6 Reasons Why Uzbekistan Should Be On Your Must Visit Travel List

Uzbekistan has been inhabited by mankind for more than 10,000 years, and in the dry, arid climate, the ancient cities are well preserved. Archaeological sites such as Kampir Tepe (built by Alexander the Great as Alexandria on the Oxus) and the Desert Fortresses of Khorezm are now romantic ruins, occupied only by the ghosts of the past. When you explore them, more often than not you will be the only tourist there.

This contrasts with the likes of Tashkent and Samarkand, both of which are more than 2,500 years old, where each generation of rulers has built another layer of the city. Ancient, medieval, and modern marvels jostle for your attention, and whether you are exploring the streets or touring one of the many museums, you will certainly be awed by the richness of Uzbekistan’s history.

# Magnificent mountains

When people think about Uzbekistan tourism, they imagine the deserts crossed by camel caravans, the majolica tile covered mosques and madrassas, and the bustling Silk Road bazaars. That Uzbekistan is also a mountainous country comes as something of a surprise! But what this means is that in the heat of the summer you can escape into the relative coolness of the Western Tien Shan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can hike, mountain bike, picnic by one of the many lakes, and soak up the beauty of the great outdoors.

The winter snowfall is superb for skiing, and the brand new Amirsoy Mountain Resort has world class facilities, giving Europe’s Alpine ski resorts fierce competition in quality, not to mention price. The day I spent heli-skiing with Uzbekistan Tourism last season was quite unlike anything I’ve ever experienced anywhere else in the world.

# Medieval monuments

The UNESCO-listed Registan in Samarkand is Uzbekistan’s answer to India’s Taj Mahal. This economic complex of World Heritage Buildings graces postcards and the covers of guidebooks, and it is the #1 site that every tourist in Uzbekistan wants to visit. But the Registan is just one of hundreds of breathtakingly beautiful medieval monuments spread across Uzbekistan. The Gur-i Amir (the mausoleum of Emperor Timur) is believed to be the architectural model for both Babur’s Tomb in Kabul and Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. The Kalyon Minaret in Bukhara (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) was the only structure in the city to survive destruction by Genghis Khan, and it is flanked by the Kalyon Mosque and the Mir-i Arab Madrassa, both of which are decorated with the mesmerising patterns of tiles and glazed turquoise domes that are so evocative of the Silk Road.

# Mouthwatering foods

When you visit Uzbekistan, you will spend a disproportionate amount of time eating and drinking. Nothing beats the smell of fresh non which has been cooked in a tandoor, or the sizzling of lamb kebabs on the grill. The winter melons of Uzbekistan are so famous that even the UK’s Financial Times newspaper published a eulogy to them, and in the summer months, the market stalls groan beneath the weight of locally grown strawberries, cherries, apricots, and pomegranates. Uzbekistan’s national dish, plov, is the Central Asian sister to a biryani, and every region has its own variation of the recipe. Everyone you meet in Uzbekistan will tell you that their mother’s plov is the best and urge you to try a portion. Resistance is futile: eat another mouthful, and enjoy!

# Quirky places to stay

When it comes to accommodation, Uzbekistan tourism’s top draw is not its five-star hotels, but rather the small, unique places to stay. In Bukhara’s UNESCO Old Town, historic merchants’ houses are now boutique hotels. You can breakfast in their galleried courtyards, or in dining rooms decorated with antique paintings. Khiva’s madrassas are no longer in use as religious schools, but in some cases the cells where students studied and prayed have been converted into atmospheric guest rooms. Hotel Orient Star occupies a prime location within the Mohammad Amin Madrassa, right next door to the Kalta Minaret.

Out in the Kyzylkum Desert, you can spend the night in a yurt camp at Aydarkul, with camels watching on. Alternatively, if you need your mod cons, you can upgrade to a rather swankier yurt with an en suite bathroom at Sarmishsoy. It’s important to remember that when you stay in local properties like these, you not only learn more about Uzbekistan, its culture and hospitality, but you also contribute directly to the local economy, making tourism much more sustainable.

# Sacred shrines

The BBC called Uzbekistan “Land of a thousand shrines” and indeed there are countless religious sites across the country, from the Graeco-Bactrian era Buddhist monastery at Fayaz Tepe, to the Zoroastrian altars excavated in Khorezm. It is for the Islamic shrines that most pilgrims visit Uzbekistan, however. Sunni Muslims come to the holy shrine of Imam Bukhari, author of the Sahih al-Bukhari collection of hadiths, near Samarkand. Followers of the Naqshbandi order of Sufism pay their respects at the shrine of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband in Bukhara. I appreciate the peace of the Nurata Chashma in Navoi Region, and the small shrine amongst a glade of chinar trees at Urgut. There are shrines connected with the Prophets Job (Ayub in Uzbek) and Daniel, too, and as Daniel’s body is said to still be growing, his casket is now more than 18 metres long.

# Star-filled skies

Uzbekistan has some of the darkest night skies I have ever seen. When I am out in the desert or in the mountains, I long for nighttime to come, because as soon as you leave the cities behind, countless stars prick the heavens, sparkling bright. With the naked eye you can see the edge of the Milky Way, planets in our solar system, shooting stars, and even man made items like the International Space Station.

Uzbekistan Tourism has begun investigating opportunities for astro tourism, and it is my dream that one day soon we will have an International Dark Sky Place in Uzbekistan, as well as astro guides to help dark sky tourists enjoy such a high quality of astronomy. It is no wonder that Ulug Beg, the grandson of Emperor Timur, was inspired to become one of the great astronomers of the medieval age: he would have been awed by the stars over Samarkand night after night. You can still visit his astronomical observatory to learn about the scientific instruments he used.