title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The roadster variant of the new Aventador S followed up in 2017 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The roadster is mechanically identical to the coupé with the only difference being the engine cover (identical to the standard Aventador roadster), two carbon fibre removable roof panels (weighing less than stowable in the front compartment of the car and new optional wheels. The roadster is heavier than the coupé due to chassis reinforcing components due to which it accelerates from in 3.2 seconds, 0.3 seconds slower than the coupe.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Unveiled at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Aventador SVJ (Super Veloce Jota) is a track focused iteration of the Aventador S and an improvement over the Aventador SV. The 6.5-litre "L539" V12 engine used in the entire Aventador lineage has been reworked and now generates a maximum power output of at 8,500 rpm and of torque at 6,750 rpm. The weight saving measures such as the extensive use of carbon fibre, and titanium in the exhaust system has brought the weight down to , giving the car a power-to-weight ratio of 0.5 hp/kg. The Aventador SVJ can accelerate from in 2.8 seconds and in 8.6 seconds and can attain a top speed of over .


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: A camouflaged prototype of the variant had previously made a new production car lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in July 2018, beating the previous record-holder, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS by setting a lap time of 6:44.97 with Lamborghini test driver Marco Mapelli behind the wheel achieved by using the Pirelli Pzero Trofeo R tyres available with the car as an option.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Aventador SVJ is the first production V12 Lamborghini model to feature Lamborghini's Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA) system. This allows the car to achieve 40% more downforce than the Aventador SV and 1% reduction in the coefficient of drag. The system adds aerodynamic components to the car including a disconnected front splitter, tri-dimensional air outlet on the bonnet, a large carbon fibre rear wing with a central fin, underbody aero design with vortex generators, and a large rear diffuser. The system works in conjunction with Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Attiva 2.0 (LDVA 2.0) management system, which uses inertial sensors to control the car's aero in 500 milliseconds.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The roadster variant of the SVJ was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and will be produced in a limited series of 800 units. The car includes a removable hard top made of two different pieces made of carbon fibre and retains the powertrain from the coupé. The performance figures remain the same as the coupe.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The last variant of the Aventador was announced at the premiere on Lamborghini's social channels in July 2021. It is limited to 600 units (350 for the Coupé, 250 for the Roadster). It has all the standard features of the Aventador S and SVJ. It produces a maximum output of and the same of torque as the Aventador SVJ. Lamborghini claims that it can accelerate from in 2.84 seconds. The top speed is claimed to be . The Coupé has a claimed kerb weight of .


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: In February 2022, after production had ended, 15 Ultimaes were destroyed when a car carrier cargo ship, the Felicity Ace, caught fire and sank approximately from Terceira Island in the Azores. Lamborghini was forced to restart production to replace those lost 15 vehicles. The very last Ultimae, and thus the very last Aventador, to be produced was customized as an homage to a one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Miura P400 (not to be confused with the 2016 homages to the Miura), painted in a unique Azzuro Flake color.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Six months after unveiling the Aventador, plans for a roadster version were leaked by the U.S. EPA after it included the model on a data sheet on its website. Lamborghini officially unveiled the Aventador J to the world at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The roofless and windowless barchetta concept car uses the same V12 engine as the standard Aventador, producing with the same single-clutch transmission as in the standard coupé. The car does not have air conditioning or radio to save further weight for a total of . The car presented at the Geneva show was the only unit to be produced, and was sold for .


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The J designation was thought to have come from Appendix J in the FIA rulebook that describes the technical specifications of race cars. However, during an interview with designer Filippo Perini, it was revealed that the 'J' actually stands for Jota, in reference to a 1970s one-off Lamborghini Miura Jota, which also conformed to the FIA's Appendix J regulations.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Aventador Dreamliner Edition is a version of the Aventador LP 700-4 coupé with a blue and white body colour scheme from Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and pitch-black wheels. The vehicle was unveiled in 2012 Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Aventador LP 720-4 50º Anniversario is a limited (200 units - 100 Coupé and 100 Roadster) version of the Aventador LP 700-4 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini. It included increased engine power to via a new specific engine calibration, enlarged and extended front air intakes and the aerodynamic splitter, small flaps set into the sides, new rear end featuring an enlarged diffuser and expansive meshwork that further improves engine-compartment ventilation, model-exclusive Giallo Maggio (Italian for "May yellow") body colour featuring sparkling yellow paintwork with a layer of transparent and highly reflective particles; front and rear and sills in two-tone (Giallo Maggio and matte black) design, semi-aniline leather interior upholstery in Nero Ade (black) with Terra Emilia (optional Giallo Quercus (yellow)) with Q-Citura stitch diamond pattern, 50th anniversary emblem in forged composite carbon-fibre.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Aventador Airport Vehicle was made for the Bologna Airport featuring a white body colour, red and white chequered flag decals on the sides, a light bar on the roof and 'FOLLOW ME' written on the bonnet, based on the Aventador LP 700-4.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The vehicle was unveiled at the Bologna Airport between 6 May 2013 and 19 May 2013 and was used to guide aircraft around the airport.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Pirelli Edition was announced in December 2014. Celebrating a 50-year association between Lamborghini and Pirelli, it features a design and colour scheme that echoes the Pirelli tyre, with a thin red stripe running across the roof. The special edition came in both Coupé and Roadster form.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 Miura Homage was announced in June 2016. The car celebrates 50 years since the production of the brand's first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura. The special edition features a two-tone paint job, with Rosso Arancio Miura, Verde Scandal, and Blu Tahiti being offered as the primary paint and either gold or silver as the secondary. The Miura Homage was available with 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels in either matte silver or gold. Interior colours were limited to either Nero Ade or Terra Emilia leather. Carbon fibre accents came as standard. The seats feature a "Miura 50th Logo", which was available in either gold or silver stitching. Only 50 of these special editions were made.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Aventador SVJ "63 Edition", a special edition commemorating the company's year of foundation (1963), featuring a special white livery with the number 63 more prominent on the car would be first offered for sale and limited to just 63 units, while the whole production run of the Aventador SVJ would be limited to just 963 units in total including the 63 units, with deliveries starting in the beginning of 2019.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The SVJ 63 Roadster is a special edition of the Aventador SVJ, unveiled at Monterey Car Week in August 2019. It pays tribute to the victories of 2018 and 2019 at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. 63 were built, the number representing Lamborghini's founding in 1963. Technical specifications are the same as the SVJ Roadster.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The SVJ Roadster Xago Edition was unveiled on July 17, 2020, for clients of the newly created virtual version of the Ad Personam studio, based on the standard SVJ Roadster. Taking inspiration from the hexagonal storms of Saturn, the exterior colour scheme of the car took 120 hours and another 80 hours for the interior to be reworked to match. Only 10 units were produced. Technical specifications are the same as the SVJ Roadster.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Veneno is a limited-run supercar based on the Aventador LP 700-4. The Veneno was developed to celebrate Lamborghini's 50th anniversary. It was introduced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. When introduced, it had a price of , making it one of the most expensive production cars in the world. The 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 and generates a power output of at 8,400 rpm and of torque at 5,500 rpm. The increase in power was achieved by enlarging the air intakes and modifying the exhaust system. Lamborghini built just four examples of the Veneno Coupé: one retained for the factory, and three cars for customers, all of which had different accent colors representing the Italian flag. In addition to the coupé, a further nine units of a Roadster version were produced for customers.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Centenario is a limited production supercar based on the Aventador SV. The Centenario coupé was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and the Centenario Roadster was unveiled at The Quail, during Monterey Car Week 2016 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ferruccio Lamborghini. Power comes from a tuned version of the 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 from the Aventador SV now generating at 8,500 rpm and of torque at 5,500 rpm, therefore increasing power over the Aventador SV by . The Centenario also has a slight weight reduction compared with the Aventador SV of . The engine is mated to the same 7-speed "ISR" automated manual gearbox as used on an Aventador SV along with the all-wheel-drive drivetrain developed by Haldex. The power steering has two turns lock-to-lock. The suspension system is a push-rod design. A total of 40 cars, (half of them coupés and the other half roadsters) were produced, all of which were already sold via invitation to selected customers.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Introduced in November 2018, the SC18 Alston is a track-focused one-off created for a customer under close collaboration with Lamborghini's motorsport division "Squadra Corse". Based on the Aventador SVJ, the SC18 Alston incorporates aerodynamic elements taken from the Huracán GT3 and the Huracán SuperTrofeo EVO. Main features of the car include a big adjustable carbon-fibre rear wing, front air intakes on the hood taken from the Huracán GT3, new Veneno-like wheels created especially for the car, a one-off exhaust system along with rear lights from the Centenario, rear fenders, hood scoops and the central fin from the Huracán SuperTrofeo Evo, and a new front bumper. All these changes give the car and of torque. The mechanical components and drive train remain the same as the donor car.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 is the first hybrid sports car to be built by the manufacturer, honouring the late Ferdinand Karl Piëch (whose initials emboss the name of the car), and his birth year 1937 (the last two digits make up the name of the car as well). Power comes from a reconfigured 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 from the Aventador SVJ and an electric motor powered by supercapacitors at the rear axle, for a total of making the Sián the most powerful production Lamborghini automobile ever created at its online launch on 3 September 2019. The exterior design incorporates a wedge shape, a trademark of famed automobile designer Marcello Gandini and mixes that with the design of the Terzo Millennio concept introduced two years prior. The Y shaped daytime running headlights are inspired by the Lamborghini Terzo Millennio while at the rear an active fixed rear wing with the number "63" embossed on its winglets to honour the company's year of incorporation. Downforce is maximised by the model's prominent side air intakes and large carbon fibre front splitter. A transparent "Peroscopio" glass panel runs from the centre of the roof and rolls back into the slatted engine cover adds light and visibility for the occupants, and the six hexagonal taillights are an inspiration from the Countach. Production of the Sián FKP 37 will be limited to 63 units and all have already been sold. Lamborghini's Ad Personam division will be responsible for the manufacture of the Sián. The car was officially unveiled to the public at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show configured in a unique "electric gold" paint. The coupé will be limited to just 63 units and additionally, the roadster variant of the Sián, which has been limited to 19 units, have all been sold out.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 is a track-day, limited run supercar built by Lamborghini under close collaboration with their motorsport division, Squadra Corse, featuring design and aerodynamics inspired by racing prototypes, developed for exclusive track use. When it was unveiled online to the public on July 29, 2020, the Essenza SCV12 became the most powerful purely, naturally-aspirated car, pushing out a maximum power output of achieved by a horizontally-mounted 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12 from the Aventador SVJ and a ram air induction system, the latter serving as the aspiration. The Essenza SCV12 is lighter than the Aventador SVJ and features an FIA-approved carbon composite crash structure and a carbon fibre monocoque which is the first to be homologated without the use of metal. The Essenza SVC12 is also the first car to be developed according to the FIA prototype safety rules. The car has a power-to-weight ratio of 1.66 kg per hp and generates a downforce of at , more than a typical GT3 racecar. The car comes with Brembo disk brakes and is fitted with Pirelli racing slicks, having 19-inch magnesium wheels at the front and 20-inch magnesium wheels at the rear. Normally stored in a special hangar, customers could take delivery of the car upon request. Production will be limited to just 40 units and it will have its own one-make racing series.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: In December 2020, Lamborghini introduced the SC20, a track-focused one-off created for a customer under close collaboration with Lamborghini's motorsport division "Squadra Corse". It uses the same engine as the Aventador SVJ LP 770-4. It has no windshield like the Aventador J, but is road legal and its rear lights are similar to the ones of the Sián FKP 37.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 is a limited edition hybrid car made in 2021 inspired by the Lamborghini Countach, the V12 production car made after the Miura by Lamborghini. The car's exterior design has been adapted from the Countach and the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37. The car is capable of accelerating from 0 to in 2.8 seconds and has a top speed of . Production will be limited to 112 units, a number inspired by the LP112 type code of the original Countach project.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Nimrod Aventi Rosso is a car produced by the Nimrod car tuning company, Hungary. It is based on the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4. It was Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Hamann Lamborghini Aventador is a car made on the basis of the Aventador LP 700-4 by the German car tuning company Hamann Motorsport in 2014. It was Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show the same year.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Lamborghini Aventador by Mansory is a set of cars made on the basis of the Aventador LP 700-4, SV, S and SVJ Coupés by the German luxury car modification firm, Mansory. It was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2019.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: The Aventador SX is a tuned version of the Lamborghini Aventador S upgraded by British tuning company Onyx Concept. The car features a carbon fibre body kit and custom rear spoiler. Only 25 units of the Aventador SX have been produced in total.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Automotive magazines such as "Car and Driver" and "Motor Trend" reviewed the Aventador. "Car and Driver" titled their article "The best Lamborghini ever." "Motor Trend" described it as "the friendliest V12 supercar in the world." Praise for Lamborghini's all-new V12 powerplant centered on the engine's responsiveness, torque, and smooth power output. Criticism centered mainly around the Aventador's unrefined single-disc clutch.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: On 31 July 2011, the Aventador was reviewed by the motorsport show "Top Gear". Host Richard Hammond was impressed with the performance and handling of the car. His biggest complaint was a nostalgic poke at the Aventador's accessible temperament, implying that it left him longing for the "danger" associated with driving previous Lamborghini supercars. The Aventador posted the fifth fastest time ever recorded on the Top Gear test track with a time of 1:16.5, beating the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the Ferrari Enzo, the Porsche 911 GT3, and other supercars from around the world. In season 18 of the programme, presenter Jeremy Clarkson said that the Aventador is better than the Ferrari 458 Italia (which they had previously called the best supercar ever), describing it as being "£200,000 worth of dreams." The Aventador won the "Supercar of the Year 2011" from "Top Gear". Hammond later reviewed the Aventador Roadster in a segment of 50 years of Lamborghini.


