This city, which was once the capital of Independent Tartary, and the favourite residence of the great Timour, is now little better than a mass of ruins. Until the time of Shah Murad, the place was not only ruinous, but desert, the haunt of the wolf and the lion. That sovereign used all his efforts to restore and to repeople this place; and though it is still small, it is daily increasing. It formerly covered more ground than Bokhara; and although the original walls, which tradition declares, though this is no doubt an exaggeration, to have been forty-eight miles in circuit, have mouldered into dust, Clavijo, a Spanish ambassador, who visited it about the year 1400, estimates the population of the city at 150,000; and a considerable number besides, for want of habitations, were obliged to shelter themselves in the caves of the surrounding rocks. The surrounding country also had a flourishing and populous appearance, being entirely covered with large villages, gardens, and country-houses, the residence of Tartar chiefs. A great proportion of the inhabitants consisted of persons who had been collected by Timour from every part of Asia, whose policy it was to bring hither all who were famous for the exercise of any art not followed in Samarcan. It carried on, besides, a great inland commerce with Russia, Tartary, India, Turkey, and particularly China. The splendour of Timour's court is said to have surpassed description, and his palaces vied with each other in magnificence. They were adorned with the spoils of conquered countries, and were resplendent with hangings of silk, gold and silver embroidery, tables of solid gold, and a display of rubies and precious stones that formed a dazzling scene. The city is still protected with a mud-wall, and has a citadel of the same materials; but the principal buildings and most of the houses are constructed of stone. The mausoleum of Timour may still be seen here. It is a large building, with a very lofty dome, which was once covered with gold; but this covering has since been taken off by Shah Murad. Within this building is the tomb, covered by a large flag of green stone, adorned with jewels, and sculptured over with the genealogical tree of the great Timour. Here, too, was the observatory of Oolugh Beg, which was destroyed by one of the many barbarous invaders of this country, and it is now a heap of dust. There were here also the tombs of many other distinguished persons, but they are all going to decay. Samarcan was a seat of religion and learning as well as of an extensive commerce; and it contained many colleges, the finest of which was the Khanums, which is now all in ruins, and its extensive buildings laid waste. Some, however, are still inhabited. There is still in the town a very large dome, having six sides, each side forming a bazaar; regular horse-markets are held here on Sundays and Wednesdays, and horses are cheaper than at Bokhara. It has the reputation of being a pleasant place, having a small stream running through it from the mountains, a fine country around it, and a fine climate. At a little distance flows the river Kohuk, which falls into the Zarushan, the latter passing by Bokhara, and flowing into the Oxus. It is about 150 miles due east from Bokhara, and 180 miles south of Balkh. Long. 64° 9' E. Lat. 39° 37' 23" N.