Ruhabad Complex

The Ruhabad Mausoleum (14C) is said to hold a hair of Muhammad. The madrasa next to it now contains small craft shops. The 19th century minaret is next to a small, ancient saray (palace).
Chosen by Tamerlane to be his capital in 1370, Samarkand was rebuilt next to the ruins of Afrasiab, the capital of the kingdom of Samarkand, totally destroyed by Genghis Khan in 1220. The city was called Maracanda when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC.