Tag

Uzbekistan

27 May

Bukhara – an ancient city in Central Asia’s Uzbekistan

One of my favourite Silk Road cities is the town of Bukhara, located a few hours west of Samarkand. Like Samarkand, Bukhara is also home to significant and stunning architectural sites (like the Ark, Po-i-Kalyan and Char Minar), however, while they may not be as grand in size and scale, it is the city as […]

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21 Jan

Turkmenistan – now for something unusual!

Turkmenistan – Land of the Turkmen – could best be described as an odd country. The former Soviet state became independent in 1991 and was until 2006 ruled by Niyazov, a communist-style dictator. Niyazov had absolute final say over the country when his party mandated his presidency for life and during this time, he banned […]

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15 Oct

A Carpet Ride to Khiva

I liked to think I was well travelled but my recent visit to Uzbekistan made me realise that skiing four continents (even including sliding down a couple of runs in Kashmir in the 70s!) had left me a little culturally underdone. We always deliberately followed the path less travelled but exploring The Stans made our […]

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24 Sep

Samarkand on the Silk Road – the ancient trade route linking China to the Mediterranean

Samarkand – conjures up so much when you say the name. One of the oldest inhabited cities of Central Asia, Samarkand was a legendary stop along the Silk Road, being strategically situated between China and Europe, in modern day Uzbekistan. During the 14th century, Samarkand came under the rule of the conqueror Tamerlane who had a […]

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3 Sep

Travelling through Kyrgyzstan

With an average elevation of 3000 metres and over 90% of the country covered in mountains, you’re in for a treat when travelling throughout Kyrgyzstan. After being in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan the difference once you cross the border is almost instant as not only the terrain changes, but so too how the Kyrgyz live. Yes, there are […]

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