Walk Samarkand from the Registan
Samarkand was a great Silk Road city, and its tiled domes and madrasas are among the most beautiful buildings in the world. FOG starts the map dark and clears only what you walk, and the monuments sit within an easy walk of each other.
The Registan
The Registan is a square enclosed on three sides by madrasas covered in blue and gold tiles, built between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is the heart of the city and spectacular at dusk.
A pedestrian street leads north east from it to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, once one of the largest mosques in the world, and the Siab Bazaar beside it.
Necropolis and tomb
Shah-i-Zinda, beyond the bazaar, is an avenue of mausoleums climbing a hillside, each covered in a different pattern of tiles. Gur-e-Amir, south west of the Registan, is the tomb of Timur, with a ribbed blue dome.
Further out, the Afrasiyab hill holds the ruins of the ancient city, and the Ulugh Beg Observatory has the remains of a huge astronomical instrument. Shaded boulevards link the old and Russian parts of town.
Coverage
The main monuments are within a few kilometres of each other, and the city is flat in the centre. Summers are very hot, so walk in the morning and evening.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons.
Background walking, private by design
FOG reveals the map with the screen off. Turn on background exploring and every street you cover in Samarkand clears on its own, whether you were sightseeing or just walking back from the shops. On Android a notification stays up while it runs, so you always know it is on.
Your trail is processed and stored only on the device. There is no account and nothing is uploaded, ever. Export a GPX backup from Settings so the map survives a lost phone. Ranks, gear for your character and a monthly and yearly logbook all grow out of the same walking, and the basics are free.
Questions people actually ask
What is the Registan?
A square in Samarkand framed by three tiled madrasas.
Can you walk between Samarkand's monuments?
Yes. The Registan, Bibi-Khanym, the bazaar and Shah-i-Zinda are linked by a pedestrian route.
Is my location uploaded anywhere?
No. There is no account and no cloud. The map is stored only on your phone, and you can export a GPX backup yourself.
Start with a dark map.
FOG is free to explore. No account, no subscription, and your map never leaves your phone.
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