When I grew up a little, and then at school, I got the first ideas about the cities of our country, about the meaning of such sacred concepts as the Fatherland, native land, I realized that there was a reason that Samarkand evoked such a storm of feelings and emotions in me. I learned that Samarkand is indeed a city of magical beauty and grandeur, which fascinates with its ancient history and modern appearance. Until now, moments from childhood emerge in my memory, when, as a first-grade student, I visited this beautiful city with my grandparents. We walked along its streets, admired the minarets, architectural ensembles and monuments. And now, when we are here, already at the entrance to the city we embrace a special, festive mood, an indescribable state of mind.
Samarkand, being the cradle of great people, has its special atmosphere, and its unique world. How many famous people this sacred land gave birth to, for how many it became a refuge, how many outstanding personalities it sheltered... How unique are the majestic architectural monuments that could not destroy either a string of wars and invasions, or merciless time, how beautiful are these domes, tending to the azure sky...
Cultural and historical monuments look fabulous. It seems that they tell us about the events of their thousand-year fate. They are an invaluable wealth to the people and the country, all of us. The sights of Samarkand, which testify to its ancient history and today’s turbulent life, to what great personalities visited it, have long become the hallmark of the city.
Samarkand has always attracted and continues to attract not only our compatriots, but also tourists from all over the world, representatives of the arts, culture and science. Therefore, it is always full of local and foreign tourists, scientists, distinguished guests from all over the world. According to available data, about 1 million 28 thousand tourists visited Registan Square in Samarkand in 2022 alone.
Thanks to the Samarkand Tourist Center, established on the initiative of the President of the country, the flow of tourists has increased even more. It is planned to turn Samarkand into a “tourist gate” of Uzbekistan and increase the volume of tourist services by 10 times in the future.
An important guideline in this will be the resolution of the Head of state “On additional measures for the effective use of the tourism and transport potential of Samarkand region, the development of the region based on the concept of “Samarkand – the Tourist Gate of New Uzbekistan” of December 24, 2022.
The resolution reflects measures to increase the flow of foreign and local tourists, create the necessary conditions for the effective use of the potential of new tourism infrastructure facilities, provide opportunities for foreign air transportation companies at the recently modernized Samarkand International Airport, develop the transport and logistics system of the region, further improve the quality services.
Thus, an explanatory campaign “Samarkand – the Tourist Gate of New Uzbekistan” will be launched, demonstrating the tourism potential of Samarkand and the capabilities of the Samarkand International Airport in the regions of Uzbekistan and foreign countries. Tourist information centers will be created to serve tourists. Preparatory work will be carried out for holding the regular, 25th session of the General Assembly of the UN World Tourism Organization in the city of Samarkand.
These events will serve to further increase the tourism potential of the city, increase the flow of guests.
It is worth noting that The Times recently published the best long-haul destinations to visit in 2023. The city of Samarkand also took its rightful place on the list. The publication notes that cultural options in Charleston and Samarkand both vie for attention. The publication also mentions the Samarkand Tourist Center, in particular, that the Silk Road Samarkand promises upmarket hotels and gastronomy.
Of course, we are immensely proud that the ancient and eternally young Samarkand is included in the list of the most tempting places in the world worth visiting.
Awarding the city with the title “Samarkand – the Tourist Gate of New Uzbekistan” based on the Presidential resolution and practical work towards the further development of tourism deserves special attention and recognition. It is noteworthy that the next, 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly will be held in Samarkand. An ancient city with a long history, different stages of development, rich in historical events, which is the birthplace of thousands of intellectuals, a place where at all times, despite all the vicissitudes and difficulties, science, culture and art have flourished, is important in glorifying our country around the world, the development of the tourism industry.
The pearl of the East, the city with priceless monuments of national architecture will always attract travelers from all over the world.
Mukhtarama Komilova, UzA
