The Canadian French-language daily newspaper “Le Devoir” published an article dedicated to Uzbekistan, under the title: “Samarkand – the city of lights of Uzbekistan”.
The publication notes that today Samarkand is completely Turkish, a little Arabic, a little Persian, a little Chinese-Indian and completely Uzbek. This flagship city of an extraordinary country, Uzbekistan, also represents the face of a modern city dedicated to tourism. On the other hand, it is a pleasure to explore all the tourist destinations of Uzbekistan and its UNESCO-recognized sites, which deserve respect.
Samarkand combines both wealth and know-how, fueled by the immensity of the Timurid empire. “His grandson Ulugbek even turned Samarkand into an intellectual center, building in 1420 the first of three madrassas that today form the Registan Square, the most symbolic place in Uzbekistan,” the article says. - These three gigantic structures, with their 50-meter-high iwans, incredible decorations, riot of mosaics and glazed tiles, and turquoise domes touching the azure, are surrounded by imposing minarets that dare to support the sky. Inside one of them, the incomparable Tilla Kari Mosque goes even further: bathed in gold and dark blue and studded with a scattering of stars, it sparkles and dazzles beyond belief, especially if the heavens imitate it, or vice versa.”
At the same time, we would like to remind you that Samarkand is the second largest city (pop. 510,000) in Uzbekistan and its political center: the local clan has been holding the top authority in the country for half a century. In the past ... Samarkand was the oldest "living" city of the Soviet Union, and if in terms of age it was rivaled by, for example, Kerch, then by the contribution to world history Samarkand and Bukhara are inferior only to young upstarts in Moscow and St. Petersburg. If Bukhara can be called the Athens of the East, then the epithet for Samarkand was invented long ago - Rome of the East. Bukhara has always been a city of money, and Samarkand - a city of blood; the heroes of Bukhara are merchants and saints, and the heroes of Samarkand are kings and insurgents with Tamerlane at the top.
Meanwhile, we would like to mention that Uzbekistan has imposed visa-free entry to Uzbekistan for Canadian citizens starting in 2016, which is part of a number of measures being implemented to increase the number of foreign travelers from all over the world visiting Uzbekistan for tourism and business intentions.
Uzbekistan welcomes not only Canadian citizens but the citizens of 93 countries of the world today on a visa-free basis to its historical and cultural sites, such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Shakhrisabz, Khiva and others. Those traveling to Uzbekistan whether for business or tourism, will definitely enjoy Uzbek hospitality, delicious Uzbek cuisine, and colorful bazaars offering a rich variety of the best fruits and dry fruits, all layered by the cultural heritage which can be sensed along the trip to Uzbekistan, no matter which part of it you go.
