ANCIENT SAMARKAND CIVILIZATION: HISTORICAL FORMATION, ARCHAEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS AND MODERN URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Samarkand is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centers in Central Asia and has played a significant role in the historical, cultural, and economic development of Eurasian civilization. This article examines the city’s formation, archaeological layers, and representations in written historical sources, as well as its transformation into a modern global heritage site. The study draws on archaeological evidence, medieval chronicles, and contemporary historiographical research to analyze its long-term urban development. The findings highlight Samarkand as a multilayered cultural landscape shaped by irrigation-based agriculture, Silk Road trade networks, and successive historical transformations.