Uh-mazing Uzbekistan!! (Part 2): Someone's Somewhere in Samarkand!

- December 25, 2025, Thursday, Christmas.

- Tugging my luggage early morning to a train station isn't my idea of a perfect Christmas morning, but looking forward to a new adventure is. From Tashkent, my family rode the Afrosiyob train (highspeed train) from Tashkent to one of Uzbekistan's historic capitals, Samarkand.

- Booking a train ticket may be a bit tricky, because people have reported experiencing glitches or hurdles in either the Uzbekistan railway website or mobile app. My best tip is to create an account (free to register) in either the website or app (they're both the same system). The millennial that I am, I normally use a laptop to book things like train tickets. But if booking through the website doesn't go smoothly, the app may work better (either one or the other, depending on what works better when you book your ticket.) Train schedules are often available around 60 days before the day of intended travel. However, in many cases, the train schedules will update a month or less than. It is often best to monitor the schedules starting 60 days as the schedules become available in an unpredictable manner. Most people would choose the Afrosiyob or highspeed rail, and tickets may run out quickly since tour groups have early access to tickets, and locals would want to travel using this train too. I was fortunate to have gotten VIP-class seats, which are more spacious and will have modest snacks for free (like in an airplane.) If the Afrosiyob trains aren't available, the slower Sharq trains are fine in terms of duration, but they may not be as comfortable as the Afrosiyob trains.

- I had a lovely view of the Uzbek country side on the way to Samarkand. After a two-hour ride, we finally arrived in Samarkand and hailed a YandexGo car to our hotel, Hotel Minor. I chose this hotel in particular not only because of its good service, but also because of its location: it stands conveniently behind the Registan Square (and if you don't know what the Registan Square is, it is THE place to see in Uzbekistan, and possibly the whole of Central Asia). The hotel's rooftop dining area, which is open the whole day, gives a stunning view of the Registan away from the crowds.

Somewhere in the middle of Uzbekistan.

Afrosiyob train.

View of the Registan from Hotel Minor's roofdeck.

- The first place we visited was something I was excited to see. As much as I was excited to see everything, the Gur-e Amir, or Timur's Mausoleum was not just significant because it is the resting place of Timur the Great, but it is also the prototype for other similar-looking monuments built much later, such as India's Taj Mahal. (By the way, the royals of the Mughal Dynasty of India, responsible for the Taj Mahal, were all descendants of Timur the Great!) Built in 1404, the tomb was supposed to be for Timur's grandson, but eventually become a mausoleum for Timur's family.

Gur-e Amir. See the resemblance to the Taj Mahal?

Main crypt. Amir Timur is the black one. His grandson, Ulugh Beg, is the one to the left of the photo closest to the camera. Ulugg Beg has been a celebrated sultan because of his contributions to astronomy and math.  

Mausoleum ceiling.

- Just across the Gur-e Amir is the Rukhobod Mausoleum. Built in the 1300s in an older architectural style, the humble mausoleum appears to be one of the oldest standing monuments in the city. Though less colorful and far smaller than the Gur-e Amir, it was erected in honor of the Islamic theologian Sheikh Burhan al-Din Sagarji (his family members were eventually buried there as well.) He was responsible for spreading Islam eastward to East Turkistan, now known as China's Xinjiang province.

Rukhobod Mausoleum. (I didn't go inside anymore because it was so small, and I had to buy a ticket.)

- We later had lunch at Boulevard Restaurant & Bakery, then passed by Amir Timur's statue in front of the restaurant. We also passed by the park beside the statue to see the Christmas bazaar (which is closer to the Filipino way than the European Christmas markets), as well as the flag of Uzbekistan.

Can't believe I'm in Samarkand. Never thought I'd see it ever.

Amir Timur.

Can I take home this peacock ride??

Flagpole.

Christmas bazaar.

- With some time to spare, we decided to pass by Siyob Bazaar (sometimes spelled as Siab Bazaar), which is the main market of the city. It is said that the spot has been the beating heart of trade and agriculture for around 2000 years. Like most markets across Central Asia, it not only sells wet goods, but has a wide array of souvenirs as well.

Siyob Bazaar.

Spices.

It was honestly a really huge bazaar. Didn't seem like it from the outside.

- We had some down time after visiting the market, but I was just too excited so took a peek at the Registan Square. I actually wanted to know how things were like, so I'd know where and how to take photos of myself the following morning. I also realized that in the winter, there aren't a lot of tourists even during the peak hours of the day. (Good for me, I guess.) I took photos anyway, because why not! It was just too gorgeous and majestic!

First view of the Registan.

More about this in the next blog.

- Taking the advice of our hotel staff, we had a nice Christmas dinner at Labi G'or, a traditional restaurant just in front of the Registan Square. The food was good but I wasn't sure how to feel about the restaurant - it even had a parrot in the middle of the restaurant because why not.   

My Christmas photo.

Again, a parrot in the middle of the restaurant.

- We ended Christmas by beholding the Registan at night. We also thought that there would be some kind of light show as the internet says that they have it everyday. Many tourists were also waiting for it, only to find out from the guard that they weren't going to do it this winter (not sure if they don't do light shows every winter.) But the pretty lights illuminating the Registan are there every night, so we did see something.

Registan at night.

We also got these Central-Asian cheese curds. They were chalky and a bit salty. Maybe it's not for me because they remind me of hard frozen cheese, but at least I got to try it. 

- Samarkand was remarkable and it was only our first day in the city. I couldn't wait to explore more of Samarkand because this was really my goal when I started thinking about visiting Central Asia many many years back. I still couldn't believe that I was already in the former majestic capital and surely, a lot more was in store for me!