As ancient and majestic as Rome and Babylon , poets and historians have described Samarkand as the “ Rome of the East” and the “ Pearl of the Eastern Muslim World.” Founded in 2000 BC, the second largest city in Uzbekistan arose in the most temperate region of the country. Since Alexander the Great entered her city walls in 329 BC and married the ruler’s daughter Roxana, the history of Samarkand has been a tumultuous one - followed by the Arab Conquest, the Mongol Invasion and the rise of the conqueror Timur (1336-1405 AD). By the 9th Century AD, Samarkand was the cultural center of the Islamic East. Genghis Khan took her after a short siege in March 1220 and put her on the world map. But it was Timur who made her the capital of his empire and erected her architectural splendors marked with today’s UNESCO imprimatur. Find more at http://www.delightinhim.com/uzbekistan-entry-2-samarkand-.html
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