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: Robert Gülpen of RGE Robert Gülpen Engineering GmbH produced a 1/8-scale model Aventador LP 700-4 that was sold through an auction December 2011 with starting bid price of (). A second model, featuring gold wrapping at body, was set to go for sale at auction with a starting bid price of .


title: Lamborghini Aventador

text: BMC Switzerland produced a limited (50 units) edition of Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Edition impec bicycles inspired by the Lamborghini Aventador. The bikes cost () each via international BMC or Lamborghini dealer network, with delivery done by the dealer.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand (; , ; ; ; , , ), also known as Samarqand, is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city from the late Paleolithic Era. Though there is no direct evidence of when Samarkand was founded, several theories propose that it was founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE. Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities of Central Asia. Most of the inhabitants of this city are native Persian-speakers and speak the Tajik Persian dialect. This city is one of the historical centers of the Tajik people in Central Asia, which in the past was one of the important cities of the great empires of Iran.


title: Samarkand

text: By the time of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia, it was the capital of the Sogdian satrapy. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BCE, when it was known as Markanda, which was rendered in Greek as . The city was ruled by a succession of Iranian and Turkic rulers until it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in 1220. Today, Samarkand is the capital of Samarqand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements Kimyogarlar, Farxod and Xishrav. With 551,700 inhabitants (2021), it is the second-largest city of Uzbekistan.


title: Samarkand

text: The city is noted as a centre of Islamic scholarly study and the birthplace of the Timurid Renaissance. In the 14th century, Timur (Tamerlane) made it the capital of his empire and the site of his mausoleum, the Gur-e Amir. The Bibi-Khanym Mosque, rebuilt during the Soviet era, remains one of the city's most notable landmarks. Samarkand's Registan square was the city's ancient centre and is bounded by three monumental religious buildings. The city has carefully preserved the traditions of ancient crafts: embroidery, goldwork, silk weaving, copper engraving, ceramics, wood carving, and wood painting. In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as "Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures."


title: Samarkand

text: Modern Samarkand is divided into two parts: the old city, and the new city, which was developed during the days of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. The old city includes historical monuments, shops, and old private houses; the new city includes administrative buildings along with cultural centres and educational institutions. On September 15–16, 2022, the city hosted the 2022 SCO summit.


title: Samarkand

text: The name comes from Sogdian "stone, rock" and "fort, town." In this respect, "Samarkand" shares the same meaning as the name of the Uzbek capital Tashkent, with "tash-" being the Turkic term for "stone" and "-kent" the Turkic analogue of "kand".


title: Samarkand

text: Along with Bukhara, Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Central Asia, prospering from its location on the trade route between China and Europe. There is no direct evidence of when it was founded. Researchers at the Institute of Archaeology of Samarkand date the city's founding to the 8th–7th centuries BCE.


title: Samarkand

text: Archaeological excavations conducted within the city limits (Syob and midtown) as well as suburban areas (Hojamazgil, Sazag'on) unearthed 40,000-year-old evidence of human activity, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic. A group of Mesolithic (12th–7th millennia BCE) archaeological sites were discovered in the suburbs of Sazag'on-1, Zamichatosh, and Okhalik. The Syob and Darg'om canals, supplying the city and its suburbs with water, appeared around the 7th–5th centuries BCE (early Iron Age).


title: Samarkand

text: From its earliest days, Samarkand was one of the main centres of Sogdian civilization. By the time of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia, the city had become the capital of the Sogdian satrapy.


title: Samarkand

text: Alexander the Great conquered Samarkand in 329 BCE. The city was known as Maracanda by the Greeks. Written sources offer small clues as to the subsequent system of government; they mention one Orepius who became ruler "not from ancestors, but as a gift of Alexander."


title: Samarkand

text: While Samarkand suffered significant damage during Alexander's initial conquest, the city recovered rapidly and flourished under the new Hellenic influence. There were also major new construction techniques; oblong bricks were replaced with square ones and superior methods of masonry and plastering were introduced.


title: Samarkand

text: Alexander's conquests introduced classical Greek culture into Central Asia; for a time, Greek aesthetics heavily influenced local artisans. This Hellenistic legacy continued as the city became part of various successor states in the centuries following Alexander's death, i.e. the Seleucid Empire, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, and Kushan Empire (even though the Kushana themselves originated in Central Asia). After the Kushan state lost control of Sogdia during the 3rd century CE, Samarkand went into decline as a centre of economic, cultural, and political power. It did not significantly revive until the 5th century.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand was conquered by the Persian Sassanians c. 260 CE. Under Sassanian rule, the region became an essential site for Manichaeism and facilitated the dissemination of the religion throughout Central Asia.


title: Samarkand

text: In 350–375 Samarkand was conquered by the nomadic tribes of Xionites, the origin of which remains controversial.


title: Samarkand

text: The resettlement of nomadic groups to Samarkand confirms archaeological material from the 4th century. The culture of nomads from the Middle Syrdarya basin is spreading in the region. In 457-509 Samarkand was part of the Kidarite state.


title: Samarkand

text: After the Hephtalites ("White Huns") conquered Samarkand, they controlled it until the Göktürks, in an alliance with the Sassanid Persians, won it at the Battle of Bukhara, c. 560 CE.


title: Samarkand

text: In the middle of the 6th century, a Turkic state was formed in Altai, founded by the Ashina dynasty. The new state formation was named the Turkic Khaganate after the people of the Turks, which were headed by the ruler - the Khagan. In 557-561, the Hephthalites empire was defeated by the joint actions of the Turks and Sassanids, which led to the establishment of a common border between the two empires.


title: Samarkand

text: In the early Middle Ages, Samarkand was surrounded by four rows of defensive walls and had four gates.


title: Samarkand

text: An ancient Turkic burial with a horse was investigated on the territory of Samarkand. It dates back to the 6th century.


title: Samarkand

text: During the period of the ruler of the Western Turkic Kaganate, Tong Yabghu Qaghan (618-630), family relations were established with the ruler of Samarkand - Tong Yabghu Qaghan gave him his daughter.


title: Samarkand

text: Some parts of Samarkand have been Christians since the 4th century. In the 5th century, a Nestorian chair was established in Samarkand. At the beginning of the 8th century, it was transformed into a Nestorian metropolitanate. Discussions and polemics arose between the Sogdian followers of Christianity and Manichaeism, reflected in the documents.


title: Samarkand

text: The armies of the Umayyad Caliphate under Qutayba ibn Muslim captured the city from the Turks c. 710 CE.


title: Samarkand

text: During this period, Samarkand was a diverse religious community and was home to a number of religions, including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Manichaeism, Judaism, and Nestorian Christianity, with most of the population following Zoroastrianism.


