ABSTRACT
In Central Asia history, historical monuments, religion and culture are to such an extent interrelated that it is impossible, when enjoying architectural ensembles of some ancient Silk Road pearls, to not think about and draw parallels with todays reality. In Uzbekistan, ancient history is fantastically entwined with the not-so-distant Soviet past and today's new realities. The capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, though the biggest city in Central Asia with almost three million residents, yields to its smaller but more illustrious Silk Road neighbours in the number of historical monuments. Bukhara, like his twin brother Samarkand, is at least 2500 years old. In ancient times, the Bukhara oasis formed a part of Soghdiana that was part of the territories conquered by Alexander the Great. Samarkand is an old city but its fame and cultural monuments come mainly from the era of Timur and Timurids.
