One of the oldest and most cosmopolitan cities in Central Asia, Samarkand—located in what is now Uzbekistan—is the urban crossroads of Eurasia. Over the past 2,000 years, it has absorbed the wealth and labors of Sogdian merchants, Manichean priests, Islamic astronomers, Mongol khans, Timurid emperors, Russian czars, and Soviet officials, all of whom attempted to use Samarkand as a base from which to conquer Central Asia. Historian Justin M. Jacobs provides an in-depth analysis of the cultural achievements of each of these historical groups, with particular emphasis on the Sogdians and Timurids.
Jacobs is an associate professor of history at American University.
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