The historic cities of Uzbekistan

The oldest cities of Uzbekistan are often counted as having more than two thousand years of history; their anniversaries are marked ceremonially in the country. Samarkand, ancient Marakanda, was the centre of Sogdiana and later the capital of Amir Temur’s state. In 2007 its 2,750th anniversary was marked. UNESCO placed Samarkand (“Crossroad of Cultures”) on the World Heritage list in 2001. Bukhara, whose 2,500th anniversary was marked in 1997, has hundreds of monuments such as the Ark, the Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the Kalon Minaret and the Mir-i Arab Madrasa; its historic centre was inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1993. Khiva lies in Khorezm region and was the capital of the Khanate of Khiva for several centuries; its Ichan Qala became in 1990 the first World Heritage site in Uzbekistan. Shahrisabz is the old city of Kesh, near where Amir Temur was born; its name means “green city”; remains of the Aksaray are here; the city was inscribed in 2000. Karshi was earlier called Nakhshab and Nasaf and is the centre of Kashkadarya region. Termez is an ancient city of Bactria, a trade centre on the Great Silk Road and the centre of Surkhandarya region; the famous Imam at-Termizi and Hakim at-Termizi were born here.