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The territory of the present day Uzbekistan has been a
cultural centre not only of the Central Asia but the entire medieval East
throughout centuries and millennia. The country that has been a melting
pot of cultures, customs and languages for many centuries, possesses an
amazingly rich spiritual and cultural heritage. According to the
international experts, there are more than 4000 historical-architectural
monuments of the world significance in Uzbekistan. Add to this the
natural beauty, wonderful cuisine and skillful crafts and you will
understand that the whole life is not enough to seize it all. But there
are 10 things that you must do in Uzbekistan.
Ferghana Valley
Reach the “Golden Valley”. The history of the Silk Road begins with
intention of Chinese Emperors to reach the Fergana Valley and its “winged
horses”. Precious ruby on the crossroad of three Central Asian countries,
Fergana Valley is a land of skillful potters, wood carving masters,
weavers and tailors that pass their secrets of art from generation to
generation. A traveler will not only see the palace of the Khudoyar Khan,
old madrasas and mosques, but also enjoy the simplicity and openness of
people of the Valley, that weave light silk carpets, make knives (pichaks)
of an excellent sharpness and sculpt terracotta jugs. Vacation in
Uzbekistan should definitely include a trip to the land where the
sweetest grapes ripen and where they bake beautiful and fragrant bread.
Don’t leave the Valley without trying delicious pilaff from the devzira
sort of rice.
Khiva, Uzbekistan
Climb the Minaret of Islam Hodja. Khiva, as no other
city in Central Asia, is rich for the survived masterpieces of the
medieval architecture: the fortress of Itchan Kala looked completely the
same even a hundred years ago; the Mausoleum of Pahlavan Makhmud, a
philosopher, a poet and a one of the strongest wrestlers of his time; the
Juma Mosque with its more than two hundred carved wooden columns; a
beautiful tower of Kalta-Minor that was not been finished, with its a
lovely bright majolica. The Grand Vizier (Prime Minister) of the Khiva
Khanate Islam-Hodja was a worthy man with a tragic destiny. He financed
construction of a hospital, chemistry, a post-office, a telegraph and a
secular school for the public. He also funded the construction of the
highest minaret (56,6m) in Khiva where you can get a panoramic view of
the old city. The ascent is abrupt, steps are high, and pass is narrow as
in 1908 builders were focused on the functionality of the minaret but not
the comfort. In the dome of the minaret, at the height of 45 meters, it
is also hard to move. But it is such a challenge that will justify itself
and you will have one more reason to be proud of yourself. Make sure you
try tuhum-barak – original Khiva dumplings.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Ask for luck from Hodja Nasreddin. Rare in beauty holy
Bukhara is rich for its monuments of medieval oriental architecture:
mighty and unassailable fortress of Ark; exquisite and stately Kalyan
Minaret that even Genghis Khan dared not to ruin; Sitorai Mokhi-Hosa, a
summer residence of the Bukhara Emir that unities irreconcilable
architectural traditions; the ancient mosque Magoki-Attori; trade rows
under the old domes; skillful brickwork of the Samanids Mausoleum. There
are tens, if not hundreds, of places worth visiting to enjoy masterpieces
of proficient blacksmith and ceramists, philosophers and merchants.
Chayhana (a tea house) at the picturesque pond Lyabi-Hauz is a must visit
place of this beautiful city. There is a monument not to the conqueror or
a ruler, but beloved for many and many centuries long native of Bukhara,
a wit, Hodja Nasreddin, who is called here as Afandi. You will learn a
lot of amusing stories full of wisdom about him. In your turn, don’t
forget to rub his right shoe (kavush) of the sculpture of the bronze
national hero. It brings luck in business and relationship, has been
checked.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Buy a sheet of paper for 1000 years. There are no
doubts that at the time of Samarkand excursion, you will visit all
landmark places of the city with its centuries’ long history praised by
philosophers and poets of antiquity: the sacrament of the Amir Temur
tomb; engineering calculation of the Ulugbek Observatory; melancholic
beauty of the Shahi-Zinda necropolis; sanctity of the Mausoleum of Imam
al-Bukhari. Selfie with the world famous square of Registan on the
background is guaranteed. Samarkand is rich for the monuments of the
medieval architecture, enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List. You
can even visit the ancient city of Afrosiyab exactly at the place where
Alexander the Great had a feast. It is a must to take a trip to the
village of Konigil near Samarkand, where the brothers Mukhtarovs founded
a factory “Meros (Heritage)”. The Mukhtarovs restored thousand years
tradition of producing well-known Samarkand paper from mulberry according
to an old technology. Manuscripts on this paper are kept for centuries.
