Turquoise domes at the crossroads of the Silk Road
Few names carry the romance of the Silk Road like Samarkand, and its monuments live up to it. The Registan, a square framed on three sides by vast madrasas covered in blue and gold tilework, is one of the great sights of the Islamic world. Timur, who made the city his capital in the 14th century, lies beneath the ribbed dome of Gur-e-Amir. Shah-i-Zinda is an avenue of exquisitely tiled tombs, and the Siab Bazaar sells round bread stamped with patterns, dried fruit and nuts.