Samarkand (city)

City in eastern Uzbekistan, capital of Samarkand wiloyat (region), near the River Zerafshan, 217 km/135 mi east of Bukhara; population (1999) 362,300. Industries include cotton-ginning, silk manufacture, production of foodstuffs, and engineering, especially the manufacture of tractor and motor car components. Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, dating from the 3rd or 4th millennium BC. The Registan – a collection of mosques, courtyards and former Muslim theological seminaries (‘madrasahs’) – forms the centrepiece of the historic town. A university, established in 1933, is situated here and there are also colleges specializing in agriculture, medicine, architecture and commerce.