Uzbekistan

The Perfect Itinerary for Uzbekistan – Tracing the Ancient Silk Road

June 19, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Mention the word Uzbekistan and thoughts of the ancient silk road immediately comes up. Cities such as Bukhara and Samarkand have been etched into many a wanderluster’s minds as being synonymous to adventure and the exotic. These days, Uzbekistan is a frequently touristed destination, though nowhere near popular places such as Thailand or even India. This particular itinerary shows you how you can do the main silk road cities of Uzbekistan in just one week.

Tip: When entering Uzbekistan, you will need to declare exactly how much cash and valuables with you. The key is that after your trip, you should not leave the country with more than what you came in. It may be quite a hassle upon arrival as it causes a bit of a queue at customs.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt4: Shimmering Samarkand

April 28, 2012 by Bino 24 Comments

Just when I thought that Bukhara epitomized all there is to be seen in terms of mosques, madrasas and mausoleums; we venture into another such place – perhaps the most well-known among all the silk road cities – Samarkand.

the majestic registan square of samarkand – one of the most fascinating architectural ensembles I have seen

Unlike the more atmospheric Khiva and the more religious but understated Bukhara, Samarkand differentiates itself in grandeur. Also known as the “jewel of Islamic art,” the city was the capital of Tamerlane’s empire (the man responsible for bringing together the Uzbek identity) in the 14th century. Today, the city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, credited as a “crossroads of culture” due to its pivotal role in bridging China and the West during the silk road era.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt3: The Holy City of Bukhara

April 21, 2012 by Bino 7 Comments

From Khiva, we left early in the morning for the long and bumpy ride to the holy city of Bukhara – our next stop in the trip. People weren’t kidding when they said that the road was bad. The road conditions between the two cities were probably the worst I have seen in any highway! I reckoned it would not have made much difference had we driven on the sandy desert path instead.

the kalon mosque

The drive only reinforced the idea of how isolated Khiva was. We practically crossed a desert that extended for hundreds of miles, across empty wastelands with nobody and nothing but the odd shrub in sight.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt2: Magic Carpet Ride to Khiva

April 17, 2012 by Bino 11 Comments

We did not stay long in Tashkent before we started to make a move to one of the great silk road cities of Uzbekistan. Our first stop, and a personal highlight for me, was Khiva. The city is practically in the middle of nowhere, almost a thousand miles away from the nearest sea, lying between two deserts and lying close to the border with Turkmenistan. It is so remote that it’s an arduous 16 – 18 hour drive to the capital, Tashkent and the nearest city with at least a million people is two countries away, in Iran. It is impressive to think that this city was once part of the silk road – magic carpets could have been necessary to bring people here back then!

all that’s missing is a genie in a lamp and khiva could very well be another potential location for Aladdin

It is no surprise that this medieval desert city has been maintained very well despite the forces of time. Khiva itself is a city of 50,000 people. Though no longer as isolated as it used to be, we still had to take a 1.5 hour flight from Tashkent to the nearby city of Urgench, and then take a 1 hour car ride just to get there.

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The Silk Road Journey Pt1: Welcome to Uzbekistan

April 14, 2012 by Bino 20 Comments

Mention the country Uzbekistan and more often than not, one gets a mixed reaction. What is there to see? Why go there? Where is that? These were the most common responses I received when people heard that I was going to Uzbekistan. Ask me my opinions on Uzbekistan 5 years ago and I would probably ask the first two questions as well.

As one of the -Stans (i.e. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, etc), people normally associate it with vast cotton fields, cold, impersonal Soviet architecture and perhaps tall, blonde receptionists all seemingly named Svetlana. In more recent times, Borat came into the picture to portray what is a backward and inaccurate depiction of the -Stans (notably Kazakhstan). Nevertheless, it did put this rarely explored region in the limelight.

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