Shahrisabz from Samarkand: the road over the pass, the sights, the day
Places in this article: Samarkand
Between Samarkand and Amir Timur (Tamerlane, 1336–1405), founder of the Timurid empire, which had its capital in Samarkand. Born near Shahrisabz.’s home town there is a mountain range. The road climbs out of the Zarafshan valley, crosses the Takhtakaracha pass at around 1,700 m and drops down into Kashkadarya. About 90 km after leaving the Did you know? The Registan's sun-carrying lion went on a banknote The Sher-Dor Madrasah (1619–1636) is named for the big cats with the sun on their backs on its portal. The image appeared on the reverse of Uzbekistan's 200-som note of 1997. Read more → you are standing under what is left of the gate towers of The ruins of Amir Timur's palace in Shahrisabz, his home town. Only parts of the giant entrance arch still stand. Read more →. We drive this road with our guests regularly, and this is how we make a good day of it.
Why Shahrisabz is worth the day
Timur was born here, in the town then called Kesh, and he wanted his home town to look the part. His palace, Ak-Saray, was under construction from 1380 to 1404, built by craftsmen brought from conquered Khwarezm. His eldest son is buried here, and Timur planned to lie here too: the stone casket prepared for him still stands in an underground crypt.
The historic centre has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000. In 2015 large parts of the old townscape were cleared for a park and tourist facilities, and since 2016 the site has been on the List of World Heritage in Danger. So expect wide lawns with restored monuments between them, not a maze of old lanes. The monuments are the reason to come, and the park makes it easy to walk from one to the next.
What to see
- Ak-Saray. Timur’s “White Palace”. Only fragments of the gate towers survive, and even those make you tilt your head back. The statue of Amir Temur in front of them was put up after independence.
- Dorut Tilavat. The ensemble around Kok Gumbaz, the “blue dome”: a Friday mosque that Did you know? Ulugh Beg measured the year to within 25 seconds Working at his Samarkand observatory, Ulugh Beg put the tropical year at 365 days 5 h 49 min 15 s, about 25 seconds too long, closer than Copernicus a century later. Read more → built in 1437 in honour of his father Shah Rukh. Next to it stands the mausoleum he added in 1438, known as the House of Meditation.
- Dorus Siadat. A memorial complex east of Kok Gumbaz with the tomb of Jahangir, Timur’s eldest and favourite son, and a mosque alongside.
- Timur’s crypt. In 1943 archaeologists found an underground chamber behind the Hazrat-i Imam ensemble. A single stone casket fills almost all of it, with inscriptions saying it was meant for Timur. He was buried in Samarkand instead, in Gur-e Amir.
- Chorsu. A covered octagonal bazaar with a high central dome at the crossroads in the centre, built in the 18th century. The bathhouse next door, rebuilt in the same century on a 15th-century site, is heated through underground channels and still in use.
For the city you start from, see Samarkand and our article Ancient Samarkand.
The road over the pass
The M39 highway covers about 90 km between the two cities. Without stops a car takes an hour and a half to two hours: the mountain section sets the pace, not the distance. Make a stop at the top of the pass. The view over the mountains is a good part of the trip.
Winter is the season to watch. Heavy snow closes the pass for a while: it happened in December 2021 and again in January 2024. In December 2024 traffic was halted for an exercise in which loose rocks were brought down from the slopes. When the pass is shut, the detour around the mountains takes about three hours one way. From December to March, check the pass the day before you go.
A 7 km toll tunnel under Takhtakaracha has been planned since 2019. In July 2025 the government set a new schedule: a private partner chosen by February 2026 and an agreement signed by December 2026. Until it is built, the road goes over the top.
Getting there
Shared taxis leave from the corner of Registan and Suzangaron streets, just south of the Registan. A car goes when all four seats are taken, which can mean half an hour of waiting. At the end of 2024 a seat cost $6–10, depending on how well you bargain, and mornings are cheaper than afternoons. Some cars only go as far as Kitab, about 10 km short of Shahrisabz, and you change taxis there. There is no direct bus between the two cities.
A private car or transfer is simpler: you leave when you like, stop at the pass and do not depend on a full car for the way back. If you prefer a ready-made day, our tour catalogue includes a one-day Shakhrisabz extension from Samarkand with a local guide, and the tour finder can fit it into a longer route.
How to plan the day
Leave Samarkand in the morning. The round trip is three to four hours on the road, plus stops, so the town gets the middle of the day. Start at Ak-Saray, walk south through the park to Chorsu, then on to Kok Gumbaz, Dorus Siadat and the crypt. Have lunch in town and set off back in the afternoon to reach Samarkand by evening. One day is enough for the main sights, and a winter closure of the pass is the only thing that really changes the plan.
In short
- About 90 km on the M39 over the Takhtakaracha pass: 1.5–2 hours without stops.
- From December to March snow can close the pass; the detour takes about three hours, so check the day before.
- Main sights: Ak-Saray (begun 1380), Kok Gumbaz (1437) in Dorut Tilavat, Dorus Siadat with Jahangir’s tomb, Timur’s crypt, Chorsu.
- Shared taxis leave near the Registan; a private car lets you set your own pace.
- A full day from Samarkand is enough: leave in the morning, be back by evening.
