The Passing Dream of Samarkand

There are some stretches of a journey that I forget to record them. I somehow missed writing Samarkand into my journal and now had to think hard of what I even did there. Photos helped jogged the memory of places visited but the blank state of mind while wondering and exploring Samarkand feels like a visit during a dream and not real

I remember arriving late in the evening, the lights of the city flickering to life. After the preserved, almost theatrical silence of Bukhara and Khiva, Samarkand hit me differently. This was a proper, breathing modern city. Cars, people, life. And yet, woven into the very fabric of its bustling streets were monuments so grand, so ancient, that the only comparison my tired mind could conjure was Rome. History isn't kept behind velvet ropes here; it's just part of the city's furniture.

Registan Square - Samarkand

Registan Square - Samarkand

I spent my evenings in the simplest, most profound way. I would walk to Registan Square, find a spot on the cool stone floor, and just sit. As the last light of day left the sky, I'd watch the three majestic madrasahs put on their own light show, their turquoise tiles glowing against the deepening blue. No guidebook, no plan, just me and the ghosts of caravans that once gathered here. It was my nightly ritual, a moment of perfect peace.

The days were for wandering. I found my way to the quieter, but no less fascinating, Hazrat Khizr Mosque, then walked under the colossal arch of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, trying to comprehend its sheer scale. One afternoon, I abandoned the quiet streets and hopped on the back of a rattling moto-taxi for a trip to the outskirts. It took me to the remains of Ulugbek's Observatory, a testament to a mind that looked to the stars while empires crumbled below.

The modern side of Samarkand 

Ulugbek's Observatory

The Inside Scale measurement of Ulugbek's Observatory

Ulugbek's Observatory

From there, a long, contemplative walk led me to the quiet, sacred spot of the Prophet Daniel Mausoleum. It's a humble place, nestled by a stream, but it holds a story that stopped me in my tracks. Daniel, I learned, is one of the few figures revered by all three Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Jews know him as the prophet Daniel, the one thrown into the lions' den and saved by his faith. Christians revere him the same way. For Muslims, he's known as Prophet Daniyar (or Khoja Daniyar)—a saintly figure, even though his name doesn't appear in the Qur'an, he's honoured in Islamic tradition.

Khoja Daniyar Mausoleum

Khoja Daniyar Mausoleum

Travelled on: Jul 2024