Afrasiab, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a dream come true destination for anyone who wants to dive into atmosphere of ancient Central Asia. Uzbekistan is full of tales and legends that are interlaced with historical monuments. There are many ancient cities, all around Uzbekistan, that have rich culture and many events behind its back. All of them were influenced by the Great Silk Road and preserved that feel of ancient atmosphere. One of these cities is Samarkand.

Some of the most significant sightseeing places are located in Samarkand.  In northern part of Samarkand there’s a mystical, ancient hill-forest Afrasiab. The remnants of the hill-forest are 200 acres of yellowy-gray sandy hills. Afrasiab never existed, locals named because of the legend.

The legend says that there used to be a large hill-forest of tsar Turan. In fact, until 1220 there was hill-forest of Samarkand, but it was destroyed by invasion of Mongols. The hill-forest was called Markanda. Archeological sites revealed ceramics with ornaments, glass statuettes, terracotta statues, coins, pieces of women’s jewelry, and different tools of trade. Walls of building were painted with colorful pictures of festivities and well-dressed people. During the reign of Achemenids, Afrasiab was encircled by huge, massive walls.

All findings proved that Samarkand was well-developed city. In 10^th century Samarkand became the first capital of Samanid dynasty and a cultural center of Islamic world in the East.  There was a magnificent palace in western part of the city with caravanserais, mosques, and bazaars around it. According to a legend the hill-forest disappeared, because it couldn’t survive invasion of Genghis-khan’s horde. The great conqueror eradicated the hill-forest. Citizens were terrified by his decision and couldn’t live on those hills anymore. They came back to ashes of Samarkand and settled there. Today Samarkand hugs vanished hill-forest in a half-moon shape.