Music & Arts Tour in Samarkand

Free Music & Arts Tour in Samarkand with Roamee Pro

Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free music & arts tour route in Samarkand. The audio walking tour can include stops such as Registan Square — three monumental 15th-century madrasas facing each other across a plaza, considered the finest example of Islamic architecture in Central Asia, Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis — A corridor of mausoleums climbing a hillside in Samarkand, containing the most spectacular concentration of medieval tilework in Central Asia. Dating from the 11th to 15th centuries, the 20+ tombs feature turquoise, cobalt blue, and gold majolica tiles with floral, geometric, and calligraphic designs, each building more lavishly decorated than the last. The complex is named 'Tomb of the Living King' after Qusam ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad said to be buried here. Walking the narrow passage between the tombs reveals tilework techniques lost for centuries, with each facade competing to outshine its neighbor., Bibi-Khanym Mosque — a colossal mosque built by Tamerlane in 1404 after his Indian campaign, once the largest in the Islamic world with a 35-meter entrance arch, plus hidden gems like Ulugh Beg Observatory — the remains of a massive 15th-century sextant built into a hillside, with a small museum explaining medieval Islamic astronomy and Afrosiyab ruins — the ancient pre-Mongol city on the outskirts, with a museum housing stunning 7th-century Sogdian wall paintings.

Use this page as a starting point for a Samarkand walking tour, a free route, or the Roamee app for Samarkand. Roamee Pro keeps the route flexible so you can follow the stops, skip ahead, or explore nearby streets at your own pace.

• •Registan Square — three monumental 15th-century madrasas facing each other across a plaza, considered the finest example of Islamic architecture in Central Asia
• •Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis — A corridor of mausoleums climbing a hillside in Samarkand, containing the most spectacular concentration of medieval tilework in Central Asia. Dating from the 11th to 15th centuries, the 20+ tombs feature turquoise, cobalt blue, and gold majolica tiles with floral, geometric, and calligraphic designs, each building more lavishly decorated than the last. The complex is named 'Tomb of the Living King' after Qusam ibn-Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad said to be buried here. Walking the narrow passage between the tombs reveals tilework techniques lost for centuries, with each facade competing to outshine its neighbor.
• •Bibi-Khanym Mosque — a colossal mosque built by Tamerlane in 1404 after his Indian campaign, once the largest in the Islamic world with a 35-meter entrance arch
• •Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum — Tamerlane's final resting place beneath a fluted turquoise dome, where his jade tombstone bears the inscription warning against disturbing his rest
• •Siab Bazaar — a colorful market beside Bibi-Khanym where vendors sell enormous Samarkand naan bread, dried apricots, pomegranates, and freshly ground cumin

• •Ulugh Beg Observatory — the remains of a massive 15th-century sextant built into a hillside, with a small museum explaining medieval Islamic astronomy
• •Afrosiyab ruins — the ancient pre-Mongol city on the outskirts, with a museum housing stunning 7th-century Sogdian wall paintings

• ›Check what's on tonight before you set out — local listings sites and venue socials beat any guidebook for live music, openings, and pop-ups.
• ›Head for the converted-industrial or formerly-cheap-rent district. That's where studios, small venues, and the freshest street art consistently land.
• ›Wander Ulugh Beg Observatory and the lanes around it slowly — murals change often, and the best work is rarely on the main street.
• ›Choose small rooms over big arenas. A 100-person venue with a local act tells you more about a city's sound than a stadium tour ever will.
• ›Go in the evening and buy directly from the artists and venues when you can — it's the scene's lifeline and gets you the real stories.