Samarkand meant “the land of heart’s desire” in the archaic Persian tongue. As the dominating landmark of a hilly, elevated neighborhood, the Samarkand gave its name to an area bounded on the east by Oak Park.
The Samarkand neighborhood could point with pride to one of America’s most beautiful and prestigious retirement centers, originally a hotel. The Samarkand District Improvement association, one of the most active in the city, reported that Samarkand has one of the lowest population densities in Southern California.
