The long cenotaph
Draped in green.
Bobyrr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dan Lundberg — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Alexandronikos — Public domain · Bobyrr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · BeshevI — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Komila Hamroyeva Bahodir qizi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hasan Tohirov — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Farsizabon — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of Samarkand's most famous and revered shrines, on the eastern edge of the Afrasiyab mound above the Siab stream. Many visit it as the resting place of the Prophet Daniel, and so it draws followers of three faiths: Muslims, Christians and Jews. Popular tradition links the shrine to Timur, who is said to have built a mosque on the burial site. Another tradition, recorded in Abu Tahir Khoja's «Samariya», holds that Khoja Daniyar was a companion of Qutham ibn Abbas, who came to Samarkand. The present building dates from the early 20th century: a rectangular hall about 15 m long under five domes, holding an extraordinarily long cenotaph that runs almost its full length, draped in green cloth with Quranic verses in Arabic calligraphy. Beside the shrine is a spring that people consider blessed, with gardens and a riverside walk. Tickets are about 30,000 som, per visitor guides. It is a shrine, so keep quiet and dress modestly; steps lead up from the road.
Draped in green.
Beside the shrine.
Below the mound.
Eastern edge of the Afrasiyab mound, on the Siab river, Samarkand
Afrasiyab MuseumSamarkand's city history museum on the Afrasiyab mound, the site of the ancient 6 minutes walk4.2
Ulugh Beg ObservatoryAn astronomical observatory built in the 1420s by Ulugh Beg, Timur's grandson an12 minutes walk4.4
Shah-i-Zinda necropolisA complex of mausoleums and religious buildings in northeast Samarkand whose Per17 minutes walk4.7
Hazrat Khizr MosqueA hilltop mosque facing the Shah-i-Zinda complex, named after the Prophet Khidr 18 minutes walk4.6
Siyob Bazaar, SamarkandSamarkand's largest bazaar, spreading over more than seven hectares in the old c22 minutes walk4.6Many consider it the tomb of the Prophet Daniel, revered in Islamic, Christian and Jewish tradition; tickets are about 30,000 som, per visitor guides.