Samarkand

Samarkand, the Crossroads of Cultures. An ancient seed planted in the Sogdian satrapya sort of province of ancient Achaemenid, the first Persian Empire about three centuries before the Common Era. It was broken and remolded by Alexander the Great, and saw the rise of Mani's teachingsManichaeism under the House of SasanSasanian Empire.
Persian, Hellenic, Islamic, Turco-Mongolian and back again--this city has seen a lot. Samarkand the city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia, dating back to 8th century BC. A major trading hub along the famous Silk Road, it was a stopping point between China and the Mediterranean. During its heyday, it was one of the largest cities in Central Asia.
In short, it's very old, very beautiful, and has a very complex history.
== Some Cool Places ==
The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum
== A Very Brief History of Major Powers ==
A Very Brief History of Samarkand's Major Powers
A Very Brief History of the Area
*PERSIAN
**Sogdian Satrapy (Achaeminid Empire) -- ~400 BC
*HELLENIC
**Hellenic League (Alexander the Great) -- 329 BC
*PERSIANS AGAIN
**Sassanians (House of Sasan) -- 260 CE -- Persian folks
*ISLAM BECOMES THE NEW HOTNESS
**The Umayyad Caliphatethe second of the four -- Islam becomes the new hotness
**The Samanids
*EARLY TURCO-MONGOL TIME
** Kara-Khanid Khans
*MAIN MONGOL TIME
** The Mongols (1220) -- Mongols invade half the planet
** The post-Mongol Chagatai Khans
*TURCO-MONGOL TIME
** The Timurid Empire -- Turkic
** The Ulugbek Period, a small Golden Age
*TURKIC TIME
** The Uzbek Period (1500) -- note the Uzbek part, it's important for Uzbekistan!
*UZBEK ERA
** Manghud Emirs (1756-1868)
*IMPERIAL RUSSIA
** The Russian Tzarist Period -- from Imperial Russia, of course.
*SOVIET ERA
** Uzbek Soviet Era (up to 1970?)
*** WWII hits, tons of citizens are sent out to fight, and tons of refugees flee to the city
*POST-SOVIET TIMES
** Uzbekistan (1991- present)
== References and Notes ==
Category:Locations