title: Samarkand

text: Qutayba generally did not settle Arabs in Central Asia; he forced the local rulers to pay him tribute but largely left them to their own devices. Samarkand was the major exception to this policy: Qutayba established an Arab garrison and Arab governmental administration in the city, its Zoroastrian fire temples were razed, and a mosque was built. Much of the city's population converted to Islam.


title: Samarkand

text: At the end of the 740s, a movement of those dissatisfied with the power of the Umayyads emerged in the Arab Caliphate, led by the Abbasid commander Abu Muslim, who, after the victory of the uprising, became the governor of Khorasan and Maverannahr (750-755). He chose Samarkand as his residence. His name is associated with the construction of a multi-kilometer defensive wall around the city and the palace.


title: Samarkand

text: Legend has it that during Abbasid rule, the secret of papermaking was obtained from two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas in 751, which led to the foundation of the first paper mill in the Islamic world at Samarkand. The invention then spread to the rest of the Islamic world and thence to Europe.


title: Samarkand

text: Abbasid control of Samarkand soon dissipated and was replaced with that of the Samanids (875–999), though the Samanids were still nominal vassals of the Caliph during their control of Samarkand. Under Samanid rule the city became a capital of the Samanid dynasty and an even more important node of numerous trade routes. The Samanids were overthrown by the Karakhanids around 999. Over the next 200 years, Samarkand would be ruled by a succession of Turkic tribes, including the Seljuqs and the Khwarazmshahs.


title: Samarkand

text: The 10th-century Persian author Istakhri, who travelled in Transoxiana, provides a vivid description of the natural riches of the region he calls "Smarkandian Sogd":


title: Samarkand

text: I know no place in it or in Samarkand itself where if one ascends some elevated ground one does not see greenery and a pleasant place, and nowhere near it are mountains lacking in trees or a dusty steppe... Samakandian Sogd... [extends] eight days travel through unbroken greenery and gardens... . The greenery of the trees and sown land extends along both sides of the river [Sogd]... and beyond these fields is pasture for flocks. Every town and settlement has a fortress... It is the most fruitful of all the countries of Allah; in it are the best trees and fruits, in every home are gardens, cisterns and flowing water.


title: Samarkand

text: After the fall of the Samanids state in the year 999, it was replaced by the Qarakhanid State, where the Turkic Qarakhanid dynasty ruled. After the state of the Qarakhanids split into two parts, Samarkand became a part of the West Karakhanid Kaganate and in 1040-1212 was its capital. The founder of the Western Qarakhanid Kaganate was Ibrahim Tamgach Khan (1040–1068). For the first time, he built a madrasah in Samarkand with state funds and supported the development of culture in the region. During his reign, a public hospital (bemoristan) and a madrasah were established in Samarkand, where medicine was also taught.


title: Samarkand

text: The memorial complex Shah-i-Zinda was founded by the rulers of the Karakhanid dynasty in the 11th century.


title: Samarkand

text: The most striking monument of the Qarakhanid era in Samarkand was the palace of Ibrahim ibn Hussein (1178-1202), which was built in the citadel in the 12th century. During the excavations, fragments of monumental painting were discovered. On the eastern wall, a Turkic warrior was depicted, dressed in a yellow caftan and holding a bow. Horses, hunting dogs, birds and periodlike women were also depicted here.


title: Samarkand

text: The Mongols conquered Samarkand in 1220. Juvaini writes that Genghis killed all who took refuge in the citadel and the mosque, pillaged the city completely, and conscripted 30,000 young men along with 30,000 craftsmen. Samarkand suffered at least one other Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army. It remained part of the Chagatai Khanate (one of four Mongol successor realms) until 1370.


title: Samarkand

text: "The Travels" of Marco Polo, where Polo records his journey along the Silk Road in the late 13th century, describes Samarkand as "a very large and splendid city..."


title: Samarkand

text: The Yenisei area had a community of weavers of Chinese origin, and Samarkand and Outer Mongolia both had artisans of Chinese origin, as reported by Changchun. After Genghis Khan conquered Central Asia, foreigners were chosen as governmental administrators; Chinese and Qara-Khitays (Khitans) were appointed as co-managers of gardens and fields in Samarkand, which Muslims were not permitted to manage on their own. The khanate allowed the establishment of Christian bishoprics (see below).


title: Samarkand

text: Ibn Battuta, who visited in 1333, called Samarkand "one of the greatest and finest of cities, and most perfect of them in beauty." He also noted that the orchards were supplied water via "norias".


title: Samarkand

text: In 1365, a revolt against Chagatai Mongol control occurred in Samarkand. In 1370, the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), the founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire, made Samarkand his capital. Over the next 35 years, he rebuilt most of the city and populated it with great artisans and craftsmen from across the empire. Timur gained a reputation as a patron of the arts, and Samarkand grew to become the centre of the region of Transoxiana. Timur's commitment to the arts is evident in how, in contrast with the ruthlessness he showed his enemies, he demonstrated mercy toward those with special artistic abilities. The lives of artists, craftsmen, and architects were spared so that they could improve and beautify Timur's capital.


title: Samarkand

text: Timur was also directly involved in construction projects, and his visions often exceeded the technical abilities of his workers. The city was in a state of constant construction, and Timur would often order buildings to be done and redone quickly if he was unsatisfied with the results. By his orders, Samarkand could be reached only by roads; deep ditches were dug, and walls in circumference separated the city from its surrounding neighbors. At this time, the city had a population of about 150,000.


title: Samarkand

text: Henry III's ambassador Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, who was stationed at Samarkand between 1403 and 1406, attested to the never-ending construction that went on in the city. "The Mosque which Timur had built seemed to us the noblest of all those we visited in the city of Samarkand. "


title: Samarkand

text: In 1417-1420, Timur's grandson Ulugbek built a madrasah in Samarkand, which became the first building in the architectural ensemble of Registan. Ulugbek invited a large number of astronomers and mathematicians of the Islamic world to this madrasah. Under Ulugbek Samarkand became one of the world centers of medieval science. Here, in the first half of the 15th century, a whole scientific school arose around Ulugbek, uniting prominent astronomers and mathematicians - Giyasiddin Jamshid Kashi, Kazizade Rumi, al-Kushchi. Ulugbek's main interest in science was astronomy. In 1428, the construction of the Ulugbek observatory was completed. Her main instrument was the wall quadrant, which had no equal in the world.


title: Samarkand

text: In 1500, nomadic Uzbek warriors took control of Samarkand. The Shaybanids emerged as the city's leaders at or about this time. In 1501, Samarkand was finally taken by Muhammad Shaybani from the Uzbek dynasty of Shaybanids, and the city became part of the newly formed “Bukhara Khanate”. Samarkand was chosen as the capital of this state, in which Muhammad Shaybani Khan was crowned. In Samarkand, Muhammad Shaybani Khan ordered to build a large madrasah, where he later took part in scientific and religious disputes. The first dated news about the Shaybani Khan madrasah dates back to 1504 (it was completely destroyed during the years of Soviet power). Muhammad Salikh wrote that Sheibani Khan built a madrasah in Samarkand to perpetuate the memory of his brother Mahmud Sultan.


title: Samarkand

text: Fazlallah ibn Ruzbihan in "Mikhmon-namei Bukhara" expresses his admiration for the majestic building of the madrasah, its gilded roof, high hujras, spacious courtyard and quotes a verse praising the madrasah. Zayn ad-din Vasifi, who visited the Sheibani-khan madrasah several years later, wrote in his memoirs that the veranda, hall and courtyard of the madrassah are spacious and magnificent.


title: Samarkand

text: Abdulatif Khan, the son of Mirzo Ulugbek's grandson Kuchkunji Khan, who ruled in Samarkand in 1540-1551, was considered an expert in the history of Maverannahr and the Shibanid dynasty. He patronized poets and scientists. Abdulatif Khan himself wrote poetry under the literary pseudonym Khush.


title: Samarkand

text: During the reign of the Ashtarkhanid Imam Quli Khan (1611-1642) famous architectural masterpieces were built in Samarkand. In 1612-1656, the governor of Samarkand, Yalangtush Bahadur, built a cathedral mosque, Tillya-Kari madrasah and Sherdor madrasah.


title: Samarkand

text: After an assault by the Afshar Shahanshah Nader Shah, the city was abandoned in the early 1720s. From 1599 to 1756, Samarkand was ruled by the Ashtrakhanid branch of the Khanate of Bukhara.


title: Samarkand

text: From 1756 to 1868, it was ruled by the Manghud Emirs of Bukhara. The revival of the city began during the reign of the founder of the Uzbek dynasty, the Mangyts, Muhammad Rakhim (1756-1758), who became famous for his strong-willed qualities and military art. Muhammad Rakhimbiy made some attempts to revive Samarkand.


title: Samarkand

text: The city came under imperial Russian rule after the citadel had been taken by a force under Colonel Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufman in 1868. Shortly thereafter the small Russian garrison of 500 men were themselves besieged. The assault, which was led by Abdul Malik Tura, the rebellious elder son of the Bukharan Emir, as well as Baba Beg of Shahrisabz and Jura Beg of Kitab, was repelled with heavy losses. General Alexander Konstantinovich Abramov became the first Governor of the Military Okrug, which the Russians established along the course of the Zeravshan River with Samarkand as the administrative centre. The Russian section of the city was built after this point, largely west of the old city.


title: Samarkand

text: In 1886, the city became the capital of the newly-formed Samarkand Oblast of Russian Turkestan and regained even more importance when the Trans-Caspian railway reached it in 1888.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand was the capital of the Uzbek SSR from 1925 to 1930, before being replaced by Tashkent. During World War II, after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, a number of Samarkand's citizens were sent to Smolensk to fight the enemy. Many were taken captive or killed by the Nazis. Additionally, thousands of refugees from the occupied western regions of the USSR fled to the city, and it served as one of the main hubs for the fleeing civilians in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union as a whole.


title: Samarkand

text: The scientific study of the history of Samarkand begins after the conquest of Samarkand by the Russian Empire in 1868. The first studies of the history of Samarkand belong to N. Veselovsky, V. Bartold and V. Vyatkin. In the Soviet period, the generalization of materials on the history of Samarkand was reflected in the two-volume "History of Samarkand" edited by the academician of Uzbekistan Ibraghim Muminov.


