The history of Samarkand State University dates back to the establishment of the Mirzo Ulughbek Madrasa, specifically to September 21, 1420. It was at this madrasa that the first scientific lecture on the theory of Claudius Ptolemy was delivered by Mavlono Muhammad Khawafi to an audience of over 100 listeners.

    From that time onwards, students at the Mirzo Ulughbek Madrasa began to study not only religious knowledge but also algebra (al-jabr), geometry (handasa), law (fiqh), and other fundamental sciences. The educational process at the madrasa continued uninterrupted, except for a period during the reign of the Ashtrakhani ruler Abulfayz Khan in the first half of the 18th century, until the 1920s of the 20th century. Over time, the madrasa maintained its status as one of the most advanced and prestigious educational institutions of its time, remaining an esteemed center of higher education. Even during the Soviet period, the madrasa continued its activities in the field of training pedagogical personnel.

   Starting from 1920, the teachers of the Mirzo Ulughbek Madrasa were involved in short-term courses for training pedagogical personnel, and their graduates later began teaching at educational institutions. Subsequently, on January 22, 1927, the Higher Pedagogical Institute was established in Samarkand.

   The Pedagogical Institute is one of the first higher education institutions in Central Asia. Later transformed into a university, the core teaching staff of the institute was formed by notable representatives of national intellectuals who had received higher education at the Ulughbek Madrasa, along with professors invited from Moscow, Leningrad, and Kyiv cities of the former Soviet Union. This fact confirms that Samarkand State University is the direct successor of the Mirzo Ulughbek Madrasa.

   In 1930, the educational institution was transformed into the Higher Pedagogical Academy. The first rector of the academy was Karim Abdullayev (1931-1935). In 1933, based on the Pedagogical Academy and the Medical Institute, one of the largest universities in Central Asia, Uzbekistan State University, was established.

  In the 1460s, the poet, philosopher, and statesman Alisher Navoi, who studied at the Mirzo Ulughbek Madrasa, was honored on the 500th anniversary of his birth in 1941 by having his name given to Uzbekistan State University. The same year, due to the outbreak of World War II, the university’s activities were temporarily suspended. From 1941 to 1944, Samarkand University was temporarily merged with Tashkent State University.

In 1944, under the initiative of rector Musa Mo‘minov and with the support of the republic leadership, the university’s activities were restored.

In 1961, the name of Uzbekistan State University was changed to Alisher Navoi Samarkand State University.

In 1992, Sadriddin Ayni Samarkand Pedagogical Institute was incorporated into Samarkand State University.

In 1994, Samarkand State University established Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, based on its Faculty of Foreign Languages.

In 2022, Samarkand State University was named after the prominent statesman Sharof Rashidov.

Over the years, many prominent figures in the fields of government, culture, science, and literature, as well as poets and writers, have emerged from the university. Among them, the names of Sharof Rashidov, Hamid Olimjon, Uyg‘un, Ibrohim Mo‘minov, Yahyo G‘ulomov, Muhammad Asimi, Abdullo G‘ani, Mirtemir, Usmon Nosir, Manzura Sobirova, Xabib Yusufiy, Omon Matjon, Nodir Jonuzoq, and others have become widely recognized in Uzbekistan and the world.