117The historic town of Samarkand is located in the valley of Zeravshan, in the northeast of theUzbekistan. It is considered the crossroads of world cultures, with a history dating back more than two millennia.
Samarkand represents a crossroads and a place of synthesis of cultures from around the world. Founded in the 7the century before the Christian era under the name ofAfrasyab, Samarkand reached its peak during the Timurid era, from the 14the in the XVe century. The main monuments include the mosque and madrassahs of the Registan, the mosque of Bibi-Khanum, all Shah i-Zinda and that by Gur i-Emir, as well as the observatory ofUlugh-Beg.
Rich in historical monuments, Samarkand was proclaimed in 2001 by theUNESCO crossroads of cultures and world heritage site. Since 2009, the city ofe Samarkand has undergone numerous urban redevelopments: a wall today separates the working-class neighborhoods from the city's major monuments and from century-old neighborhoods like that ofIskanderov (next to Gur Amir)
