When someone asks me to name an exotic place, I name Samarkand. Just the name of the city delivers images of times past--the Soviet Era, the height of the Silk Road, the Turkic nomads, Genghis Khan, and the majesty of the Islamic influence. The city is literally at the crossroads of so many different civilizations--the Persians, the Indians, the Chinese, the Turks, and the Russians.
I first came across this city when reading about Marco Polo's travels. When I became interested in Islam, I read about the significance of Samarkand. And now I'm reading about the history of the Turks and images of Samarkand enter my mind again. After being to both Istanbul and the Astrakhan in 2007, I can kind of guess how it might be there. I've met a few Uzbeks while I taught in Russia, but I never asked them about Samarkand. All I know is that it was pretty rough living there. I wonder if the standard of living is better than it was 10 years ago.
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