Mythical and majestic, Samarkand has been the stuff of travellers’ dreams for centuries. Once the capital of Tamerlane and a legend down the annals of the Old Silk Road, its dusty inner streets with their arabesque adornments, gilded minarets and scintillating domes have drawn intrepid types across the deserts of the Middle East to the very northern tip of the Hindu Kush. And there are moments still when Samarkand seems otherworldly in its opulence; at the exquisite Registan Ensemble (three ancient madrassas bearing UNESCO titles), the revered sepulchre of Tamerlane at the Gul Emir Mausoleum and the magnificent architecture at the Shah-i-Zinda—famed for its intricacies across the globe. The magical experience continues at the excavations of the 13^th century Ulugh Beg Observatory, or when the call to prayer echoes between the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the scents of exotic cinnamon and zeera rises in the air at the Siyob bazaar.

Of course, today there is also a contemporary edge to this city that belies a totally different side, and Samarkand tour guides often describe this part of town as lively; an urban sprawl encircling the Registan, where tooting taxis weave between businessmen and Italian coffees wash down traditional Uzbek sweet breads to boot.