And don’t forget to buy famous Samarkand bread.
Nurata, Uzbekistan
Spend a night in the Kyzylkum desert. A resident of
the modern society periodically must seclude him/herself where there is
no Wi-Fi and there are no concrete roofs, but a starry sky with peach
size stars above you. Take a trip to the Nurata Mountains away from the
fuss and civilization. Make a stop on the way at the Nurata pass where
there have been preserved Stone Age petroglyphs, an art of the humans
living B.C. and that have reached us through thousands of centuries. And
then you will enjoy the great silence of the Kyzylkum desert, yurts,
camels, and amazing kavurdak for dinner at the fire under the open sky.
In the middle of the sultry desert there is an amazing Lake Aydarkul
where pink flamingoes stop during their migrations. Continue your trip to
the villages of Ashraf and Yangi Hayot. Vacation in Uzbekistan will not
be complete without experiencing the local culture and learning
traditions and everyday life near the wild nature. You will forget about
Wi-Fi.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Touch the mystery of Sufism. Uzbekistan is very
attractive for the followers of Sufism from all around the world who
travel here for pilgrimage. Thus, Bukhara is called “Holy land of 7000
pirs (spiritual mentors of Sufism)”. Even if the travelers are not
planning to visit all 7000 sacred places in Bukhara, but the most
symbolic monuments of Sufism are included in their tour program. It
begins with the visit to the graves of Seven Sufi Saints and to the most
holy place of Bukhara, a Mausoleum of the founder of the Naqshbandiya
Order – Bahouddin Naqshbandi. There are many places both in Samarkand and
in Tashkent, that are worshipped by the followers of this old mystic
stream all around the world. Visiting Samarkand, you will see mausoleum
of Gur-Emir with the tomb of Tamerlane and his descendants, Shahi-Zinda
necropolis and many others. In Tashkent – mausoleum of Holy Abu Bakr
Kaffal-Shashi, a theologian, a lawyer, a poet, a warrior and a master in
making locks, and the mausoleum of Sheykh Zayniddin-bobo with its
two-level-underground chillahona, where Sheykh would go deep into
thinking, because “One hour of thinking is better than a year of praying”
and “God is silence and is easily reached by keeping silence”. By the
way, Bukhara plov is considered the healthiest in Uzbekistan.
Nukus, Uzbekistan
Pay homage to a selfless Savitsky. It is an
astonishing fact. In Nukus, the capital city of the Republic of
Karakalpakstan, there is a unique museum where wonderful exhibits
collected by Igor Savitsky are presented. The whole world is familiar
with the collection of paintings of Russian and Soviet avant-garde
artists. It is to note that Savitsky saved for the later generations the
works of Alexandr Volkov, Usto Mumin, Robert Falk, Nikolai Karakhan, Ural
Tansikbaev and many others. Believe or not, any big world auction would
give anything to own one of these works. Another point of interest is a
wonderful collection of artifacts of the Ancient Khorezm period, skillful
samples of sewing and jewelry art of Karakalpaks and people of Central
Asia. After the Nukus Museum named after Savitsky, take a trip to the old
necropolis of Mizdakhan and a protection fortress of fire worshipers
Gyaur-Qala, remains of the wall that is 10 meters thick amaze travelers
even thousand years later. Note for yourself that in Nukus they prepare
the best fried fish and delicious beshbarkmak.
Termez, Uzbekistan
Discover secrets of the ancient centre of Buddhism.
