Samarkand

Samarkand (pop. 370,000), city in and former capital of Uzbekistan, central Asia. One of the world's oldest cities, Samarkand was a stopover on the ancient trade route between China and the Middle East. In 329 B.C. it was conquered by Alexander the Great. In the 8th century it was taken by the expanding Arab empire, and by the 9th century it had become a center of Asian Islamic culture. It was destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1220. Rebuilt, it became the capital of Tamerlane's empire in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Uzbeks conquered it in the 1500s, and surrendered it to the Russians in 1868. After 123 years of Russian rule government returned to Uzbekistan. Today its industries include cotton and silk goods, wine, tea, and radio and automotive parts.