Invited by Uzbek authorities, the Cuban ambassador, Alfredo Nieves Portuondo, visited the city of Samarkand, the second city of Uzbekistan, declared a World Heritage Site in 2001 and registered as "Crossroads of cultures."
During the tour, the Cuban diplomat valued the conservation and restoration works carried out in this city, considered one of the oldest in the world, still inhabited.
During the visit it was known that given its location, Samarkand prospered due to being located on the Silk Road between China and Europe, becoming one of the largest cities in Central Asia and most important of the Persian Empire.
During the tour, the Cuban diplomat visited an iconic site of Islamic architecture: the Registan, a square bordered by 3 religious schools adorned and covered with mosaics dating from the 15th century.
Samarkand was founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BC and in the 14th century it became the capital of the Timur Empire (Tamerlane).