The territory of the Central Asia was the place where in the ancient
times different religions peacefully co-existed: Zoroastrism, Buddhism,
Manichaeism. Try to take a trip to the furthest southern city of
Uzbekistan – Termez. Buddhism played a significant role in the ideology
of the Ancient Termez for seven centuries long: from the 1st to 7th
centuries A.D. Amazing ancient monuments are the evidence of it. Thus,
Buddha images in the temple-complex of Fayaz-Tepe are considered one of
the oldest of the preserved on the Earth and date back to the 1 Century
A.D. The complex of Fayaz-tepe is a great value as one of the few
monuments of the Buddhist art that adorn its walls. You will see Zurmala
- a 12-m long Buddhist stupa built in the Kushan epoch, around 1st – 2nd
centuries A.D. and the Buddhist worship place Kara-tepe. Kara-Tepe
includes several temples and monasteries erected in the beginning of the
2nd century A.D. Walls of Kara-Tepe have many ancient images and
inscriptions made many and many centuries ago. If you are in Surkhandarya,
try archa-kebab, a specially cooked meat with the aroma of fir branches.
Karakalpakstan
Step on the bottom of the former Aral Sea. It is a
sad, beautiful and teaching trip. Just half a century ago there has been
a huge, drainless, salt lake-sea. Fishing fleets were furrowing the
expanses of the Aral Sea. The shores were full of fishing villages, fish
factories, fish canning plants and fish receiving centres. Annually about
60,000 tonnes of 34 kinds of fish had been caught in the waters of the
Aral Sea. Today, where the ships were passing by, there is a desert of
Aralkum, and the water has left for hundreds of kilometers from its
former shores. There are no fishing villages and fish plants anymore,
abandoned ships are becoming rusty. Tour to the Aral Sea leaves mixed
feelings of admiration of the natural beauty of “Marsian” landscapes of
the Aral desert and the Plateau of Ustyurt, and sadness that you feel
seeing all this naked wounds of this land. You will see the ruins of
lighthouses and abandoned villages, a fish plant falling apart and “ships
graveyard” in the former port city Muynak. But you will get to the sea
itself and will be able to make great pictures of the still left scenery
of the Aral Sea. It is still alive. The footage for the song «Louder Than
Words» from Pink Floyd's last album, The Endless River was shot near the
remains of the Aral Sea on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Gulkam Canyon, Uzbekistan
Pass through the Gulkam Canyon. There are not many
capital cities in the world with many million population in an hour drive
from the running rivers with crystal ice water, mountain cliffs, canyons
and pearl waterfalls. Tashkent is lucky about it. Even though mountains
of Uzbekistan are not that high as Himalayas or Alps, but it is possible
to have an interesting and rich tour and see almost all types of mountain
landscapes: from narrow mountain parts and waterfalls to wide alpine
meadows. If you are in Tashkent, make sure you take a chance to go
through the Gulkam Canyon in Great Chimgan, where you can feel yourself
as a real extremer. Ascents and slopes, sheer cliffs where the sun rays
reach only in the afternoon. And of course, the river of Gulkamsay
squeezed between the corridors of cliffs with three picturesque
waterfalls. You will remember vacation in Uzbekistan with lively streams
of crystal waters of waterfall.
Uzbekistan Travel &
Tourism Guide
 Why
Visit Uzbekistan?
Practical
tips for Traveling to Uzbekistan
Top Tourist Attractions of Uzbekistan
10 things to do in Uzbekistan
General Information of
Uzbekistan
History of
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan and the Great Silk Road
Art Galleries, Craft Centers and Museums
of Uzbekistan
Festivals of Uzbekistan
Uzbek Food Festival of Taste
People of
Uzbekistan
Culture of
Uzbekistan
Weather & Climate of
Uzbekistan
Traditional Uzbek Souvenirs
Uzbekistan Visa Requirements
Uzbekistan Visa Information
Uzbekistan Satellite View & Map
Uzbekistan Tour Packages
7
Days Three Star Hotel
7
Days Four Star Hotel
7
Days Five Star Hotel
10
Days Uzbekistan
Packages
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