October 18 is Samarqand City Day. In honor of this date, a conference on the theme "A Glorious Past, a Prosperous Present, and a Bright Future for the Eternal City" was held at Samarkand State University.

During the celebrations, Rustam Kholmurodov, Rector of Samarkand State University and an academic of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Fazliddin Umarov, the mayor of Samarqand, and Professor Jo‘liboy Eltazarov, Doctor of Philology, delivered speeches about the present and future of our Samarqand.

The event was attended by the deputy governor of Samarkand region, Husan To‘xtayev, Rustam Qobilov, and representatives of the broader community.

The event began with the opening of the photo exhibition "Samarqand in Pictures." The symbolic ribbon for the exhibition was cut.

This exhibition features over 50 photographs, with one photo taking us on a journey through history, another telling the story of today’s Samarqand, and a third reflecting the lives of the noble, kind-hearted children of Samarqand.

On the eve of the 33rd anniversary of our country's independence, the "Samarqandim" magazine was published and presented to the people of Samarqand. In continuation of this project, the website samarqandim.uz was launched on Samarqand City Day. This website operates in Uzbek, Chinese, and English.

The purpose of the "Samarqandim" magazine and the website samarqandim.uz is to deepen our understanding of the history of Samarqand and to educate others about it. The opening ceremony of the samarqandim.uz website was also held as part of the event.

 Rustam Kholmurodov, Rector of Samarkand State University:

    - As a child of Samarqand, I live with a sense of obligation to this sacred land. The name Samarqand, its glory, and its great past are among the factors that define our nation's place and prestige in the world. Samarkand State University has embarked on a significant project. Initially, the 'Samarqandim' magazine was established as a social-political, scientific-educational, historical, and popular publication. The world's ancient cities have their own magazines, such as Rome and Istanbul. The 'Samarqandim' magazine was created to fill this gap. In my opinion, our mother Samarqand deserves this recognition.

Today, we are witnessing a historical event with the launch of the website samarqandim.uz as a continuation of this project. I would like to emphasize that samarqandim.uz currently operates in three languages: Uzbek, Chinese, and English. This is just the beginning. Continuing the project, from 2025, at least two more languages will be added to the samarqandim.uz website.

The goal of the 'Samarqandim' magazine and the creation of the website samarqandim.uz is to deepen our understanding of the history of Samarqand and to educate others about it. It aims to showcase our Samarqand to the world and invite people from around the globe to our city. Whether we like it or not, we live in the age of the internet. Therefore, in addition to the printed edition of the 'Samarqandim' magazine published in Uzbek and English, the website samarqandim.uz has also been established. I sincerely thank Erkinjon Oqbo‘tayevich Turdimov, the governor of Samarkand region, for his continuous support of our projects. May samarqandim.uz be a blessing for all of us!

At the end of the event, professors and students from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, India, China, Germany, Korea, and Japan, who are active at Samarkand State University, congratulated everyone on the holiday

    Emrah Yilmaz, Associate Professor at the Institute of Turkology

    - Samarqand is a unique city in terms of art history. Cultural treasures such as Registan, Shah-i-Zinda, the mausoleum of Amir Timur, and Bibikhanum provide ample evidence of this. The world-famous Taj Mahal drew its inspiration from the magnificent mausoleum of Amir Timur. It embodies a noble spirit and, in my view, is the golden-crowned queen of the earth... Samarqand is a source of beauty and a symbol of charm. As a center of the Silk Road, Samarqand has a rich cultural heritage and has become a true tourist destination for the whole world. The Siyob market has characteristics not found in many tourist cities, offering both tasting and purchasing of food products produced by local residents. With its blue-domed madrasahs, caravanserais adorned with tiles, magnificent mosques, and social complexes, Samarqand resembles an open-air museum. In Turkey, beautiful colors are described with phrases like "Samarqand blue" or "Samarqand turquoise." In short, the stunning mosaic decorations, intricate geometric patterns, and walls adorned even to the window sills invite guests to gaze in wonder. Samarqand has been referred to by Western travelers in sources as "the mirror of the world," "the garden of the soul," "the pearl of the East," and "the dome of Islam." May Samarqand City Day be a blessing for everyone!

 Eva Ortmann, Director of the Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of Göttingen, Professor:

    - As a historian, I have been to many cities and studied the history of ancient cities. Throughout every era, Samarqand has been a center of civilization and culture. It is an honor for me to be in Samarqand, and I take pride in it. I have visited Samarqand many times. Today, I am fortunate to celebrate Samarqand City Day, and I am happy. If I were given the opportunity to live in any city, I would choose Samarqand. I congratulate all the people of Samarqand on this special day.

samarqandim.uz saytidan olindi

Photos taken by Shavkat Akramov.