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Photo: Visola Tangirova, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This was built from 1855 over much earlier foundations: first was a Zoroastrian temple, then a mosque built in 712 but destroyed in Genghis Khan's invasion of 1220. Since 2018 it's also held the mausoleum of Islam Karimov (1938-2016), First President of Uzbekistan.
The Hazrat Khizr Mosque is a historical monument in Samarkand, Uzbekistan ; associated with the name of the legendary Islamic prophet Khizr. The building was erected on the site of an ancient mosque. The monument is located opposite the Shah-i-Zinda complex on a hill. In 2018, the mausoleum of the First President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov was opened in the territory of the mosque.
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Necropolis ranged over a small hill south of Afrosiab, named for the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The best structures are 14th-16th century, such as the Kusam-ibn-Abbas complex, the Turkan Ago Mausoleum, and Kazi Zade Rumi mausoleum. It remained in use into the 19th century. It can feel crowded, as the area you can visit is along a staircase thronged with tour groups.
Named after the principal wife of Timur, this was erected after his capture of Delhi in 1399. But design was muddled and construction rushed, so for the next 150 years it had to be patched and mended as bits fell off, until it was given up as a lost cause. It actually stood for another 200 years before collapsing in 1897. It was rebuilt from 1974.
This is one of the two local active synagogues, opened in 1891. It was closed during the Soviet era and reopened after Uzbekistan gained independence.. Unlike the second synagogue, this is primarily attended by so-called Bukharian Jews, although it also has a separate Ashkenazi hall. Services are conducted in Bukhori, a Jewish-Tajik language. In the past, there were over 30 synagogues in this Jewish quarter, catering to various professions. The name of the synagogue translates to "dome". There are now only a few Jews left in the city. Since the 1970s (their flow increased in the 1980s and 1990s), they have mostly moved to Israel and the United States, as well as to Europe, Canada, and Australia.
If you don't mind dust and love archaeology, then in the historical center of Samarkand, there are the ruins of ancient Samarkand, now called Afrasiyab. The territory covers 200 hectares, and is located behind the Shahi Zinda Complex and the Hazret Khizr Mosque, behind the Jewish Cemetery. Here you can see a large number of excavations of different depths, and touch history. In the settlement, you can enter from any convenient part. The entrance is free and not controlled by anyone. But keep in mind that Afrasiyab is now in the form of faceless hills with huge layers of cultural layer, and there may be street dogs in the depths, and after sunset, there are snakes and scorpions. From the harmless, you will see shepherds with herds of sheep and cows, and only turtles and lizards.
Al Matrudi (853-944 AD) was a theologian whose teachings underlie one of the major strands of Sunni Islam. His original mausoleum was destroyed in 1940 and this is a retro creation of 2000.
This was the earlier site of Samarkand, occupied from 500 BC until 1220 AD when the Mongols smashed it. It's within a triangle of mud-brick walls, each over 1 km long, and most of it is a bare vista of ditches and hummocks. The museum displays murals, ceramics and other artifacts recovered from the site.