Take a day trip to Shahrisabz

Located around a two-hour drive from Samarkand, Shahrisabz is the birthplace of Tamerlane and is therefore a hugely important location within Uzbek history. Here you will see the UNESCO-listed ruins of Ak Saray Palace. Once a huge palace complex, all that remains now are the massive pillars of the entrance portal. Other points of interest include the Dorus Siadet, built by Ulug Bek as a mausoleum for his favourite son who was sadly killed at the age of 22 after falling from his horse; the mausoleum complex of Dorut Tilovat, which now has a mosque and madrassah as part of the complex; and the the Kok Gumbaz, or the Blue Dome, which is a huge mosque built by Ulug Bek to honour his father. The dome has recently been restored and is intricately inscribed with Koranic verses.