title: Samarkand

text: On the initiative of Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR I. Muminov and with the support of Sharaf Rashidov, the 2500th anniversary of Samarkand was widely celebrated in 1970. In this regard, a monument to Mirzo Ulugbek was opened, the Museum of the History of Samarkand was founded, and a two-volume history of Samarkand was prepared and published.


title: Samarkand

text: After Uzbekistan gained independence, several monographs were published on the ancient and medieval history of Samarkand.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand is located in southeastern Uzbekistan, in the Zarefshan River valley, 135 km from Qarshi. Road M37 connects Samarkand to Bukhara, 240 km away. Road M39 connects it to Tashkent, 270 km away. The Tajikistan border is about 35 km from Samarkand; the Tajik capital Dushanbe is 210 km away from Samarkand. Road M39 connects Samarkand to Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan, which is 340 km away.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification "Csa") that closely borders on a semi-arid climate ("BSk") with hot, dry summers and relatively wet, variable winters that alternate periods of warm weather with periods of cold weather. July and August are the hottest months of the year, with temperatures reaching and exceeding . Precipitation is sparse from December through April. January 2008 was particularly cold; the temperature dropped to


title: Samarkand

text: According to official reports, a majority of Samarkand's inhabitants are Uzbeks, while many sources refer to the city as majority Tajik, up to 70 percent of the city's population. Tajiks are especially concentrated in the eastern part of the city, where the main architectural landmarks are.


title: Samarkand

text: According to various independent sources, Tajiks are Samarkand's majority ethnic group. Ethnic Uzbeks are the second-largest group and are most concentrated in the west of Samarkand. Exact demographic figures are difficult to obtain since some people in Uzbekistan identify as "Uzbek" even though they speak Tajiki as their first language, often because they are registered as Uzbeks by the central government despite their Tajiki language and identity. As explained by Paul Bergne:


title: Samarkand

text: During the census of 1926 a significant part of the Tajik population was registered as Uzbek. Thus, for example, in the 1920 census in Samarkand city the Tajiks were recorded as numbering 44,758 and the Uzbeks only 3301. According to the 1926 census, the number of Uzbeks was recorded as 43,364 and the Tajiks as only 10,716. In a series of kishlaks [villages] in the Khojand Okrug, whose population was registered as Tajik in 1920 e.g. in Asht, Kalacha, Akjar i Tajik and others, in the 1926 census they were registered as Uzbeks. Similar facts can be adduced also with regard to Ferghana, Samarkand, and especially the Bukhara oblasts.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand is also home to large ethnic communities of "Iranis" (the old, Persian-speaking, Shia population of Merv city and oasis, deported en masse to this area in the late 18th century), Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Armenians, Azeris, Tatars, Koreans, Poles, and Germans, all of whom live primarily in the centre and western neighborhoods of the city. These peoples have emigrated to Samarkand since the end of the 19th century, especially during the Soviet Era; by and large, they speak the Russian language.


title: Samarkand

text: In the extreme west and southwest of Samarkand is a population of , who mostly speak Uzbek; only a small portion of the older generation speaks Central Asian Arabic. In eastern Samarkand there was once a large mahallah of Bukharian (Central Asian) Jews, but starting in the 1970s, hundreds of thousands of Jews left Uzbekistan for Israel, United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Only a few Jewish families are left in Samarkand today.


title: Samarkand

text: Also in the eastern part of Samarkand there are several quarters where (Lyuli, Djugi, Parya, and other groups) live. These peoples began to arrive in Samarkand several centuries ago from what are now India and Pakistan. They mainly speak a dialect of the Tajik language, as well as their own languages, most notably Parya.


title: Samarkand

text: The state and official language in Samarkand, as in all Uzbekistan, is the Uzbek language. Uzbek is one of the Turkic languages and the mother tongue of Uzbeks, Turkmens, , and most living in Samarkand.


title: Samarkand

text: As in the rest of Uzbekistan, the Russian language is the de facto second official language in Samarkand, and about 5% of signs and inscriptions in Samarkand are in this language. Russians, Belarusians, Poles, Germans, Koreans, the majority of Ukrainians, the majority of Armenians, Greeks, some Tatars, and some Azerbaijanis in Samarkand speak Russian. Several Russian-language newspapers are published in Samarkand, the most popular of which is "" (Russian: "Самаркандский вестник" — "Samarkand Herald"). The Samarkandian TV channel STV conducts some broadcasts in Russian.


title: Samarkand

text: De facto, the most common native language in Samarkand is Tajik, which is a dialect or variant of the Persian language. Samarkand was one of the cities in which the Persian language developed. Many classical Persian poets and writers lived in or visited Samarkand over the millennia, the most famous being Abulqasem Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Abdurahman Jami, Abu Abdullah Rudaki, Suzani Samarqandi, and Kamal Khujandi.


title: Samarkand

text: While the official stance is that Uzbek is the most common language in Samarkand, some data indicate that only about 30% of residents speak it as a native tongue. For the other 70%, Tajik is the native tongue, with Uzbek the second language and Russian the third. However, as no population census has been taken in Uzbekistan since 1989, there are no accurate data on this matter. Despite Tajik being the second most common language in Samarkand, it does not enjoy the status of an official or regional language. Only one newspaper in Samarkand is published in Tajik, in the Cyrillic Tajik alphabet: "" (Tajik: "Овози Самарқанд" — "Voice of Samarkand"). Local Samarkandian STV and "Samarqand" TV channels offer some broadcasts in Tajik, as does one regional radio station.


title: Samarkand

text: In addition to Uzbek, Tajik, and Russian, native languages spoken in Samarkand include Ukrainian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Crimean Tatar, Arabic (for a very small percentage of Samarkandian Arabs), and others.


title: Samarkand

text: Modern Samarkand is a vibrant city, and in 2019 the city hosted the first Samarkand Half Marathon. In 2022 this also included a full marathon for the first time.


title: Samarkand

text: Islam entered Samarkand in the 8th century, during the invasion of the Arabs in Central Asia (Umayyad Caliphate). Before that, almost all inhabitants of Samarqand were Zoroastrians, and many Nestorians and Buddhists also lived in the city. From that point forward, throughout the reigns of many Muslim governing powers, numerous mosques, madrasahs, minarets, shrines, and mausoleums were built in the city. Many have been preserved. For example, there is of Imam Bukhari, an Islamic scholar who authored the hadith collection known as "Sahih al-Bukhari", which Sunni Muslims regard as one of the most authentic ("sahih") hadith collections. His other books included "Al-Adab al-Mufrad". Samarkand is also home to of Imam Maturidi, the founder of Maturidism and the , who is revered in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.


title: Samarkand

text: Most inhabitants of Samarkand are Muslim, primarily Sunni (mostly Hanafi) and Sufi. Approximately 80-85% of Muslims in the city are Sunni, comprising almost all Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Samarqandian Arabs living therein. Samarqand's best-known Islamic sacred lineages are the descendants of Sufi leaders


title: Samarkand

text: such as Khodja Akhror Wali (1404–1490) and Makhdumi A’zam (1461–1542), the descendants of Sayyid Ata (first half of 14th c.) and Mirakoni Xojas (Sayyids from Mirakon, a village in Iran).


title: Samarkand

text: The liberal policy of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev opened up new opportunities for the expression of the religious identity. In Samarkand, since 2018, there has been an increase in the number of women wearing the hijab.


title: Samarkand

text: The Samarqand Vilayat is one of the two regions of Uzbekistan (along with Bukhara Vilayat) that is home to a large number of Shiites. The total population of the Samarqand Vilayat is more than 3,720,000 people (2019).


title: Samarkand

text: There are no exact data on the number of Shiites in the city of Samarkand, but the city has several Shiite mosques and madrasas. The largest of these are the Punjabi Mosque, the Punjabi Madrassah, and the Mausoleum of Mourad Avliya. Every year, the Shiites of Samarkand celebrate Ashura, as well as other memorable Shiite dates and holidays.


title: Samarkand

text: Shiites in Samarkand are mostly , who call themselves "Irani". Their ancestors began to arrive Samarkand in the 18th century. Some migrated there


title: Samarkand

text: in search of a better life, others were sold as slaves there by Turkmen captors, and others were soldiers who were posted to Samarkand. Mostly they came from Khorasan, Mashhad, Sabzevar, Nishapur, and Merv; and secondarily from Iranian Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Tabriz, and Ardabil. Samarkandian Shiites also include Azerbaijanis, as well as small numbers of Tajiks and Uzbeks.


title: Samarkand

text: While there are no official data on the total number of Shiites in Uzbekistan, they are estimated to be "several hundred thousand." According to WikiLeaks, in 2007–2008, the US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom held a series of meetings with Sunni mullahs and Shiite imams in Uzbekistan. During one of the talks, the imam of the Shiite mosque in Bukhara said that about 300,000 Shiites live in the Bukhara Vliayat and 1 million in the Samarqand Vilayat. The Ambassador slightly doubted the authenticity of these figures, emphasizing in his report that data on the numbers of religious and ethnic minorities provided by the government of Uzbekistan were considered a very "delicate topic" due to their potential to provoke interethnic and interreligious conflicts. All the ambassadors of the ambassador tried to emphasize that traditional Islam, especially Sufism and Sunnism, in the regions of Bukhara and Samarqand is characterized by great religious tolerance toward other religions and sects, including Shiism.


title: Samarkand

text: Christianity was introduced to Samarkand when it was part of Soghdiana, long before the penetration of Islam into Central Asia. The city then became one of the centers of Nestorianism in Central Asia. The majority of the population were then Zoroastrians, but since Samarkand was the crossroads of trade routes among China, Persia, and Europe, it was religiously tolerant. Under the Umayyad Caliphate, Zoroastrians and Nestorians were persecuted by the Arab conquerors; the survivors fled to other places or converted to Islam. Several Nestorian temples were built in Samarkand, but they have not survived. Their remains were found by archeologists at the ancient site of Afrasiyab and on the outskirts of Samarkand.


