CChronica Maps

Samarkand: History, Former Names & Timeline

Sogdian city of the Zeravshan valley, jewel of the Silk Road and capital of Timur's empire.

Map showing Samarkand in 1200Samarkand
Border map for 1200. See the world in 1200.

Explore Samarkand in the interactive map

Former names of Samarkand

FromNameNote
700 BCMarakanda
AD 700Samarkand

Timeline of Samarkand

YearEvent
329 BCAlexander takes Marakanda
AD 712The Arab general Qutayba conquers Samarkand
1220Genghis Khan sacks Samarkand
1370Timur makes Samarkand his capital
1420Ulugh Beg completes his observatory

Who ruled Samarkand

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

PeriodState
500 BC–324 BCAchaemenid Empire
323 BC–301 BCEmpire of Alexander
300 BC–201 BCSeleucid Kingdom
200 BC–101 BCBactria
100 BC–2 BCKushan Empire
1 BC–99Unclaimed / no data
100–199Kushan Empire
200–699Unclaimed / no data
700–799Western Gokturk Khaganate
800–899Abbasid Caliphate
900–999Samanid Empire
1000–1099Unclaimed / no data
1100–1199Karkhanids
1200–1299Kara Khitai Khaganate
1300–1399Chagatai Khanate
1400–1491Timurid Empire
1492–1599Chagatai Khanate
1600–1782Khiva Khanate
1783–1814central Asian khanates
1815–1879Turan
1880–1919Russian Empire
1920–1929USSR
1930–1937White Russia
1938–1993USSR
1994–todayUzbekistan

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