Exploring dazzling Uzbekistan on Central Asia’s Silk Road
My eyes are filled with cobalt blue – shimmering tiles reflect the sun’s light and the coolness is a soul-quenching hue. In Uzbekistan, the facades of the spiritual monuments are decorated with ceramic mosaics in bright turquoise, soft aqua and deep ultramarine, carefully contrasted with creamy sand and terracotta.
This secular Central Asian republic has a Muslim majority society and these colours go deep into its past. Here vast areas of arid desert adjoin mulberry orchards and wide cotton fields under an unforgiving cloudless sky.
Uzbekistan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and its skilled artisans are expertly restoring its neglected historical sites; the mosques, mausoleums and madrasahs (religious schools). ‘Muslim blue’, made from cobalt, symbolises enlightenment and the vivid shade has long been used in Islamic art.
A double landlocked country on the Silk Road, Uzbekistan connected China with the Middle East and Rome as far back as the 3rd century BC. The many merchants passing through not only traded silk but artistic, scientific and intellectual ideas.
Today President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in power since 2016, is supportive of cultural tourism. Though many significant treasures were demolished by the Bolsheviks, Uzbekistan still has much to discover – Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There are incongruous KFC branches in Tashkent but no McDonald’s or Burger King yet to be seen.
The oasis of Khiva
To get to Khiva, we fly to Urgench airport in western Uzbekistan. The imposing walled enclave of Itchan Kala, established some 2,500 years ago, is a 40-minute drive away. A natural oasis, it was a resting place for desert caravans crossing to and from Persia, now Iran, home of poet-prophet Zoroaster. ‘Zoroastrianism flourished in this region long before Islam,’ local guide Ines explains. ‘It’s one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions. Air, water, earth and fire are sacred.’
Our delightful hotel, Hotel Asia (with a distinctive 1970s vibe) is surrounded by a lush garden and sited close to the inner city’s 10 metre-high protective ramparts. The half-finished, squat Kalta-Minor minaret – the perfect landmark if you get lost – looms over the West Gate. Market booths sell top quality Uzbek Astrakhan (Karakul sheepskin) hats, as sported by the last USSR leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, along with quirky puppets and other genuine local crafts.
The unusual Juma Mosque is supported by over 200 wooden pillars, a manmade forest carved with great skill by Khiva woodcarvers since the 10th century. Termites have done their best to gnaw away the columns so repairs have been continuous and each post is unique.
Tash Khauli Palace dates from 1841, built for the Khan of Khiva, with labyrinthine corridors, rooms for four wives and a harem quarter for 50 bored concubines. Now it’s a museum and we’re entertained by a trio of Uzbek folk singers in feather-plumed headdresses and silk kaftans, lounging on daybeds.
Bukhara’s domed bazaar
On the six-hour coach journey south-east to Bukhara, we cross the Amu Darya river, known to the ancient Greeks as the Oxus. The land is fertile around settlements, but then the Kyzylkum Desert – stippled with wild tulips in spring – stretches out for miles. The domestic Bactrian (two-humped) camel remains perfectly adapted to the harsh climate but its cousin, the smaller Wild Bactrian, is now a rare sight.
There’s no rail station at Bukhara as the local ruling Emir in 1888 dubbed the train the ‘devil’s cart’. The city’s 16th century bazaar is housed under brick-built trading domes and, like Khiva, for hundreds of years traded in captured Persian and Russian slaves. In modern times, carpets, delicate silk scarves and handwoven patterned ikat fabric – loved by former Uzbek royalty – are the wares on display.
On a warm evening, the tree-lined square surrounding the large LyabI-Hauz pool is quietly bustling with families gathered around a bronze statue of a jolly man. It’s believed that if you seat a child on folk hero Khoja Nasreddin Efendi’s donkey, the youngster’s life will be filled with joy.
