Music, dance and fireworks were in order in Samarkand, Uzbekistan this weekend as the 14th-century capital of the Tamerlane Empire celebrated its 2,750th birthday.
"When we say Samarkand, we imagine a beautiful and great city which enchants the soul of any person... this is a city which you see once and dream to see again," Uzbek President Islam Karimov told a crowd of 400 Uzbek officials, diplomats, and representatives of the United Nations Organization for Science, culture and Education (UNESCO). The city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.
"Samarkand rightly stands in the same rank along with such ancient civilisations such as Rome, Athens, and Babylon," said Karimov. The city celebrated its 2500th birthday in 1969, until archaeologists found old texts revealing it was even older than originally thought.
Part of the festivities paid homage to Tamerlane, a 14th-century conqueror whose empire extended from the current borders of Iraq to China.
Official revellers gathered in Registan Square, considered one of the most beautiful in the world. It is known as the only square bordered by three Quranic schools.
But the celebrations were not open to the general public and a visible police presence remained among the shuttered shops as part of Karimov's security detail.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2007