A few kilometres south of Samarkand, on a mound beside an old irrigation canal, lie the ruins of Kafirkala, a fortified settlement that was an important centre of the Sogdian civilisation before the Arab conquest in the eighth century. The name means fortress of the infidels, given later by Muslim inhabitants. Excavations have revealed a citadel with walls, a palace and remains that tell of the last days of the Sogdian rulers before the city was burned.
Sogdiana was a land of merchants who dominated trade along the Silk Road between China and the West, and their language was the lingua franca of Central Asian commerce for centuries. Samarkand, then called Marakanda, was their great city, and its ruins at Afrasiyab, on the northern edge of modern Samarkand, include famous wall paintings of foreign embassies. Kafirkala, on the southern approach, controlled the canals that brought water from the Zeravshan river to the fields.
Riding around Samarkand is a mix of city traffic and open country roads. The city itself is busy, with wide avenues, roundabouts and a lot of taxis and minibuses, and driving can be chaotic. Outside, the roads cross fertile farmland irrigated by canals, with cotton fields, orchards and vineyards, and the mountains of the Zeravshan range rise to the south. The road south from Samarkand towards Shakhrisabz crosses the Takhtakaracha pass, a winding climb with fine views. Summers are very hot and dry; spring and autumn are ideal.
Samarkand, eleven kilometres away, has fuel and all services, though fuel quality and availability can vary in Uzbekistan, and many vehicles run on compressed gas, so petrol stations can be scarce; fill up when you can. The city's monuments, the Registan, the Gur-e-Amir and the Bibi-Khanym mosque, are among the most magnificent in the Islamic world. Uzbek food is a treat: plov, samsa and fresh bread from the clay ovens. Kafirkala is quiet and rarely visited, a contrast to the crowds in the city.