ABSTRACT
A single glance at the valley in which Samarcand is built is sufficient to see that human life must have prospered here since time immemorial. The general aspect of the landscape is enchanting. The first time that Samarcand played a part in history was during the Macedonian conquest. The incredible adventure of the Greek Army marching through Persia right down to India has never been forgotten, and the wonderful personality of Alexander the Great has left a deep imprint all over Central Asia. The name of Iskander-Zulkarnain, the 'two-horned Alexander', was so deeply rooted in the people's affections, that even Islam was powerless against it and had to adopt the hero for its own. After the tragic death of Darius and the pursuit of the murderer, Alexander's route through what is Nishapur, Meshed, Merv and Bokhara brought the army to Samarcand. The plain beyond it, called Afrosiab, waterless and desert, was the site of the Greek town.
