Introduction
The Great Silk Road — an original phenomenon of the history of developing of humanity, its aspiration for union and exchanging cultural wealth, conquest of the living spaces and markets for goods.
Ancient cities of Uzbekistan were located on the ancient Silk Road, the trading route between China and the West.
The route took its name from silk, the commodity most in demand in Europe from China during the Roman period.
Alexander the Great set up at least 8 cities in Central Asia between 334 – 323 BC before the caravans began traveling through the Silk Road after around 138 BC China opened its border to trade.
Between 484 – 1150 Huns, Turks and Arabs came from the west and the latest brought with them a new religion of Islam.
Many mosques and Madrassahs were built in Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva during this period, including remaining structures of the Samanids.
Most of the cities were destroyed during the invasion of the Genghis Khan in 1220. Later Timur, known also as Tamerlane, resurrected once famous cities by using the labor of slaves and artists captured during successful crusades.
Timur conquered Persia, captured Baghdad, and lead expeditions to Anatolia and India. Most of the architecture that is found in Samarkand was build by Timur and his grandson Ulugbek. Great Silk Road today is one of the most attractive tourist routes.
It is much due to the revival of Great Silk Road that the mankind have got the access to the global heritage of different nations who for thousands of years lived along this great transcontinental arterial road and who formed and matured their varied cultural wealth.