title: Samarkand

text: In the three decades of 1329–1359, the of the Roman Catholic Church served several thousand Catholics who lived in the city. According to Marco Polo and Johann Elemosina, a descendant of Chaghatai Khan, the founder of the Chaghatai dynasty, Eljigidey, converted to Christianity and was baptized. With the assistance of Eljigidey, the Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist was built in Samarkand. After a while, however, Islam completely supplanted Catholicism.


title: Samarkand

text: Christianity reappeared in Samarkand several centuries later, from the mid-19th century onward, after the city was seized by the Russian Empire. Russian Orthodoxy was introduced to Samarkand in 1868, and several churches and temples were built. In the early 20th century several more Orthodox cathedrals, churches, and temples were built, most of which were demolished while Samarkand was part of the USSR.


title: Samarkand

text: In present time, Christianity is the second-largest religious group in Samarkan with the predominant form is the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). More than 5% of Samarkand residents are Orthodox, mostly Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, and also some Koreans and Greeks. Samarkand is the center of the Samarkand branch (which includes the Samarkand, Qashqadarya, and Surkhandarya provinces of Uzbekistan) of the of the of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. The city has several active Orthodox churches: , , and . There are also a number of inactive Orthodox churches and temples, for example that of .


title: Samarkand

text: There are also a few tens of thousands of Catholics in Samarkand, mostly Poles, Germans, and some Ukrainians. In the center of Samarkand is St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. Samarkand is part of the Apostolic Administration of Uzbekistan.


title: Samarkand

text: The third largest Christian sect in Samarkand is the Armenian Apostolic Church, followed by a few tens of thousands of Armenian Samarkandians. Armenian Christians began emigrating to Samarkand at the end of the 19th century, this flow increasing especially in the Soviet era. In the west of Samarkand is the .


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand also has several thousand Protestants, including Lutherans, Baptists, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists, and members of the Korean Presbyterian church. These Christian movements appeared in Samarkand mainly after the independence of Uzbekistan in 1991.


title: Samarkand

text: Timur initiated the building of Bibi Khanum after his 1398–1399 campaign in India. Bibi Khanum originally had about 450 marble columns, which were hauled there and set up with the help of 95 elephants that Timur had brought back from Hindustan. Artisans and stonemasons from India designed the mosque's dome, giving it its distinctive appearance amongst the other buildings. An 1897 earthquake destroyed the columns, which were not entirely restored in the subsequent reconstruction.


title: Samarkand

text: The best-known landmark of Samarkand is the mausoleum known as Gur-i Amir. It exhibits the influences of many cultures, past civilizations, neighboring peoples, and religions, especially those of Islam. Despite the devastation wrought by Mongols to Samarkand's pre-Timurid Islamic architecture, under Timur these architectural styles were revived, recreated, and restored. The blueprint and layout of the mosque itself, with their precise measurements, demonstrate the Islamic passion for geometry. The entrance to the Gur-i Amir is decorated with Arabic calligraphy and inscriptions, the latter a common feature in Islamic architecture. Timur's meticulous attention to detail is especially obvious inside the mausoleum: the tiled walls are a marvelous example of mosaic faience, an Iranian technique in which each tile is cut, colored, and fit into place individually. The tiles of the Gur-i Amir were also arranged so that they spell out religious words such as "Muhammad" and "Allah."


title: Samarkand

text: The ornamentation of the Gur-i Amir's walls includes floral and vegetal motifs, which signify gardens; the floor tiles feature uninterrupted floral patterns. In Islam, gardens are symbols of paradise, and as such, they were depicted on the walls of tombs and grown in Samarkand itself. Samarkand boasted two major gardens, the New Garden and the Garden of Heart's Delight, which became the central areas of entertainment for ambassadors and important guests. In 1218, a friend of Genghis Khan named Yelü Chucai reported that Samarkand was the most beautiful city of all, as "it was surrounded by numerous gardens. Every household had a garden, and all the gardens were well designed, with canals and water fountains that supplied water to round or square-shaped ponds. The landscape included rows of willows and cypress trees, and peach and plum orchards were shoulder to shoulder." Persian carpets with floral patterns have also been found in some Timurid buildings.


title: Samarkand

text: The elements of traditional Islamic architecture can be seen in traditional mud-brick Uzbek houses that are built around central courtyards with gardens. Most of these houses have painted wooden ceilings and walls. By contrast, houses in the west of the city are chiefly European-style homes built in the 19th and 20th centuries.


title: Samarkand

text: Turko-Mongol influence is also apparent in Samarkand's architecture. It is believed that the melon-shaped domes of the mausoleums were designed to echo "yurts" or "gers", traditional Mongol tents in which the bodies of the dead were displayed before burial or other disposition. Timur built his tents from more-durable materials, such as bricks and wood, but their purposes remained largely unchanged. The chamber in which Timur's own body was laid included "tugs", poles whose tops were hung with a circular arrangement of horse or yak tail hairs. These banners symbolized an ancient Turkic tradition of sacrificing horses, which were valuable commodities, to honor the dead. Tugs were also a type of cavalry standard used by many nomads, up to the time of the Ottoman Turks.


title: Samarkand

text: Colors of buildings in Samarkand also have significant meanings. The dominant architectural color is blue, which Timur used to convey a broad range of concepts. For example, the shades of blue in the Gur-i Amir are colors of mourning; in that era, blue was the color of mourning in Central Asia, as it still is in various cultures today. Blue was also considered the color that could ward off "the evil eye" in Central Asia; this notion is evidenced by in the number of blue-painted doors in and around the city. Furthermore, blue represented water, a particularly rare resource in the Middle East and Central Asia; walls painted blue symbolized the wealth of the city.


title: Samarkand

text: Gold also has a strong presence in the city. Timur's fascination with vaulting explains the excessive use of gold in the Gur-i Amir, as well as the use of embroidered gold fabric in both the city and his buildings. The Mongols had great interests in Chinese- and Persian-style golden silk textiles, as well as "nasij" woven in Iran and Transoxiana. Mongol leaders like Ögedei Khan built textile workshops in their cities to be able to produce gold fabrics themselves.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand's recent expansion led to it having suburbs, including: Gulyakandoz, Superfosfatnyy, Bukharishlak, Ulugbek, Ravanak, Kattakishlak, Registan, Zebiniso, Kaftarkhona, Uzbankinty.


title: Samarkand

text: Samarkand has a strong public-transport system. From Soviet times up through today, municipal buses and taxis (GAZ-21, GAZ-24, GAZ-3102, VAZ-2101, VAZ-2106 and VAZ-2107) have operated in Samarkand. Buses, mostly SamAuto and Isuzu buses, are the most common and popular mode of transport in the city. Taxis, which are mostly Chevrolets and Daewoo sedans, are usually yellow in color. Since 2017, there have also been , mostly Vario LF.S Czech trams. From the Soviet Era up until 2005, Samarkandians also got around via trolleybus. Finally, Samarkand has the so-called "Marshrutka," which are Daewoo Damas and GAZelle minibuses.


title: Samarkand

text: Until 1950, the main forms of transport in Samarkand were carriages and "arabas" with horses and donkeys. However, the city had a steam tram in 1924–1930, and there were more-modern trams in 1947–1973.


title: Samarkand

text: In the north of the city is Samarkand International Airport, which was opened in the 1930s, under the Soviets. As of spring 2019, Samarkand International Airport has flights to Tashkent, Nukus, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Istanbul, and Dushanbe; charter flights to other cities are also available.


title: Samarkand

text: Modern Samarkand is an important railway center of Uzbekistan; all national east–west railway routes pass through the city. The most important and longest of these is Tashkent–Kungrad. High-speed Tashkent–Samarkand high-speed rail line trains run between Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara. Samarkand also has international railway connections: Saratov–Samarkand, Moscow–Samarkand, and Nur-Sultan–Samarkand.


title: Samarkand

text: In 1879–1891, the Russian Empire built the Trans-Caspian Railway to facilitate its expansion into Central Asia. The railway originated in Krasnovodsk (now Turkmenbashi) on the Caspian Sea coast. Its terminus was originally Samarkand, whose station first opened in May 1888. However, a decade later, the railway was extended eastward to Tashkent and Andijan, and its name was changed to Central Asian Railways. Nonetheless, Samarkand remained one of the largest and most important stations of the Uzbekistan SSR and Soviet Central Asia.


title: Karen Allen

text: Karen Jane Allen (born October 5, 1951) is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in "Animal House" (1978), she became best known for her portrayal of Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), a role she later reprised for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). She also co-starred in "Starman" (1984) and "Scrooged" (1988). Her stage work has included performances on Broadway, and she has directed both for stage and film.


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen was born in Carrollton, Illinois, to Ruth Patricia ( Howell), a university professor, and Carroll Thompson Allen, an FBI agent. She is of English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent. Her father's job forced the family to move often. "I grew up moving almost every year and so I was always the new kid in school and always, in a way, was deprived of ever really having any lasting friendships", Allen said in 1987. Although Allen says her father was very much involved in the family, she felt that she and her two sisters grew up in a very female-dominated household. After she graduated from DuVal High School, in Lanham, Maryland, at 17, she moved to New York City to study art and design at Fashion Institute of Technology for two years.


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen later ran a boutique on the University of Maryland campus and spent time traveling through South and Central Asia. She attended George Washington University and began to study and perform with the experimental company, the Washington Theatre Laboratory, in Washington, DC. In 1974, Allen joined Shakespeare & Company in Massachusetts. Three years later, she moved back to New York City and studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen made her major film debut in 1978 in "National Lampoon's Animal House". Her next two film appearances were in "The Wanderers", in 1979, and "A Small Circle of Friends" in 1980, where she played one of three radical college students during the 1960s. She also appeared (as a guest star) in the 1979 pilot episode of the long-running CBS series "Knots Landing" and played Annie Fairgate, the daughter of Don Murray's character Sid Fairgate and Sid's first wife Susan Philby.


title: Karen Allen

text: Her career-changing role came with the blockbuster movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), directed by Steven Spielberg, in which she played Marion Ravenwood, the love interest of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). Allen won a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance. After a few minor films, including leading roles in the dramatic thriller "Split Image" (1982), directed by Ted Kotcheff, and the Paris-set romantic drama "Until September" (1984), directed by Richard Marquand, as well as other stage appearances, she co-starred with Jeff Bridges in the science-fiction film "Starman" (1984).


