Samarkand

American  

[sam-er-kand, suh-muhr-kahnt] / ˌsæm ərˈkænd, sə mʌrˈkɑnt /

Or Samarcand,

noun

1. a city in SE Uzbekistan: taken by Alexander the Great 329 b.c.; Tamerlane's capital in the 14th century.

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Samarkand British  

/ ˈsæməˌkænd, səmarˈkant /

noun

1. Ancient name: Maracanda.  a city in E Uzbekistan: under Tamerlane it became the chief economic and cultural centre of central Asia, on trade routes from China and India (the "silk road"). Pop: 289 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

The meeting in Samarkand runs until December 5.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

FIDE’s World Rapid Championships, which concluded last week in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, featured a very familiar face in the open competition and a huge surprise in the women’s rapid title fight.

From Washington Times • Jan. 2, 2024

The International Chess Federation fined a 23-year-old chess player from the Netherlands at its World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for wearing “sports shoes.”

From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2023

He said he didn’t get much sleep before he visited a mausoleum the next morning, followed by a tour of the Afrasiyab Museum in Samarkand.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2023

They mostly stamped the passports of travelers on their way to Kashgar and Samarkand in the West, and the city of Turfan in the East.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri