Afrasiyab Museum — Attraction in Samarkand City

The museum located at the historical site of Afrasiyab, one of the largest archaeological sites in the world and the ancient city that was destroyed by the Mongols in the early 13th century.

Museum building and the archaeological site are located in the north-eastern part of the city. It bears the name of Afrasiab, mythical king and hero of Turan. Permanent exhibition of the Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand is focused on the history of the city itself as well as the surrounding region.

The museum building was designed by Armenian architect Bagdasar Arzumanyan in 1970, at the time when Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic was still part of the Soviet Union. The opening of the museum was dedicated to the 2500th anniversary of the founding of the city of Samarkand.

Thematically, the museum is divided into five rooms dedicated to different periods of life in the fort...

This museum makes you see samarkand is not just the one of registan. This area has seen successive empires and civilisations stretching back 2500 years. This museum tells you the story of that - through artifacts excavated from the area. Catch the short film they play inside the museum before wandering through the exhibits.

I realized the museum actually sits on the site of the excavations. Right above the buried remains of the earlier civilizations.

So ask for the way to the ruins, which is through a small gate in the back. I wandered into that moonscape and spent a couple of hours wandering through the remains of the past. Nothing spectacular but the vast rugged grounds have tantalising views...

Very disappointing museum. The Afrasiab murals (the whole point of the museum) are currently closed, though you can peek through a far doorway and see small bits. The rest of the museum is minor artifacts, mostly plain pottery. Though, a few 8th century ossuaries decorated with crosses were interesting. There were several empty cases; perhaps the better artifacts had been stolen? The Afrasiab site itself isn't remarkable, though there is a plaque where the murals were found. There's a lot of trash and at least one rotting dog carcass. Overall, a very poorly run museum and site, definitely not worth visiting until they reopen the murals. 30k entry for foreigners, no discount for...