Uzbekistan: Heart of the Great Silk Road

[Veronika Tasheva]

Uzbekistan is a country in the Central Asian region known historically as one of the main trade hubs on the Great Silk Road. Unique monuments of ancient architecture and a rich culture of the country, along with developed modern tourist infrastructure, attract sophisticated and adventurous travelers from all corners of the globe.

Its main tourist destinations are the ancient cities of Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara. It was these great centers of ancient culture that had a huge impact on the development of the entire Central Asian region as a whole. The magnificent architectural complexes and unique cultural diversity that have been preserved to this day are the main confirmation of this.

Samarkand: The Pearl of the East

Uzbekistan's capital (top), lying in the Zarafshan Valley, was the heart of the great silk road, surviving invasions of the conquerors including Alexander of Macedon and Genghis Khan, and its ancient core still impressing with its greatness and unique beauty. However, it was Tamerlane that made Samarkand the Pearl of the East, which for so many centuries shone like a beacon, attracting the caravans from all over the east. Nowadays the city is included in the list of the most valuable of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with highlights including Gur-Emir, Registan, Shakhi-Zinda Burial Vault, Sher-Dor madrasah.

Bukhara: Spiritual Center of Antiquity

To the west of Samarkand, this holy city is so ancient that it is mentioned in the holy book of the Zoroastrians of the Avesta. Long, narrow streets, quaint architecture and the green splendor of the gardens will make you feel like a protagnonist of the eastern legends. Chor-Minor Madrasah, Poi-Kalyan Ensemble, Kukeldash Madrasah and other 140 architectural masterpieces of antiquity will please the soul of any traveler.

Khiva: Gateway to China

It's at this historic trading city that the richest and biggest caravans of the Great Silk Road stopped. Legend says that the city was founded around a well dug by the order of one of the sons of Noah. Hewvakh is the name of this sacred well, and is now full of cold, delicious water which once serve to caravaners, and now slakes the thirst of brave travelers from all over the world in Ichan Kala.