Much of the grand Po-i Kalan complex was destroyed by Mongol warrior Genghis Khan in 1220 but was rebuilt. The Ark of Bukhara, a huge military stronghold initially dating from the 5th century, is still a work in progress. The gateway, added in 1742, consists of two towering bastions but 90% of the fortress was damaged by fire – the Bolsheviks held responsible – in 1920. Open the door of the restored section and it’s like walking onto the surface of the moon.
At his beautiful art centre home Usto Davron, master ‘Miniaturist’ Davron Toshev, assisted by a team of apprentices, creates exquisitely detailed paintings depicting enduring legends on handmade paper. In the garden, lazy rabbits stretch out in the shade of a grapevine-covered walkway, not being fattened for the pot but kept for the hair on their ears to make the finest paintbrushes.
Seeing the stars in Samarkand
Samarkand, four hours east of Bukhara and near the border to Tajikistan, is home to the extraordinary Ulugh Beg Observatory. Built on a hill in the 1420s, it allowed Islamic astronomers to examine the stars. The city was the chosen capital of Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur, born in 1336, who founded an expansive empire.
‘He took care of the caravans travelling the Silk Road,’ our Uzbek Jules Verne tour guide Marat tells us. ‘Traders travelled at night not just because it’s cooler but to avoid being robbed by nomads. Timur stabilised the route.’
Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum, topped by an azure fluted dome, contains Timur’s tomb and many female members of his family are housed for eternity at Shah-i-Zinda necropolis. The impressive remembrance plot is the size of a small village and needs time to explore.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque – plundered for its marble columns – is another Islamic masterpiece rescued from the ruins and Registan Square is framed by three soaring madrasahs. For decades the trio of cathedral-like buildings were repurposed as grain stores but are now grandiose again.
Our boutique hotel, Kosh Havuz, is within the Samarkand UNESCO World Heritage List architectural area and it’s a great base. We spot a TV celebrity chef in the breakfast room and wonder if she’s in Samarkand for the plov.
Uzbekistan's national dish is a spiced meat pilaf (called plov) slow-cooked in a large pot with onion, carrots, chickpeas and raisins, served with quails’ eggs. Plov is prepared for us at Adras House by a wonderful family in their multi-generational home and is unforgettably delicious.
Soviet era Tashkent
The high-speed train runs north-east from Samarkand to Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent – just south of the frontier with Kazhakstan – and takes two hours and fifteen minutes. The metropolis is irrigated by a network of canals and has expansive spaces mapped out by Soviet designers. Independence Square was formerly called Lenin Square and the statue of the Marxist dictator has been dismantled.
Tashkent’s Metro (2,000 Uzbek som = 12p a ticket) has interestingly-themed stops and Kosmonavtlar station celebrates the first man and woman in space, cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova.
In the Old City area, little survived a devastating 1966 earthquake. Chorsu Bazaar is an example of 1980s Soviet Modernist architecture but inside it’s full of timeless stalls with baskets of dragon fruit, pomegranates and plump yellow figs. The busy bakery produces crisp rounds of irresistible Uzbek bread called Obi Non in clay ovens.
The much restored Hazrati Imam complex is named after one of the first Islamic preachers in Tashkent. Though Hazrati Imam Jome Mosque looks 16th century, with its two 50-metre high minarets, it was constructed in 2007 in just four months. Visitors are keen to hire a flowing robe to grab an Instagram pose with this recreated backdrop.
Outside, friendly vendor Vahob theatrically ladles out cups of a cold salted yoghurt drink – his wide smile a flash of gold teeth. The Muruntau Gold Mine, situated in the Kyzylkum Desert, is the world’s largest open-pit gold mine and we see many gleaming smiles in Uzbekistan. It’s a golden land.
The details
Jules Verne has been running tours to Uzbekistan for 40 years. The travel specialist’s small group escorted tours offer authentic experiences for around 15 like-minded travellers. Expert tour guides share their invaluable local knowledge, visiting iconic landmarks and lesser-known sites. (Solo group departures also available.)
Highlights of Uzbekistan is 7 nights and includes Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand.
The Golden Road to Samarkand is 11 nights with an additional stay in Khiva.
To plan your holiday visit: vjv.com
