Registan
The historic square of Samarkand, framed by three grand madrasas covered in blue tilework, mosaics and gold. It is the city's best-known sight and looks especially striking when lit in the evening.
Samarkand
The Shah-i-Zinda tombs, Bibi-Khanym Mosque and Registan Square, with its tiled madrasahs, are what make this Silk Road city famous.
Attractive locations
Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum
The burial place of the conqueror Timur and several of his descendants, topped with a ribbed turquoise dome. The interior is richly gilded, and it is an important monument of the Timurid era.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque
A huge mosque ordered by Timur in the early fifteenth century, with a towering entrance arch and large courtyard. Parts have been restored, and it remains one of Samarkand's most imposing buildings.
Shah-i-Zinda
A narrow avenue of tiled mausoleums climbing a hillside, built over several centuries around a revered shrine. It is an active place of pilgrimage, so modest dress and quiet behavior are expected.
Ulugh Beg Observatory
The remains of a fifteenth-century observatory built by the astronomer-ruler Ulugh Beg. A curved underground track of a giant instrument survives, and a small museum explains his star catalogue.
Afrasiab Museum
A museum on the ancient settlement site of Afrasiab, best known for well-preserved wall paintings from the seventh century that show processions and envoys from a time before Islam.
Siyob Bazaar
Samarkand's main market, beside Bibi-Khanym Mosque, where vendors sell round local bread, dried fruit, nuts, spices and sweets. It is a lively place to see everyday life and try local food.
Airports
Samarkand International Airport SKD
It is about 5 km in a straight line from Samarkand.
Zomin Airport OMN
It is about 129 km in a straight line from Samarkand.
Karshi Airport KSQ
It is about 140 km in a straight line from Samarkand.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Uzbekistan page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan0.9 °C35 mm
- Feb2.5 °C48 mm
- Mar8.5 °C58 mm
- Apr13.9 °C56 mm
- May20.2 °C30 mm
- Jun25.6 °C7 mm
- Jul28.0 °C2 mm
- Aug26.3 °C1 mm
- Sep21.0 °C2 mm
- Oct13.9 °C14 mm
- Nov6.7 °C35 mm
- Dec2.0 °C30 mm
Driest months: Jul, Aug, Sep. Wettest months: Feb, Mar, Apr.
Costs
Prices here are about 29% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
culture
Navruz (spring new year)
Music, fairs and sumalak go along with this spring festival.
Who can help
Emergency
Police 102. Fire 101. Ambulance 103.
local government
Tourist Police (Department of Tourism Safety)
Helps with: Police units set up to keep foreign tourists safe, based in tourist information centres in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities, and patrolling large tourist sites, stations and airports. No phone is given for them.
Who qualifies: Foreign tourists in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and other cities with such units.
local government
Unified Safe Tourism Call Center 1173
Helps with: Tourist helpline named on the national tourism information site. The site does not describe the service further; its contact details come from the National PR-centre, a state enterprise running the site.
Who qualifies: Tourists in Uzbekistan seeking help or information.
Phone: 1173
Address: 18 Oybek St., Tashkent 100015
local government
Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan
Helps with: The state tourism body. Its contact page lists a main office phone, a hotline and an email, with office hours Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00 and a lunch break from 13:00 to 14:00.
Who qualifies: Anyone with a tourism question or complaint in Uzbekistan.
Phone: +998 71 205 06 00
Email: [email protected]
Address: Amir Temur Avenue 17, Tashkent 100084
local government
Police emergency number 102
Helps with: Emergency numbers listed on the national tourism site: 102 for police, 103 for an ambulance and 101 for the fire service. The site advises calling 102 to contact the police.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Uzbekistan who needs the police urgently.
Phone: 102
local government
Ministry of Emergency Situations
Helps with: Uzbekistan's emergency situations ministry. Its contact page lists phone lines 1050 and 101, a hotline 1101 and an email, without saying what each line is for.
Who qualifies: Anyone in Uzbekistan affected by an emergency or disaster.
Phone: 1101
Email: [email protected]
Address: 4 Kichik khalka yoli, Tashkent 100084
ngo
Red Crescent Society of Uzbekistan
Helps with: National Red Crescent society. It trains disaster response teams, teaches first aid, runs blood donation and caring services, and helps reunite families separated by emergencies.
Who qualifies: People in Uzbekistan needing its emergency, first aid, health or family tracing services.
Phone: +998 78 150 81 11
Email: [email protected]
Address: Yusuf Khos Khodjib Street 30, Tashkent 700031
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Uzbekistan
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Uzbekistan since 2015. It works on migration management, crisis response and counter-trafficking, and community projects that reduce the risks of irregular migration.
Who qualifies: Migrants and migration-affected people in Uzbekistan, including trafficking victims. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +998 78 120 31 40
Email: [email protected]
Address: 4 Lomonosov Street, Mirzo Ulughbek District, Tashkent 100077
embassy
Foreign embassies and consulates in Uzbekistan (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The foreign ministry's Diplomatic Corps page lists embassies, consulates general and others with addresses, phones and emails, and was updated 3 November 2026.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy or consulate.