Stand in the middle of Registan Square in the late afternoon, when the light moves across the portals of three madrasahs and the square fills with people rather than tour groups, and you understand why this is the defining image of the Silk Road. The cobalt and turquoise tilework that made Samarkand's name is not confined to one square: it runs through a necropolis on a hill, a mosque Timur built after his capture of Delhi, and a mausoleum whose jade headstone is the largest in the world.
Samarkand suits travellers who are willing to walk between monuments rather than be driven between them, and who are interested in how a city's Timurid and later Uzbek architecture sits alongside a living, working town. The old city holds the monuments, the bazaar and the old private houses; the new city, developed during the Russian Empire and Soviet years, holds the administrative buildings and institutions.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth your time, ordered with the strongest first, followed by a plan for a single day and answers to common questions.
Top things to do in Samarkand
1. Registan
This magnificent square is the defining image not only of Samarkand but of the whole Silk Road. It became the city's main square in the 15th century, in Timurid times, after Afrosiab was abandoned, and it is lined by three madrasahs, all with grand portals and richly adorned. Ulugbek on the west side is the oldest madrasah, from 1417, and its upper floor has been lost. Shirdor facing it on the east side was built from 1619, and "Shir" means tiger, from the motif on its portal. Tilya-Kori on the north side was built from 1646 and was also the grand mosque; the name means "gilded". Each madrasah is set around a courtyard, with student lodgings and classrooms.
Give the square time rather than a quick circuit, and note that it is open late in the warmer months, so an evening visit is possible. In the small park next to Tilya-Kori Madrasah you will find the Shaybanid Mausoleum, free to access; Muhammad Shaybani ousted the Timurids from Samarkand and established an Uzbek proto-state that did not outlast his death in battle.
2. Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble
This necropolis is ranged over a small hill south of Afrosiab and is named for the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The best structures are 14th to 16th century, such as the Kusam-ibn-Abbas complex, the Turkan Ago Mausoleum, and the Kazi Zade Rumi mausoleum, and the site remained in use into the 19th century.
The area you can visit is along a staircase, so it can feel crowded with tour groups; arriving early in the day gives you a better chance of moving through it at your own pace. To reach the Khazrat-Khizr Mosque afterwards, use the footbridge.
3. Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum
Timur, or Tamerlane, preferred to campaign in spring and summer and lay up during the cruel steppe winter. On his last sortie, already in his eighties and in a hurry to attack Ming China, he sickened and died at Farab, and it was impossible to transport him through the snow to the tomb he had prepared at Shahrisabz, so he was laid here, in the tomb intended for his grandson who had died of battle wounds in Turkey in 1403. Both bodies were reburied in 1409, as it became the Timurid dynastic crypt.
The mausoleum is richly tiled and decorated, and the piece of jade over Timur's headstone, the largest in the world, was purloined from the palace of the Emperor of China. It sits on Universitetskiy Boulevard, off Bustonsaroy, and the Rukhabad Mausoleum is about 200 m north of it, so the two combine naturally in one walk.
4. Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Named after the principal wife of Timur, this mosque was erected after his capture of Delhi in 1399. The design was muddled and construction rushed, so for the next 150 years it had to be patched and mended as bits fell off, until it was given up as a lost cause; it stood for another 200 years before collapsing in 1897, and was rebuilt from 1974.
It stands on Tashkent Road. Opposite the mosque is the Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum, the resting place of Saray Mulk Khanym, who had been a member of the harem of Amir Husayn of Balkh before Timur defeated and slew him and took over the harem. Most visitors reckon the mausoleum is not worth the money and that you see enough from outside. Siyob Bazaar is just north of the mosque.
5. Afrosiab
This was the earlier site of Samarkand, occupied from 500 BC until 1220 AD, when the Mongols smashed it. It lies within a triangle of mud-brick walls, each over 1 km long, and most of it is a bare vista of ditches and hummocks, so come for the sense of the older city rather than for standing buildings. The museum displays murals, ceramics and other artifacts recovered from the site.
It is on Tashkent Road. The Tomb of Prophet Daniel runs along the north wall of Afrosiab but sits outside the ticketed area, so you can visit it separately from the site itself.
6. Tomb of Prophet Daniel (Khoja Daniyor Mausoleum)
The Prophet Daniel is a mythical figure, and the Biblical Book of Daniel is thought to be a jibe against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who persecuted the Jews in the 2nd century BC, with just enough disguise for its authors to escape imperial wrath. Six cities claim to have Daniel's tomb, and pride of place goes to Susa in Iran.
The Samarkand tomb and shrine is along the north wall of Afrosiab but outside that ticketed area, on Termez Rd, which makes it an easy addition to a visit to the Afrosiab site rather than a separate trip.
7. Ulughbek's Observatory
Ulughbek was grandson of Timur, and at age 16 he was appointed governor of Samarkand. A cultured and talented man, he built the Ulughbek Madressa in Registan and then this observatory. Astronomy in that era was by naked eye, but you could improve observation with a big sighting-line, and he built a whopper, the Fakhri sextant of radius of 36 m. He catalogued over 1000 stars and computed the earth's rotations and tilt with unprecedented accuracy.
