Samarkand: Cultural and Scientific Center of Central Asia

Abstract

The city of Samarkand, which is in the Uzbekistan, is geographically located in the Southeast of the country. Samarkand has a long history and it is the oldest city in Central Asia in terms of permanently preserving its quality of settlement. In the long historical process, the city has been the center of many Empires and has hosted many kings and administrators. It is still possible to see the contributions of these Empires and administrators to the city in the fields of education, architecture, art and culture. Having a warm and rainy/humid climate has made the city always a center of attraction. Therefore, it has served as a region where people prefer to settle and live. Its location on the historical Silk Road connecting the East to the West has contributed to the cultural diversity and economic wealth of the city. In fact, with these aspects, the city can be called as a “cradle of civilization”. In addition to these, the fact that there are different cul tural elements in each other led to the enrichment of the city in a cultural sense. In this context, when we look at the history of Samarkand, it will be seen that religions such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity, Manichaeism and Islam have the opportunity to live in the city. Especially the growing of important figures in terms of Islamic science and thought in the city caused the city to become a scientific center of Islam. All these religions, especially Islam, have contributed to the cultural enrichment of the city in different aspects. All these issues have led to the name of the city as an important commercial, cultural and educational center. In this article, we will present (i) the historical formation process of the cultural structu re of the Samarkand city (ii) the basic elements of the city’s cultural structure (iii) the experience of the ethnic and religious elements lived in the city.