THE IMAGE OF SAMARKAND IN ARABIC LITERATURE

This article examines how Arab writers viewed the city of Samarkand from different perspectives in their literary works, and how they presented it to readers in historical novels, fiction, and poetry. From historical novels, writers drew their knowledge from historical books, giving the characters of the city's inhabitants a realistic dimension that reflects their cultural and intellectual diversity. Fictional novels, on the other hand, relied on the writers' imaginations and the influences they had on hearing and reading, adding an artistic dimension to their portrayal of their characters. Samarkand was depicted as a city brimming with wisdom and tolerance. In Arabic poetry, Samarkand was portrayed as a shining city, and its people were portrayed as delicate characters.