Nov 25, 2022
oday we arrived in the ancient Samarkand city in Uzbekistan, which is known not only for famous sights, but also for tandoor bread called Legendary Samarkand bread.
Today we will show you the unique method of baking this Legendary Samarkand bread that has been around since ancient times.We are sure that you will be pleasantly surprised by how they prepare this bread!
Samarkand[a] is a major city located in southeastern Uzbekistan. Among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia, it has a population of 882,000 inhabitants as of 2026,[3] making it the second-largest city in Uzbekistan after Tashkent. It is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements of Kimyogarlar, Farkhod and Khishrav.[4] Earlier it also served as the initial capital of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic from 1925 until 1930.
There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city dating from the late Paleolithic. Though the exact date of founding of Samarkand remains uncertain, it has been proposed that it was established between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Historically, Samarkand has long been one of the principal urban centers of Iranic civilization in Central Asia and played a major role in the cultural and commercial networks of the Silk Road.[5][6][7] It was the central city of the Sogdian civilisation. It was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC; at that time the city was known as Markanda.[8] Islam got introduced to the region in the 8th century AD following the Umayyad campaigns. Samarkand was the capital city of the Samanid Empire, under which New Persian gradually replaced Sogdian as the dominant language of the region. In the late 10th century it became a part of the Turkic Karakhanid Khanate. Thereafter Samarkand was ruled by Turkic or Turko-Mongol dynasties until the Russian annexation in the 19th century, even though the city’s culture and literary language remained Persian.[9]
Hellenistic period
Alexander the Great conquered Samarkand in 329 BC. The city was known as Maracanda (Μαράκανδα) to the Greeks.[24] Written sources offer clues as to the subsequent system of government.[25] They mention one Orepius who became ruler “not from ancestors, but as a gift of Alexander.”[26]
While Samarkand suffered significant damage during Alexander’s initial conquest, the city recovered rapidly and flourished under the new Hellenic influence. There were also major new construction techniques. Oblong bricks were replaced with square ones and superior methods of masonry and plastering were introduced.[27]
Alexander’s conquests introduced classical Greek culture into Central Asia and for a time, Greek aesthetics heavily influenced local artisans. This Hellenistic legacy continued as the city became part of various successor states in the centuries following Alexander’s death: the Greek Seleucid Empire, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, and Kushan Empire (even though the Yuezhi themselves originated in Central Asia). After the Kushan state lost control of Sogdia during the 3rd century AD, Samarkand went into decline as a centre of economic, cultural, and political power. It did not significantly revive until the 5th century.
Sasanian era
Samarkand was conquered by the Persian Sasanians c. 260 AD. Under Sasanian rule, the region became an essential site for Manichaeism and facilitated the dissemination of the religion throughout Central Asia.[28]
