Registan Square

Oh, great Samarkand, the city of sciences and art, is there anyone in the world who does not know your most famous attraction — the Registan Square?

Time is so ironic — once the main square of each city was called “registan”, which in Farsi means “sandy place”. Now, this is the unique name of your architectural ensemble.

The history of your famous monument began in the 15th century, when merchants, scientists, craftsmen and artists travelled along the six main roads of the Great Silk Road to visit you.

At the time of the Timurids, your Registan was a sales area and resting place for your citizens. The square also played a special role in public life and governance — there town criers read orders, military commanders mustered their troops, executioners punished criminals, and rulers held great feasts.

There are three splendid buildings on the Registan Square:

• The Ulugbek Madrassah, the construction built by the grandson of Tamerlane, with only two majestic minarets that have survived until now. Mirzo Ulugbek was a famous ruler who rejected warfare for science and productive work, like great Solomon did. Ulugbek made a huge contribution to the development of world astronomy; in 1444, he finished his three-decade long work on the most accurate astronomical tables in the world, which were surpassed only in the 17th century.

The madrassah is a rectangular building with the facade facing the center of the Registan. The most educated persons hold classes in the rooms of the landmark. Even your ruler, great Samarkand, Mirzo Ulugbek, personally gave lecturers there.

• The Sher-Dor Madrassah was supposed to be an exact copy of the Ulugbek Madrassah, but a sharp eye will see the difference between two monuments that belong to you, the ancient city. In addition, in order to comply with the old tradition, the new building surpassed the old one in its size. Its name means “the madrassah with lions”. The legendary heraldic beast depicted on the facade and having a sun-faced mane on the back combines features of a lion and a tiger and became your special symbol, Samarkand.

• The Tillya Kari Madrassah is a monument that had been under construction for 14 years and became the final composition of the ensemble. It was intended to fill the void between two “elder brothers”. The madrassah is decorated with minarets, blue domes, mosaic tiles and carved wooden doors.

Next to your main ensemble, great Samarkand, there is the dome of the Chorsu Bazaar, which used to be a trade pavilion and now is a gallery of fine arts.

In 2001, the unique Registan Square was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Canaan Travel invites you to visit magical Uzbekistan and touch the living history of the ancient East!