Silk Road Cities: Uzbekistan
Monday, 04 Aug, 2010
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Uzbekistan 
Central Asia’s most populous country is, besides Liechtenstein, the only country in the world surrounded entirely by other landlocked states, and is bordered by Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. It also borders the Aral Sea, which it shares with Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan boasts historical, archaeological, architectural and natural treasures.
Tourist activities range from outdoor pursuits in the beautiful mountainous regions to exploring its rich century-old history. Oasis towns like Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva were once main points of trade on the Silk Road linking Eastern and Western civilisations and are among the oldest towns in the world with ancient mosques, grandiose madrasas (Islamic clergy academies) and palaces, citadels, minarets, colourful bazaars, highly-adorned mausoleums, and age-old traditions.
Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, is the main point of entry and exit into and out of the country, and although also formerly part of the Silk Road, it is usually overlooked as a site of interest in favour of the historically richer tourism centres such as Samarkand. The 2,750-year-old World Heritage city was the greatest in Central Asia in its time, and boasts one of the most impressive sights in the region, Registan Square.
Uzbek hospitality is unequivocal, and visitors to the country will be overwhelmed with offers of tea or vodka, and treated to a feast of architectural splendour in this most historically intriguing of the Central Asian republics.
Uzbekistan and the Silk Road
The fabled mosques of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, with their marvellous design and colourful tile work, are just some of the sites in Uzbekistan linked to The Silk Road. This country also gave the world Tamerlane, one of the most legendary of the Central Asian warriors.
Other notables from history who knew Uzbekistan well were Marco Polo and Alexander the Great, whose armies smashed through the region on his way to India.
As a hub of trade and cultural exchanges, Uzbekistan saw travellers from Europe, Arabia, Persia, China, India, the Caucasus and Mongolia pass through. The fame of Uzbek cities spread far and wide until even today their names are synonymous with the exotic and wonderful.
For many centuries, the rulers of what is today Uzbekistan were a power to be reckoned with along The Silk Road.
From Samarkand, Tamerlane sailed forth to conquer much of the Eurasian continent and bring back to his capital the most gifted architects, masons and other craftsmen to add to the city’s grandeur.
Uzbek Silk Road Cities
Samarkand, the ancient city of Afrasiab and already an important settlement in the 1st millennium, was one of the jewels of The Silk Road. It was also the home of Tamerlane whose mausoleum is a major attraction, as is the famous Registration Square, the Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum complex. Some 15 kilometres outside of town is the Imam Al-Bulahari Mausoleum, a shrine for the entire Muslim world.
Bukhara was once known as ‘The Divine’ because of the number of religious schools and mosques there. Besides being a main trading centre, it was a pilgrimage site for Muslims visiting Imam Bakhouddin Naqshbansdin’s mausoleum. Its main attractions include the Ark, where the emirs live, the UNESCO-protected Kalyan Minaret and a number of restored madrasas in the old downtown section.
Khiva, located in Chorku, was an oasis town on the northern Silk Road spur on the way to Russia and became known for its artisans. The entire city has been remarkably preserved and declared a national reserve. It is like an open-air museum and perhaps the finest example of an old Silk Road city in Central Asia.
Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, has been a settlement of some kind or another since the 1st century BC and was largely rebuilt following a devastating earthquake in 1966. Attractions include many excellent museums, a number of mosques and madrasas, and the Zangi-Ata Mausoleum complex.
Fergaria Valley is a fertile area filled with orchards, where The Silk Road passes through to Kyrgyzstan. Kokand is the ancient capital of the local rulers known as the Khans of Kokand. Margilan is an Uzbek city with a famous silk factory still operating today.Urgench is the gateway city for those visiting Khiva, Shakhrisabz was the birthplace and home town of the great Tamerlane.
Uzbek Specialities:
You will find extraordinarily beautiful rugs, silk, spices, handicrafts and traditional clothes, wines and spirits..
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