a fortified city of Turkestan, in the kingdom and 100 miles east of Bokhara, in the midst of a country exceedingly beautiful and fertile, on the Soyd or Zer Afshan, once the splendid seat of the triumphs of Tamerlane, and inhabited then by 150,000 people. It is now in a very decayed condition, and many of its former streets are covered with ruins, or occupied by fields, gardens, or groves. The most conspicuous and interesting building is the mausoleum of Tamerlane and his family, a magnificently-ornamented octagonal building, surmounted by a dome. In the citadel stands the palace of the Emir or Khan of Bokhara. Under Tamerlane, Samarcan was a great seat of Mohammedan learning, and contained no less than forty medresses or colleges; but of these, three only remain,—square buildings with porcelain mosaic on the walls and minarets at the corners. Of the numerous mosques, too, many are quite in ruins. The only important modern buildings are the bazaar and caravansaries. Manufactures of cotton and silk cloth, silk paper, and other articles are carried on. The trade of the place has much declined, having been nearly all transferred to Bokhara, and comparatively little business is now done except when the caravans from various quarters visit the town. Pop. about 10,000.