Amazing places to explore in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is rightly considered the cradle of culture of Central Asia. From its capital city Tashkent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Itchan Kala at Khiva, the country is infused with history. There is so much to explore in this endearing country as it is home to a number of attractions, including ancient cities, monuments, beautiful landscapes, etc.

Uzbekistan’s capital city Tashkent is a modern megapolis with several well-preserved ancient monuments. Gaining independence in 1991, the country is young, but its history is as old as Genghis Khan, Timur, Alexander the Great, Darius or the Russians. The main attraction here is the huge Mustakillik Maidoni or the Independence Square, Chorsu Bazaar, Juma Mosque and Broadway.

A romantic gateway to ‘Uzbek Switzerland’. A chair lift will take you to the top to have a bird’s-eye view of the whole mountain range. During winters, it is a very popular spot for skiers. The nearby Charvak reservoir, the largest artificial lake in Uzbekistan, is also extremely popular.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a unique museum city under the open sky with Kuhna Ark, Medressa, and the beautiful turquoise majolica tiled Kalta Minor Minaret, Islam Khodja Minaret and Juma Mosque with 218 wooden columns dates back to the 18th century. The ancient monument is home to craftsmen families.

The city is replete with buildings of astounding beauty—take your time, walk slowly and the stories will unfold one by one—Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa, Ulugbek Medressa, Miri Arab Medressa, Kalyan Minaret, Kalyan Mosque, Lyabi Hauz.

Ak-Saray Palace is a majestic palace with the inner courtyard alone measuring 250 m in length and 125 m in width. The height of the main portal is 70 m while the corner towers measure 80 m and the entrance arch is 20 m tall. The facades, the niche and the walls are decorated with blue, green, yellow and red coloured tiled mosaics, glazed bricks and geometrical ornamental patterns.

Registan Square boasts well-preserved ancient monuments, including three richly decorated madrassas—Ulugbek, Sher Dor and Tillya Kari.

It is the mausoleum of Amir Timur and his descendants. In 1404, Timur built Guri Amir Mausoleum for his grandson Muhammad Sultan. A year later, Timur died and he too was buried there with his two sons—Miran Shah and Shah Rukh, his famous grandson Ulugbek and his spiritual teacher Sheikh Seyid Umar.

It is a medieval burial complex of royals and nobles. Going up 36 steps, you land amid rows of mausoleums with azure coloured domes! In Persian, ‘Shah-i-Zinda’ means ‘the living king’. According to legend, Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of prophet Muhammad, who preached Islam in the region was beheaded for his faith. But he took his head and escaped underground where he continues to live. That earned the necropolis its name. It was a pilgrimage centre, almost equal to Mecca, during the Middle Ages.

Once famous for its fishing industry of the Aral Sea, the area is now arid, and called Aral Kum or Aral Desert, an ecological disaster which took place for diverting the two rivers—Amu Darya and Syr Darya. The trawlers that once floated in the waters now stand as a rusted gallery of ‘cemetery of ships’—marooned in the sand, and thereby creating an eerie feeling.

A yurt is a circular tent made from camel hair with comfortable mattresses on the floor, and beautifully decorated with embroidered motifs and colourful cloths. Spending a night in a yurt in the middle of a desert is definitely a lifetime experience. Do not miss to enjoy a swim in the crystal clear water of Aydarkul Lake, also known as the ‘turquoise sea in the sands’. (Text by: Subhra Ray)