Ali, our guide, and SK at a paper-making facility in the village of Konigil in Samarkand.

In the process of making paper, the rinds of Mulberry branches are stripped.

Water is transferred from a running river to the workshop using a water wheel.

Ali is explaining a part of the process to two visitors.

Products from paper - dresses too can be made from paper.

Statue of Ulugh Beg outside the Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand. He was the grandson of the great Amir Temur who built the observatory in 1428-29. Renowned as an astronomer and ruler, the observatory he built was considered one of the best astronomical centres in the Islamic medieval World.  It housed a giant subterranean 30-m marble sextant which could measure the solar year and >1,000 stars with unprecedented accuracy.

The entrance to what was a three-storey building which was looted and destroyed following Ulugh Beg's assassination in 1449, 

The remnants of the marble sextant remain intact underground surviving the destruction of the three storey building. This was buried until Russian archaeologist, Vasily Vyatkin, rediscovered it in 1908.Today, it is the centre piece of what was once a glorious observatory of the Galaxy. There is also a museum built in 1970 to commemorate Ulugh Beg which contains his Great works and other notable manuscripts.

Shakhi Zinda Ensemble is considered the most revered site and one of the finest architectural ensembles in Central Asia. Legend has it that it is the resting place of Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of Prophet Muhammad who brought Islam to Central Asia in the 7th Century. Over time, it became the resting place for Temur's family members, nobles and religious figures. The mausoleums here follow a unified architectural style. It is considered to be one of the greatest treasures of the Silk Road. 

One of the mausoleums  - it shows the unified architectural style with its square domed structure and an entrance framed by an elegant alcove. The facades feature brightly coloured glazed tiles.  

An alcove adorned with beautifully coloured riles

In view of its status as one of the most revered religious sites, pilgrims stream in from all over the Islamic World.

Window to one of the greatest architectural jewels of the Silk Road, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.