Silk Road city — a spot in desert? (9)

I believe the answer is:

samarkand

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'silk road city' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

I don't understand the remainder of the clue.

(Other definitions for samarkand that I've seen before include "where golden road ends?" , "Old city in Central Asia" , "Silk Road city" , "ancient Asian city" , "foreign city?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

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