According to legend, what happened soon after Soviet scientists opened Timur's tomb in June 1941?

Germany invaded the Soviet Union

A great earthquake struck the city

The tomb's ribbed dome collapsed

The huge Bibi-Khanym Mosque is traditionally said to be named after whom?

Timur's mother, a Mongol princess

A famous Persian poet of the court

Afrasiyab, on Samarkand's northern edge, is famous for what?

The ruins of the ancient city and its painted murals

The facade of the Sher-Dor Madrasa on the Registan is famous for showing what?

Tiger-like beasts chasing deer beneath a sun with a face

Portraits of Timur and his sons in battle

A tiled map of the Silk Road trade routes

Samarkand Quiz: Blue Domes and Silk Road Treasures of Uzbekistan

This Samarkand quiz explores one of the oldest cities of Central Asia in Uzbekistan, with questions on Timur's tomb at Gur-e-Amir and its legendary curse, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the blue-tiled Shah-i-Zinda, Samarkand paper and bread, the ruins of Afrasiyab, Alexander the Great, the tigers of the Sher-Dor Madrasa and the Afrosiyob train. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Tombs
Which ribbed-dome mausoleum in Samarkand holds the tomb of Timur?
Legends
According to legend, what happened soon after Soviet scientists opened Timur's tomb in June 1941?
Mosques
The huge Bibi-Khanym Mosque is traditionally said to be named after whom?
Necropolis
What does Shah-i-Zinda, the avenue of blue-tiled mausoleums, mean?
Crafts
Samarkand became famous in the Islamic world in the 8th century for making what?
Food
Samarkand non, sold at the Siab Bazaar, is a famous kind of what?
Ruins
Afrasiyab, on Samarkand's northern edge, is famous for what?
History
When Alexander the Great captured Samarkand in 329 BC, what was it called?
Madrasas
The facade of the Sher-Dor Madrasa on the Registan is famous for showing what?
Trains
What is the name of the high-speed train that links Samarkand with Tashkent?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which ribbed-dome mausoleum in Samarkand holds the tomb of Timur?
Answer: Gur-e-Amir
Its name means tomb of the king in Persian. Timur's own tomb is marked by a slab of dark green jade, and his grandson Ulugh Beg is buried beside him.
Q2: According to legend, what happened soon after Soviet scientists opened Timur's tomb in June 1941?
Answer: Germany invaded the Soviet Union
An inscription reportedly warned that disturbing the tomb would bring an invader. Timur was reburied with Islamic rites in 1942.
Q3: The huge Bibi-Khanym Mosque is traditionally said to be named after whom?
Answer: Timur's favorite wife
When finished in the early 1400s, it was one of the largest mosques in the Islamic world. Parts collapsed over the centuries and were rebuilt in Soviet times.
Q4: What does Shah-i-Zinda, the avenue of blue-tiled mausoleums, mean?
Answer: The Living King
The name refers to a legend that Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is still alive underground. Its tilework is among the finest in Central Asia.
Q5: Samarkand became famous in the Islamic world in the 8th century for making what?
Answer: Paper
Legend says Chinese prisoners taken after the Battle of Talas in 751 taught the craft. A workshop in Konigil village still makes paper from mulberry bark.
Q6: Samarkand non, sold at the Siab Bazaar, is a famous kind of what?
Answer: Round flatbread
The thick, stamped bread is baked in clay ovens called tandyr. Locals say it stays fresh for a long time and travelers carry it home as a gift.
Q7: Afrasiyab, on Samarkand's northern edge, is famous for what?
Answer: The ruins of the ancient city and its painted murals
The murals show ambassadors visiting a local ruler in the 7th century. Afrasiyab was destroyed by Genghis Khan's army in 1220.
Q8: When Alexander the Great captured Samarkand in 329 BC, what was it called?
Answer: Marakanda
Greek writers described its walls and palaces. Samarkand is roughly 2,750 years old, as old as Rome.
Q9: The facade of the Sher-Dor Madrasa on the Registan is famous for showing what?
Answer: Tiger-like beasts chasing deer beneath a sun with a face
Images of living creatures are rare in Islamic architecture, which makes the mosaic unusual. The design appears on Uzbek banknotes.
Q10: What is the name of the high-speed train that links Samarkand with Tashkent?
Answer: Afrosiyob
The train covers the journey in about two hours. It continues to Bukhara, making a popular route through Uzbekistan's historic cities.

Samarkand Quiz – The Jewel of the Silk Road

Samarkand is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia, about 2,750 years old. Located in the Zeravshan valley of Uzbekistan, it grew rich as a crossroads of the Silk Road, where merchants traded silk, spices, paper and ideas between China, Persia, India and Europe. Its historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alexander the Great captured the city, then called Marakanda, in 329 BC. Over the centuries, it was ruled by Sogdians, Arabs and Persians, until Genghis Khan's army destroyed it in 1220. The ruins of old Samarkand, Afrasiyab, still hold painted murals of ambassadors. In the 14th century, Timur rebuilt Samarkand as the glittering capital of his empire.

Timur and his descendants filled the city with monuments covered in turquoise and blue tiles. The Registan square, framed by three madrasas, is the city's heart. Gur-e-Amir holds the tombs of Timur and Ulugh Beg, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque was once among the largest in the Islamic world and Shah-i-Zinda is a street of dazzling mausoleums.

Samarkand also played a role in science and crafts. Ulugh Beg's observatory mapped the stars, and the city's papermakers helped spread paper across the Islamic world. Visitors can see paper made from mulberry bark at Konigil.

Today, travelers arrive on the Afrosiyob high-speed train, shop for bread, dried fruit and spices at the Siab Bazaar and taste plov, Uzbekistan's rice dish.

The best seasons to visit are spring and autumn, when temperatures are mild. In the evening, the Registan is lit up, and sometimes hosts light shows and concerts. Many visitors combine Samarkand with Bukhara and Khiva on a Silk Road tour of Uzbekistan.

This quiz covers the history, monuments, crafts and food of Samarkand.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for history fans, travelers and lovers of Islamic architecture.

Gur-e-Amir and the legend of Timur's tomb
The Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda
Samarkand paper and bread
Afrasiyab and Alexander the Great
The Sher-Dor Madrasa's famous mosaic
The Afrosiyob high-speed train

Quick Facts About Samarkand

Samarkand is Uzbekistan's second-largest city.
Its UNESCO listing calls it a crossroads of cultures.
Many tiles use a deep blue color made with cobalt.
The Registan once served as a public square for royal announcements.
The Siab Bazaar sits next to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque.
Samarkand hosts the Sharq Taronalari music festival.