Samarkand was called Maracanda by Greek and Roman writers.
The city developed in the Zeravshan River valley, a fertile location that supported settlement and long-distance trade. Ancient Maracanda was the capital of Sogdiana and became one of the most important urban centers in Central Asia.
Alexander the Great captured the city in 329 BCE, bringing it into the Hellenistic world. In later centuries, Samarkand connected routes running between China, India, Iran, and the Mediterranean.
Samarkand is often confused with Bukhara because both are historic Silk Road cities in modern Uzbekistan. Samarkand is especially associated with Sogdiana, Alexander’s campaigns, and the Timurid period, while Bukhara became particularly renowned as a center of Islamic scholarship.