“The legend says, when the city of Samarkand was founded, a leopard-palang descended from the Zeravshan mountains. It wandered around the walls, approved the building and retired back to the hills.
Since then Samarkand residents started to call themselves leopards. And the animal was pictured on their coats of arms and flags.
The residents of Samarkand are proud and high-headed, they despise lies and never seek riches. Their soul only looks for fame and honors. Wise people say that is the influence of the Samarkand land. Ant its inhabitants differ from other people, whatever country they go. Their soul is open to the beautiful, and among them there are many great masters who created the wonders making our world still more beautiful”. Abu-Sand Abdu-Rakhman Ibn Muhamad Idris
Registan | Chor Su Trading Complex in winter
The Registan Square is the heart of the ancient Samarkand. Its name comes from the Arabic word “рег” – a type of sand desert in Sahara, i.e. Registan means “sandy land”. According to the legends it got the name because some part of the square was covered with sand so that it could absorb the blood of public execution victims. And the executions were allegedly performed here almost until the early XX century. Also the legends say that Registan was the place where Timur exhibited the heads of his victims planted on poles, as well as the venue where people gathered to listed to Tamerlane’s orders; before reading them a loud signal of brass horns was given. But these are legends and myths. Let’s go back to reality and note that at the times of Amri Timur, who died on February 18, 1405, this place saw none of the buildings standing here today.
Registan started to become the main city square and the center of trade and crafts of the medieval Samarkand in the XIV – early XV centuries. Here was the intersection of six main streets, where Timur’s wife Tuman-aga built a domed trade passage – Tim Chor-su.