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen debuted on Broadway in the 1982 production "The Monday After The Miracle". In 1983, she played the lead in the off-Broadway play "Extremities", a physically demanding role about a woman who turns the tables on a would-be rapist who attacks her. She often took breaks from movie roles to concentrate on stage acting; Allen appeared as Laura in the Paul Newman-directed film version of the Tennessee Williams play "The Glass Menagerie", with John Malkovich and Joanne Woodward, in 1987.


title: Karen Allen

text: In 1988, Allen returned to the big screen as Bill Murray's long-lost love, Claire, in the Christmas comedy "Scrooged". In 1990, she portrayed the doomed crew member Christa McAuliffe in the television movie "Challenger", based on the 1986 Space Shuttle "Challenger" disaster. Subsequently, she appeared in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" (1992), in a small supporting role in "The Perfect Storm" (2000) and "In the Bedroom" (2001). She made guest appearances on "Law & Order" (1996) and "" (2001). She also starred in the short-lived series "The Road Home" (1994) and portrayed Dr. Clare Burton in the video game "Ripper" (1996). In 2014 she played the role of Betty Lowe in "Unfinished Business", the 13th episode of the 4th season of the CBS police procedural drama "Blue Bloods".


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen reprised her best-known role as Marion Ravenwood for the 2008 sequel "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", in which she renews her relationship with Indiana Jones and reveals to him that they have a son named Henry Jones III, who named himself Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf.


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen starred in the American premiere of Jon Fosse's "A Summer Day" at the Cherry Lane Theater in New York City, which opened in October 2012.


title: Karen Allen

text: Allen has a long-standing relationship with the Berkshire Theater Group. It began in 1981, when she appeared in the play "Two for the Seesaw" at the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She has also appeared in summer production of the nearby Williamstown Theater Festival. In August 2015, Allen directed Terrence McNally's "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune" for the Berkshire Theater Group. In 2016, Allen made her movie directing debut with the short film, "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud.", based on the short story by Carson McCullers. It won the Best International Short at the Manchester Film Festival in March 2017. Allen played the lead role in 2017's "Year by the Sea", a film based on "The New York Times" bestselling memoir by Joan Anderson.


title: Karen Allen

text: In 1988, Allen married actor Kale Browne and had a son, Nicholas, in 1990. The couple divorced in 1998.


title: Karen Allen

text: Following the birth of her son, Allen accepted smaller roles in TV and films to concentrate on raising Nicholas. Nicholas went on to become a personal chef and win a "Chopped" competition on the Food Network, aired December 22, 2016.


title: Karen Allen

text: She developed an affinity for knitting, and in 2003, started her own textile company, Karen Allen Fiber Arts, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The company has a store in Great Barrington that sells items Allen knits with a Japanese-made knitting machine as well as other products made by compatible designers. For her work in the textile arts, she was awarded an honorary master's degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2009. Allen also teaches acting at Bard College at Simon's Rock, located in Great Barrington. , she lives in Massachusetts. She also works as a stage director.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appears in "Fantastic Four" #45 (December 1965). Black Bolt is the ruler of Attilan, and a member of the Inhumans, a reclusive race of genetically altered superhumans. Black Bolt's signature power is his voice, as his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain. Speaking triggers a massive disturbance in the form of a highly destructive shockwave capable of leveling a city. Due to the extreme danger posed by this power, the character has undergone rigorous mental training to prevent himself from uttering a sound, even in his sleep, and he usually remains completely silent and speaks through sign language or via a spokesperson.


title: Black Bolt

text: The character of Black Bolt has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as arcade and video games, animated television series, and merchandise such as trading cards. Black Bolt made his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut in the 2017 Marvel Television series "Inhumans", portrayed by Anson Mount, who reprised the role as a variant version in the 2022 film "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness".


title: Black Bolt

text: The character first appeared in "Fantastic Four" #45 (December 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.


title: Black Bolt

text: In 2017 Black Bolt was given his own solo series, written by Saladin Ahmed and drawn by Christian James Ward.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt's first appearance established the character as being a member of the Inhuman ruling class. The title "Thor" featured a back-up feature called "Tales of the Inhumans", which recounts the character's origin story. The son of King Agon and Queen Rynda, Black Bolt is exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist while still an embryo, and eventually demonstrates the ability to manipulate electrons. To protect the Inhuman community from his devastating voice, Black Bolt is placed inside a sound-proof chamber and is tutored in the use of his powers. Reentering Inhuman society as a young man—having vowed never to speak—the character is attacked by his younger brother Maximus, who attempts, unsuccessfully, to goad him into speaking.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt proved popular, and decides to leave Attilan to explore the outside world. The character reappears in a story focusing on his cousin Medusa, drives off the Hulk after the monster defeats the entire Inhuman Royal Family (Medusa, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, and Crystal), and with the Fantastic Four, battles his brother Maximus and his own group of rogue Inhumans.


title: Black Bolt

text: After being forced to intercede in the budding romance between his cousin Crystal and the Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm, Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in the title "Amazing Adventures", and battle villains such as the Mandarin and Magneto. A story in "The Avengers", told in flashback, reveals how Black Bolt came to be ruler of the Inhumans and Maximus was driven mad. Black Bolt discovered his brother had secretly allied himself with the alien Kree—the race whose genetic experiments first created the Inhumans. In trying to stop an escaping Kree vessel, he overextended his sonic powers and caused the vessel to crash. The crash resulted in the deaths of several members of the Council of Genetics, including the brothers' parents, and Maximus was driven insane by his proximity to Black Bolt's use of his voice. Black Bolt assumes the title of King but is haunted by the consequences of his actions.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt settles a quarrel between Johnny Storm and the mutant Quicksilver for the affections of Crystal, and frees the slave caste of Inhuman society, the Alpha Primitives. Black Bolt and the Royal Family aid the hero Spider-Man against the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, and is forced to again battle the Hulk, teams with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers against the threat of the robot Ultron, and again allies with the Fantastic Four against the fifth-dimensional villain Xemu.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in a self-titled bi-monthly series battling threats such as the villain Blastaar and the Kree, who regard the Inhumans as abominations. The character encounters the immortal villain the Sphinx—who has defeated the Fantastic Four and the Royal Family blasting him into deep space, aids Kree hero Captain Marvel in preventing a war between the Kree and Skrulls on Earth, joins with Fantastic Four member the Thing to defeat the mutated villain Graviton, and appears briefly during an announcement that Crystal is pregnant with Quicksilver's child.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt revisits his origins when he, members of the Royal Family, and Fantastic Four members Mister Fantastic and the Thing battle the villain Maelstrom. Maelstrom is revealed to be the son of a rival of Black Bolt's father, and—after his minions are defeated—attempts to destroy Attilan with a guided missile. Black Bolt, however, manages to defuse the missile and Maelstrom is defeated.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt's search for a new site for the city of Attilan (eventually the Himalayas) is detailed in a back-up feature of the alternate universe title "What If?". Another back-up feature in "What If?" details how Black Bolt worked with the Eternals to move the city of Attilan to the Himalayas. Black Bolt also directed the eventual move of Attilan to the moon when the pollution on Earth became too much for the Inhumans.


title: Black Bolt

text: He is rated with other powerful Marvel characters by Spider-Man in an "out of universe" conversation with the reader. He appears in a graphic novel detailing the eventual death of former ally Mar-Vell due to cancer. He also appears in a one-shot publication featuring humorous parodies of the Marvel Universe - "Fantastic Four Roast", and aids superheroine Dazzler against the villain Absorbing Man.


title: Black Bolt

text: An alien device abandoned on the moon causes Black Bolt, the Royal Family, and the Fantastic Four to experience nightmares until destroyed by Triton. Black Bolt is imprisoned by Maximus (who has also swapped their bodies), but he is freed by the Royal Family and the Avengers. He appears in a one-shot title detailing several of Marvel's continuity mistakes. He marries his cousin Medusa after an interrupting battle between a Kree and Skrull soldier. He appears in another "What If?" issue and a back-up tale in "Marvel Fanfare".


title: Black Bolt

text: With the Royal Family, Black Bolt encounters Dazzler once again, appears in flashbacks in two issues of "The Avengers", attempts to subdue an erratic Quicksilver (distraught over his wife's affair), and aids the mutant team X-Factor in defeating Maximus. The Inhumans then assist the Fantastic Four against the villain Diablo, skirmish with a later version of the team during The Evolutionary War. They also appear in the first issue of "What If?"s second volume.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt clashes with Attilan's Genetic Council when they forbid the birth of the child he conceived with Medusa. She ends up fleeing to Earth to bear her son (Ahura). Black Bolt destroys the alien symbiote that Spider-Man bonds with in another issue of "What If?", and with the Royal Family encounters the hero Daredevil.


title: Black Bolt

text: After another appearance in a back-up feature in the title "What If?" a story told in flashback reveals how Maximus, using a creation called the "Trikon", forced Black Bolt from Attilan. Black Bolt, however, eventually defeats the Trikon and regains the throne. After aiding the teen super group the New Warriors the Royal Family joins forces with X-Factor to stop master villain Apocalypse.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt makes a series of brief guest appearances in several titles and his child is threatened by rogue Inhumans. He and the Royal family break away from Attilan after rescuing his son from the corrupted Genetics Council. After two more appearances in back-up features in the titles "X-Factor" and "Starblast", Black Bolt appears in several panels in two titles before starring in the one-shot publication "Inhumans: The Great Refuge" (May 1995), which details the Inhumans' ongoing battle with the Kree.


title: Black Bolt

text: With the Royal Family, the Fantastic Four, and Doom's heir Kristoff Vernard, Black Bolt thwarts Morgan le Fay and Maximus again, battling Thor and Sub-Mariner in the process. He appears with the Fantastic Four during the Onslaught crisis. After appearing in the one-shot title "Bug" Black Bolt and the Inhumans feature in the Heroes Reborn universe, where they worship the entity Galactus and his Heralds, as gods.