Meanwhile his 13 wives were busy discussing his shortcomings, the region rebelled, and he was defeated in battle by his oldest son Abdal-Latif Mirza. He was graciously permitted to leave for pilgrimage to Mecca, but Abdal-Latif made sure he did not get far. The observatory was destroyed at the same time, and its underground portion was only re-discovered in 1908. It is on Tashkent Road.
8. Khazrat-Khizr Mosque
This mosque was built from 1855 over much earlier foundations: first a Zoroastrian temple, then a mosque built in 712 but destroyed in Genghis Khan's invasion of 1220. Since 2018 it has also held the mausoleum of Islam Karimov, First President of Uzbekistan.
It is on Tashkent Road and is free to enter. Use the footbridge from Siyob Bazaar to cross towards Shah-i-Zinda, which makes the mosque a natural link between the bazaar and the necropolis.
9. Siyob Bazaar
The bazaar sits just north of the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, which makes it an easy stop before or after the mosque and the mausoleum opposite. It is a working market rather than a monument, and it is the practical place to see and buy the city's produce.
Pair it with the Khazrat-Khizr Mosque: from the bazaar you can use the footbridge to cross towards Shah-i-Zinda.
10. Rukhabad Mausoleum
This is the burial place of the Sufi teacher Burkhan ad-Din Sagardji, who died in the 1380s. It became engulfed by later buildings around Gur-e-Emir, which were cleared away in 1996, so the mausoleum complex was rediscovered and rebuilt.
It stands on Bustansaroy about 200 m north of Gur-e-Emir, so it is best combined with the mausoleum rather than visited on its own.
11. Ishrat-khana Mausoleum
Built in the 1450s and 1460s, probably as a burial place for Timurid dynasty women, it was wrecked in an earthquake of 1903 and is now a hollow ruin. It is free to enter.
It is on Sadriddin Ayniy. Because it is a ruin rather than a restored building, it rewards a short stop rather than a long one.
12. Abdi Darun Complex
Abd-al Maziddin was a notable Islamic judge who died around 861 AD, and "darun" means his burial plot was outside the city wall. A small mausoleum was built in the 12th century, then a larger version in the 15th, replaced by another in the 19th and then by the version you see today in the early 20th.
It is open from morning until evening, which makes it flexible to fit around the main central sights.
13. Imami A'zam Grand Mosque
This is one of the largest active mosques in Samarkand. The mosque building was rebuilt from yellow stone, and the domes are dark turquoise.
It is on Usta Umar Juraqulov Street. As an active place of worship, it is best visited quietly and outside prayer times.
14. Namazgah Grand Mosque
This is an old but still active large mosque built in the 17th century. The exterior decoration is minimalistic, as the colourful tiles have been lost, and it was built with funds from Nadir Divanbegi, a high-ranking official in Bukhara. The name of the mosque is translated as a "place for namaz (praying)".
It is on Namazgah Street. Its plain exterior makes it a contrast to the tiled monuments rather than a substitute for them.
15. Khodja Ahrar Complex
This ornately tiled mausoleum with mosque and medressa was erected from the 15th to 17th century. It would be a major attraction elsewhere but is overshadowed by the Registan and other central sights, and few tourists come this far out.
It lies 6 km south of Registan and is open 24 hours, so it suits travellers who have already covered the centre and want to see something outside it.
If you only have one day
Morning. Start at Registan, where the three madrasahs of Ulugbek, Shirdor and Tilya-Kori are set around their courtyards, and look into the small park next to Tilya-Kori Madrasah for the Shaybanid Mausoleum. Walk from there to Siyob Bazaar, then to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque and the Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum opposite it.
Afternoon. Use the footbridge from the bazaar to reach the Khazrat-Khizr Mosque, then continue to the Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble on its hill south of Afrosiab. If time allows, add the Afrosiab site and its museum, and the Tomb of Prophet Daniel along the north wall of Afrosiab, outside the ticketed area.
Evening. Finish at the Gur-e-Emir Mausoleum, the Timurid dynastic crypt, and walk the short distance north to the Rukhabad Mausoleum. Return to Registan, which stays open late from April to October, to see the square after dark.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of day to see Registan?
From April to October the square is open from 08:00 to 23:00, and from November to March from 09:00 to 20:00, so an evening visit is possible in the warmer months. Shah-i-Zinda is open from 07:00 to 22:00, which makes an early start there a reasonable alternative if you want to avoid the crowds on its staircase.
Which sights are free to enter?
The Shaybanid Mausoleum, in the small park next to Tilya-Kori Madrasah, is free to access, as are the Khazrat-Khizr Mosque and the Ishrat-khana Mausoleum. The Bibi-Khanym Mausoleum is charged at the same rate as the mosque, though most visitors reckon it is not worth the money and that you see enough from outside.
Can I visit the Tomb of Prophet Daniel with the Afrosiab site?
They are adjacent but separate: the tomb and shrine is along the north wall of Afrosiab but outside that ticketed area, so it is entered on its own terms. The Afrosiab site itself is open from 09:00 to 18:00, and its museum displays the murals, ceramics and other artifacts recovered there.
Is the Al-Bukhari Mausoleum open?
No. It has been closed for reconstruction since 2021 and is listed as closed until 2026. The Mahdumi Azam Islamic Memorial Complex, in Dahbet town, is another option outside the centre, with a 17th-century mosque, centuries-old plane trees, and the Khanaqah building.
Decide which of these you want most, check the hours that fit your dates, and start building your days around the square that gave Samarkand its name.