Samarkand is a city in Uzbekistan famous for its mosques and mausoleums. The Great Silk Road ran through Samarkand - a trade road that connected China with the countries of the Mediterranean. The most important sights: Registan Square with three madrasas of the 15th and 17th centuries, richly decorated with majolica, and the Gur-Emir mausoleum - the majestic tomb of Timur (Tamerlane), the founder of the Timurid empire.