title: Black Bolt

text: The character encounters the noble savage Ka-Zar and witnesses Quicksilver reunite with Crystal before he and the Royal Family appear in a back-up feature in the "Fantastic Four" title. Black Bolt and the Inhumans then feature in a self-titled limited series which deals with the "coming of age" of a new group of Inhumans and stopping Maximus, who with both human and Inhuman allies attempts to subvert his brother's rule. After an appearance in the final issue of a "Quicksilver" limited series Black Bolt and the Inhumans team with Canadian superteam Alpha Flight.


title: Black Bolt

text: The character is featured—again with the Royal Family—in a third self-titled limited series that has major developments for the Inhumans. Ronan the Accuser leads the Kree in a surprise attack, capturing Attilan and forcing the Royal Family into service against Kree enemies the Shi'ar. Karnak, Gorgon, and Triton covertly join the Shi'ar Imperial Guard while Black Bolt and Medusa must attempt the assassination of the Shi'ar ruler Lilandra at a ceremony ratifying an alliance between the Shi'ar and the Spartoi. Although the attempt fails and Black Bolt manages to defeat Ronan in personal combat, the Inhuman people choose to leave with the Kree and pursue a new future. This leaves Black Bolt and the Royal Family alone to fend for themselves.


title: Black Bolt

text: Interdimensional adventurers the Exiles also encounter an alternate universe version of Black Bolt. Black Bolt decides to attempt reintegration with Earth, and several younger Inhumans—recently exposed to the Terrigen Mists—explore Earth with mixed results, including at one stage the intervention of the Fantastic Four. The Inhumans resettle in the Blue Area of the Moon and begin to rebuild. The character also appears briefly in the mutant title "X-Statix" and a one-shot title, "Inhumans 2099", speculates on the future of the Inhumans and their role on Earth.


title: Black Bolt

text: In the title "The New Avengers", Black Bolt is revealed to be a member of a superhero council called the Illuminati. Via a retcon of Marvel continuity, the group form during the Kree-Skrull War to deal with threats to Earth. During the "Son of M" storyline, the mutant Quicksilver steals a canister of Terrigen crystals from Attilan, with Black Bolt and the rest of the Royal Family attempting to retrieve it.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt also rejects the Superhuman Registration Act and refuses to become involved in the ensuing "Civil War." Courtesy of the hero Sentry, Black Bolt monitors the situation. In the limited series "Silent War", the US military attacks the Inhumans to prevent them from retrieving the crystals. Believing the stolen crystals should be returned to Attilan, Black Bolt issues a warning to the United States concerning further acts of aggression, and eventually launches an offensive against the nation. Gorgon and other Inhumans are captured during the attack, which prompts Black Bolt to personally head a team to rescue his subjects and retrieve the crystals. While the mission is successful, Maximus takes advantage of the situation and overthrows and temporarily incarcerates Black Bolt.


title: Black Bolt

text: The Illuminati also collect the Infinity Gems, and—to prevent the abuse of power by the Titan Thanos and others—split the gems between themselves, vowing that they never be used in unison again. Black Bolt is given the "Reality" gem.


title: Black Bolt

text: The character apparently suffers a setback when brutally beaten by the Hulk, on a rampage during the "World War Hulk" storyline and seeking revenge on Black Bolt for his role in the Hulk's exile from Earth. During the events of the Secret Invasion limited series it is revealed that this was not in fact Black Bolt, but rather a Skrull, who is killed in battle by members of the Illuminati. The true Black Bolt is captured by the Skrulls, who intended to use his voice as a weapon of mass destruction. The character is rescued when the heroes of Earth defeat the Skrull army and discover the location of their captured teammates.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt, angered by the repercussions caused by the Skrull invasion, changes tactics and embarks on an aggressive campaign against all former persecutors of the Inhumans in the War of Kings limited series. At his command, the Inhumans attack the Kree and overthrow Ronan the Accuser, with Black Bolt declaring himself supreme ruler of the Kree Empire. This is followed by a preemptive strike from the Shi'ar empire, now controlled by the usurper Vulcan. Black Bolt intended to release the Terrigen Mist across the galaxy and end the war when, courtesy of the subsequent mutations, all are rendered equal, but the plan was interrupted by Vulcan, the two clashing as the bomb charged up. Although Vulcan was nearly killed by Black Bolt's voice, Black Bolt prepared to abandon his plan when Crystal pointed out that the powers produced by the explosion would only inspire more harm rather than good. However, an enraged Vulcan retained enough strength to stop Black Bolt from teleporting away with Crystal and Lockjaw, which resulted in Black Bolt and Vulcan apparently dying in the subsequent explosion of the Terrigen bomb, as Crystal only negated the Terrigen Mists within the bomb without shutting down its ability to explode.


title: Black Bolt

text: He in fact survived the explosion. It was revealed that Black Bolt likely represents the anomaly of the Kree Inhuman genetics program that had been predicted hundreds of thousands of years ago. The genetic prophecy was that this anomaly would bring about the end of the Supreme Intelligence. To prevent this outcome, the Kree Supreme Intelligence had ordered the destruction of all the worlds where the genetic experiments took place. Only five colonies escaped, including Earth's: these were the Universal Inhumans. After his return to Attilan, Black Bolt joined the Universal Inhumans and was presented with four new brides, one from each of the other colonies.


title: Black Bolt

text: They returned to Earth to help defeat the last four Reeds of the Interdimensional Council. They then faced the Kree Armada, who had been ordered by the resurrected Kree Supreme Intelligence to wipe out Earth and the Inhumans. After the Kree fled in defeat, the Inhumans followed in pursuit. Guided by Franklin Richards, Black Bolt confronted the Supreme Intelligence, surviving long enough to surrender and trigger protocols forcing terms of a truce. He convinced them that the prophecy has been broken, and that he was no longer a threat. They parted ways, but Black Bolt had to agree to Ronan (Crystal's husband) returning alone to the Kree domain.


title: Black Bolt

text: During the "Infinity" storyline, Black Bolt was visited by Thanos' Black Order in order to demand a tribute, the heads of Inhuman younglings between the ages of 16 and 22 or the annihilation of Earth's inhabitants. Using the Terrigen Codex, Black Bolt discovered Thanos used the tribute demand as a cover for his true mission: to kill his secret Inhuman-descendant son whose identity and location were unknown even by his father. After the Inhumans denied the tribute to Corvus Glaive, Thanos personally visited Black Bolt in Attilan. Finding the Inhuman city empty with only Black Bolt left, Black Bolt unleashed a powerful scream which tore down Attilan itself and activated a Terrigen Bomb which spread the Mists across the Earth. Thanos survived the attack and found Black Bolt still alive in the rubble. Thanos demanded to know the location of his son. Black Bolt refused and continued attacking Thanos with his voice until an enraged Thanos knocked him out. Black Bolt was held captive for Thanos to use his power to activate the Illuminati's anti-matter bombs to destroy the Earth. When the Illuminati arrived in the Necropolis, they found Thanos' general Supergiant, with Black Bolt under her control as she uses Black Bolt to defeat them. When Supergiant activated the bombs, Maximus appeared with the trigger. He triggered the bombs, but also used Lockjaw to transport the anti-matter bomb along with Supergiant to a distant uninhabited planet where she died in the explosion. Black Bolt was liberated and left the scene along with Maximus and Lockjaw. In the ancient location of Attilan in the Himalayas, Black Bolt hid the Terrigen Codex and made Maximus understand his survival and that of his brother were to be kept a secret. Maximus also deduced that Black Bolt was always going to activate the Terrigen Bomb irrespective of Thanos' arrival which was to herald a new age of the Inhumans. After being examined by Maximus, Black Bolt discovered with his brother that the Terrigen Bomb had greatly diminished Black Bolt's powers. Black Bolt and Maximus agreed to keep this a secret.


title: Black Bolt

text: Using exogenetically charged waters, Maximus was able to help Black Bolt recover from the power loss he suffered after the detonation of the Terrigen Bomb.


title: Black Bolt

text: During the "Secret Wars" storyline, Black Bolt takes part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610. He is taken out by the Children of Tomorrow.


title: Black Bolt

text: In the aftermath of the Secret Wars storyline, Medusa sends Nur and Auran to find Black Bolt who is forced by Maximus to use his voice against them, killing Auran. Black Bolt and Medusa end up separating over his prolonged absence from Attilan. Nonetheless, they team up to battle Kang the Conqueror for their son Ahura (Black Bolt had earlier given Ahura over to Kang for safe-keeping during the incursions). Unwelcome in Attilan, Black Bolt now runs the "Quiet Room," a nightclub that functions as a neutral zone for metahumans. At one point, a resurrected Auran steals his voice, but it is restored with the help of Sterilon.


title: Black Bolt

text: When the truce between the Inhumans and X-Men is broken during the "Inhumans vs. X-Men" storyline, Black Bolt is subsequently ambushed by Emma Frost and Dazzler in the Quiet Room. A disguised Dazzler is able to absorb the energy from his voice and counterattack him with it. He is held captive by the X-Men in Forge's workshop in the dimension of Limbo until his rescue by Medusa and the Inhumans. He helps Medusa neutralize Emma Frost. In the aftermath, there is hope of reconciliation between the Royal couple as she joins Black Bolt in the Quiet Room.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt and a group of Inhumans later tracked down Maximus and captured him for his trial. Black Bolt later spoke to Maximus privately.


title: Black Bolt

text: Marvel Boy later reveals that there is still hope to restore the Inhuman race on the remains of the Kree Homeworld, so the Royal family and a couple of new Inhumans journey to space to find the secret buried on Hala.


title: Black Bolt

text: However, they were soon confronted by two surprises: Medusa's affliction with a mysterious illness, and the revelation of Black Bolt as Maximus in disguise. Maximus had used his psychic powers and an image inducer to switch places with his brother before leaving Earth. It was Black Bolt that was imprisoned in a deep space torture prison that was meant for Maximus. Upon defeating his fellow inmate Absorbing Man, Black Bolt confronted the as-yet-unidentified jailer. When his quasi-sonic no longer worked, Black Bolt was killed and revived. Black Bolt later made acquaintances with Absorbing Man, Blinky, Metal Master, and Raava. After discovering that the Jailer is an Inhuman who was incarcerated in the torture prison and has since taken over it, Black Bolt and his fellow inmates fight the Jailer. Absorbing Man sacrifices himself so that Black Bolt can kill the Jailer and enable his fellow inmates to escape.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt returns to Earth with Blinky. They inform Titania about her husband Crusher's heroic death. At the funeral, Blinky is kidnapped by Lash. He forces Black Bolt to surrender and injects him with a poison to prepare his blood to be used as part of a new Terrigen-type bomb that will produce new Inhumans. The pain of the process sends Black Bolt's mind towards Medusa's mind. They interact on a psychic plane and update each other. He finds out about Medusa's love for Gorgon and they determine that they cannot go back to their marriage. Instead, they will move forward and Medusa promises to find them as they get separated. Black Bolt breaks free only to succumb to the poison. Blinky tries to protect him, but turns into a monster channeling the Jailer.


