Travel guide to the Turkic world

Countries

UzbekistanUzbekistan is home to the Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, with their blue-tiled domes and old madrasas. It is a place where the history of the Turkic world is visible in the streets, markets and tables.

Routes

7 Days in UzbekistanThis seven-day route links Tashkent, Samarkand, Shahrisabz, Bukhara and Khiva, bringing together Timur's legacy, blue-tiled madrasas and walled Silk Road towns. High-speed trains make the classic circuit manageable in one trip.

Food

Uzbek cuisineUzbek food revolves around plov cooked in a great cauldron, bread fresh from the tandoor and long conversations in tea houses. From Tashkent to Samarkand and Khorezm, each region adds its own character to the table.

Cities

TashkentTashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and the most populous city in Central Asia, brings together Silk Road heritage, Soviet-era architecture and lively bazaars. It is a place where Timur's legacy, wide boulevards, tea houses and ornate metro stations sit side by side. SamarkandSamarkand is one of the Silk Road's best-known cities and was the capital of Timur, famed for monuments covered in cobalt and turquoise tilework. It rewards anyone curious about Central Asian history and the Turkic world with some of Uzbekistan's most memorable architecture. BukharaBukhara is an Uzbek city with some 2,500 years of recorded history on the Silk Road, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Minarets, madrasas, trading domes and teahouses by the pool make it an easy and rewarding city to explore on foot. KhivaKhiva is a walled desert-edge city in Uzbekistan's Khorazm Region, where brick ramparts, madrasas and minarets sit close together. Walking through Itchan Kala feels like stepping into a well-preserved stop on the Silk Road. FerganaFergana is a calm Uzbek city of wide tree-lined boulevards and Russian-era buildings, with a character quite different from the rest of the Fergana Valley. It makes an easy base for reaching the valley's craft towns such as Margilan and Rishtan. UNESCO ShahrisabzShahrisabz, the birthplace of Timur, is one of Central Asia's oldest cities, with a history stretching back more than 2,700 years. It is an easy and rewarding trip from Samarkand if you want to see the towering remains of Ak-Saray and other Timurid monuments.

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