amir Temur's army. It is a one-room, gabled, two-story domed building in the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble. The roof was decorated with ceramic rivets, embossed tiles, polished bricks. The interior of the building was decorated with blue rivets and beautiful patterns made of red carpet. There is a door on the southern wall – on the side of the cemetery. The basement is a cellar with a crypt; It was covered with a dome, which is rare in the architecture of Turkestan. 9 tombs have been preserved inside.

Shah-i-Zinda (Uzbek: Shohizinda; Persian: شاه زنده, meaning "The Living King") is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Qusam Ibn Abbas Complex – an architectural monument in Samarkand (11th–15th centuries) as a part of Shah-i-Zinda. The complex consists of a mosque, a mausoleum and a shrine built in different periods. It was built around the tomb of Qutham ibn Abbas.

Unknown Mausoleum-2 (Nameless mausoleum-2) is an architectural monument in Samarkand and is part of the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble. It was built in the 90s of the 14th century. In some sources, the monument was called Ulug Sultanbegi.

The Hazrat Khizr Mosque is a historical monument in Samarkand (mid-19th century); associated with the name of the legendary immortal prophet Hazrat Khizr. The building was erected on the site of an ancient mosque (according to the inscription on the mihrab, in 1855). The monument is located opposite the Shah-i-Zinda complex on a hill. In 2018, the mausoleum of the First President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov was opened in the territory of the mosque.

Siyob Bazaar (Uzbek: Сиёб бозор), also called Siab Bazaar, is the largest bazaar in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. All daily necessities, such as "Samarkand naan", are sold. Siyob Bazaar is located adjacent to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and is visited not only by local people but also by domestic and foreign tourists.

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque (Uzbek: Bibixonim masjidi; Persian: مسجد بی بی خانم; also variously spelled as Khanum, Khanom, Hanum, Hanim) is one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the 15th century, it was one of the largest and most magnificent mosques in the Islamic world. It is considered a masterpiece of the Timurid Renaissance. By the mid-20th century, only a grandiose ruin of it still survived, but major parts of the mosque were restored during the Soviet period.

The Ulugh Beg Observatory is an observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, built in the 1420s by the Timurid astronomer Ulugh Beg. Islamic astronomers who worked at the observatory include Al-Kashi, Ali Qushji, and Ulugh Beg himself. The observatory was destroyed in 1449 and rediscovered in 1908.

Chorsu (Persian: چارسو, Uzbek: Chorsu and Russian: Чорсу), also called Charsu, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, is a domed, hexagonal shape building with central big dome and six small domes around central dome. Chorsu located at southeast of the Registan at the intersection of the roads connecting Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara, and Shahrisabz. Chorsu is a word of Persian origin meaning "crossroads," referring to this intersection. The building is old, It has a rather rich centuries-old history. At the moment, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the historical part of the city.