title: Black Bolt

text: After an encounter with the Progenitors, Medusa and Black Bolt meet on the Astral Plane and agreed to continue as partners and not lovers. When Medusa takes the Primagen, it restores her hair and health while also causing a backlash in the attacking Progenitor to destroy the approaching Progenitors causing the Ordinator-Class Progenitors that saw the attack from the World Farm to spare Earth from their invasion.


title: Black Bolt

text: In the pages of "Death of the Inhumans," Black Bolt calls together the four Queens of the Universal Inhuman tribes to respond to this threat. However, the meeting goes far from as planned, as an Inhuman executioner named Vox, a Super-Inhuman created by the Kree, begins his bloody rampage across the place. When Black Bolt and his Royal Family reached the meeting place, they discover the bodies of Oola Udonta, Aladi Ko Eke, Onomi Whitemane and Goddess Ovoe, with the same three words written in their blood on a banner hanging about their corpses and eventually realized that they fell in to a trap as one of the dead Inhumans was wired with an explosive. While most of Black Bolt's group made it out alive, thanks to Lockjaw, Triton was not so lucky and was killed in the explosion. Black Bolt then sent Lockjaw to New Arctilan to retrieve his brother Maximus. After Vox subdues Karnak, Black Bolt arrives where he walks through the halls of the Kree base speaking every name of the fallen Inhumans, making it a song about death. Eventually, it comes down to just Black Bolt and Vox who's holding Karnak as a shield. Black Bolt signs to Karnak to have Vox take him instead. Vox apparently accepts the change as he teleports himself behind Black Bolt. Before Karnak’s very eyes, Vox slits Black Bolt’s throat. The Kree take Black Bolt prisoner and repair the damage done to his throat without using any sedatives or anesthesia to dull the pain which prompted them to think that Black Bolt's great power is gone when he doesn't scream and therefore the prophecy about the Midnight King is no longer a threat to the Kree. However while being transported, it turns out he still has his voice, but it's faint. After killing several Kree, Black Bolt secures a firearm and finds Ronan the Accuser alive. However, he is a prisoner of Vox and has been experimented on. At Ronan’s request, Black Bolt enables him a mercy killing. The Inhuman Royal Family and Beta Ray Bill rescue Black Bolt from Vox. When Maximus was behind the mask of Vox, Black Bolt and the Inhuman Royal Family discover that Vox is not a Super-Inhuman and is just a Kree programming. While recapping the deaths that Vox has caused, Black Bolt also recalls the prophecy of the Midnight King. Meeting up with the Inhuman Royal Family and Beta Ray Bill, Black Bolt is told by Karnak of Vox being a programming that transported his "victims" to the Kree. As Black Bolt has one more scream left, Karnak tells him to make it count. Using his sign language, Black Bolt addresses the others on how he has made mistakes in the past and apologizes to them. After holding a moment of silence, Black Bolt orders Gorgon to turn around. As Gorgon and Beta Ray Bill engage the Kree soldiers, Black Bolt, Medusa, and Lockjaw arrive at the laboratory where they find Vox-controlled Inhumans like Crystal and Lockjaw. Using a laser, Black Bolt clears the Vox-controlled Crystal and Lockjaw just because they were in his way. Entering one door, Black Bolt signs "I love you. I'm sorry" before whispering for them to run. As Medusa and Karnak fight the Vox-controlled Crystal and Lockjaw, Black Bolt confronts other Vox-controlled Inhumans like Triton. Knowing the truth about the prophecy, Black Bolt brings ruin to the Kree and unleashes his scream on the Vox-controlled Inhumans. This action frees Crystal and Lockjaw from Vox's control. Gorgon and Beta Ray Bill arrive stating that the Kree have fled and see Crystal and Lockjaw still alive. Black Bolt emerges from the room as Medusa orders Lockjaw to take them away from the Kree base. When Crystal asks where they should go, Black Bolt uses his sign language to say "home." Lockjaw then teleports them away.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt and other heroes die helping Dr. Strange fight Galactus, but all are resurrected after the battle is won.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt's Terrigen-mutated physique surpasses the superhuman physique of typical Inhumans: his strength, stamina, durability, and reflexes are well above typical human or Inhuman levels. His speed and agility are highly enhanced, and he possesses superhuman senses. An organic mechanism in his brain's speech center produces an unknown particle that interacts with ambient electrons, enabling him to produce certain mentally-controlled phenomena. The most devastating of these effects is Black Bolt's "quasi-sonic scream". Because his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain, any attempt to use his vocal cords triggers an uncontrollable disturbance of the particle/electron interaction field. Because of this limitation, Black Bolt must be constantly vigilant of even the softest of utterances, lest he destroy anything or anyone in his path. At full strength, his voice can destroy planets, while a whisper can rock a battleship. When Black Bolt was captured and experimented on by the Skrulls, it was shown that his "Sonic Scream" is triggered by, and at least partially dependent on, his emotional state.


title: Black Bolt

text: The fork-like antenna worn upon his forehead helps Black Bolt control his power. He can channel his powers inward to increase his strength and speed, and can focus it through the focusing tool or his arms as concussive blasts. Black Bolt is capable of channeling all available energy into one devastating punch called his Master Blow, which renders him extremely vulnerable afterward. By concentrating his electrons into anti-electrons, he can fly at speeds up to for a period of six hours, protected by an anti-graviton field. Black Bolt can create a nearly impenetrable force field by focusing his energy around himself, and can use his electron abilities as extrasensory probes, highly sensitive to electromagnetic phenomena, and he can jam certain electromagnetic mechanisms. Though exhausting, he can create particle/electron interaction fields solid enough to be traversed upon.


title: Black Bolt

text: Black Bolt is at least partially resistant to telepathy and shares a semi-telepathic bond with those of his blood (such as the Inhuman royal family and certain others), as was evident when he was able to resist the mental abilities of his telepathically powerful brother, Maximus, and on different occasions, to use his own abilities to overpower and take control of Maximus' mind. One of Black Bolt's main uses for his telepathic ability is to communicate his wishes to his wife, Medusa the Queen, who then acts as his mouthpiece to the rest of his subjects. He can also use this limited telepathy to communicate his destination wishes to the royal family's teleporting dog, Lockjaw.


title: Black Bolt

text: Chase Magnett of "Comicbook.com" stated "Black Bolt is one of the most outstanding creations from the legendary run of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee on Fantastic Four. Both as a leader and individual character, he remains stacked with potential. It's almost impossible to imagine any Inhumans story without referencing the Midnight King. Even when Medusa led the kingdom, the absence of Black Bolt was a potent element in all of their stories. He's a wonderful solo character as well, examining the balance of power and action. His inability to speak due to possessing so much destructive potential is the sort of central metaphor Kirby excelled at creating. Black Bolt is an iconic Marvel Comics character, and it feels like he's finally back in the spotlight where he belongs." CA Staff of "ComicsAlliance" asserted, "If you're into the strong, silent type, they don't come much stronger than Black Bolt, or much more silent. The king doesn't say much, because his voice has the power to level cities, but that's helped lend the character an air of aloof mystery that makes him more compelling. He's insanely powerful, but fascinatingly contained, and as he watches and unpacks the politics of the Marvel Universe, we all want to know what he's thinking. Two other factors make Black Bolt a popular favorite: First, his Kirby-designed costume is one of the all-time greats, from his thunderous lederhosen to his tuning fork diadem. No-one looks cooler. Second, his real name is Blackagar Boltagon, which is so excessively ridiculous that it loops back around to amazing." Jesse Schedeen of "IGN" wrote, "Black Bolt is pretty much the top dog when it comes to the Inhumans. He's the king of his people and the ruler of the hidden city of Attilan. He's charged with maintaining this secret empire and ensuring that future generations of Inhumans continue to survive and evolve. He's an integral character to the mythology, and it's tough to imagine "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." delving too deeply into Inhuman matters without Black Bolt putting in an appearance. However, much of what makes this character appealing is his power and the terrible toll it takes on all facets of his life. Black Bolt's voice is a weapon of mass destruction. A mere whisper can knock over a building. A full-blown scream can shatter mountains and leave even villains like Thanos reeling. Such a dangerous power requires an immense amount of self-control. And it forces Black Bolt to remain aloof and cut off from his subjects." Trevor Norkey of "Screen Rant" said, "Black Bolt is not only an incredible King, but he's one of Marvel's most powerful characters overall. Though he can't talk, his true power is displayed in his energy blasts that protrude from his mouth, making him a force that very few actually want to mess with, let alone overthrow. Like Medusa, Black Bolt is fairly well respected among the residents of Attilan, making him into one of the greatest leaders in all of Marvel Comics. His pure strength and political prowess make him into a truly powerful force in the political spectrum of Marvel. Not only is Black Bolt well respected among the citizens of Attilan, but since the discovery of Attilan on Earth, he has become a well respected leader among the other characters in Marvel Comics. He regularly tries to make sure that the people of Earth know that he is not a threat, and instead an ally. Since the Inhumans became significantly more popular in Marvel Comics over the past decade, Black Bolt has become an incredibly interesting character to follow."


title: Black Bolt

text: According to Diamond Comic Distributors, "Black Bolt" #1 was the 57th best selling comic book in May 2017.


title: Black Bolt

text: In 2017, the "Black Bolt" comic book series won the Golden Issue Award for Best New Comic Series, while Christian Ward received a nomination for Best Artist. "Entertainment Weekly" named the "Black Bolt" comic book series "Best Debut" in their "best comics of 2017" list.