Samarkand is the city in east-central Uzbekistan. It is one of the oldest existing cities in the world and the oldest of Central Asia. Samarkand consists of an old city dating from medieval times and a new section built after the Russian conquest of the area in the 19th century. The old city's plan consisted of streets converging toward the centre from six gates in the 8-kilometre-long, 11th-century walls. The walls and gates were destroyed after the capture of the town by the Russians, but the plan of the medieval period is still preserved. The old city contains some of the finest monuments of Central Asian architecture. The principal features of Samarkand's ancient buildings are their splendid portals, their vast coloured domes, and their remarkable exterior decorations in majolica, mosaic, marble, and gold. The newer, Russian section of Samarkand, construction of which began in 1871, expanded considerably during the Soviet period, and public buildings, houses, and parks were built.