TRAVERSE 118
part of the neighbouring country that pokes , seemingly oblivious to the distraction , toward the city of Gulistan . It was highway riding , at times verging on something from a Grand Theft Auto game , which consumed most of a day . The temperatures were hot for this time of year , mid-September is usually pleasant , we were experiencing something well above the normal .
As it appeared something special seemed to fill the air . The name alone invokes stories of great kingdoms , empires battling for supremacy across a history of more than three thousand years . The skyline of Samarkand was exceptional , a few modern buildings mostly dwarfed by ancient mosques , madrasah , and mausoleums , all ornate and twinkling in the bright sunshine .
It ’ s place along the Silk Route meant Samarkand held a place of importance to the point that it was considered the greatest city in the whole of ‘ Greater Iran ’ or what we might know as the Persian Empire .
This led to great lust , and around five hundred years after formation , Samarkand was sacked by some Greek Macedonian called Alexander as he plundered his way across western Asian . Little is known about Alexander ’ s time in the region although it is known that Samarkand received a name change and was ‘ gifted ’ to Orepius .
TRAVERSE 118