Worldwide brochure 2022-2023

CENTRAL ASIA • UZBEKISTAN & KYRGYZSTAN
Discover Uzbekistan & Kyrgyzstan
Synonymous with the ancient Silk Road,
the Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan
and Kyrgyzstan have welcomed travellers
for more than two millennia, but it’s only
in recent years that tourists have taken
notice of these mysterious, diverse nations.
Uzbekistan is home to a bewildering array
of architectural treasures and historic
cities such as Samarkand and Khiva, with
their fabulous mosques, madrasas and
mausoleums. Kyrgyzstan, by contrast, is
defined by its stunning natural landscape of
mountains and lush summer pastures. For
many in Kyrgyzstan, a semi-nomadic way
of life remains the norm, and experiencing
a night in a yurt camp is a must for any
intrepid traveller.
Gur Emir mausoleaum, Samarkand
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Magnificent architecture of Registan Square •
Ulugbek observatory
One of the world’s oldest cities, Samarkand
has seen periods of prosperity and decline
throughout its 2,700-year history. It was
conquered by Alexander the Great, the Arab
caliphates, Genghis Khan and many others,
each imperial power leaving its mark. In the
14th century, when Timur – the Turco-Mongol
conqueror also known as Tamerlane – made
the city his capital, Samarkand became one of
the most powerful cities in the world.
Samarkand was also an influential scientific
centre. In the 1400s, Tamerlane’s grandson
and successor, Ulugbek, commissioned the
building of an observatory – a model for two
famous 18th-century observatories in Jaipur
and Delhi. The observatory has not survived,
but an underground portion of its vast sextant
is still visible.
Traditional caps, Uzbekistan
Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Kalyan minaret • The imposing fortress of
the Ark
Lord Curzon described Bukhara as “the
most interesting city in the world”. The city
offers an abundance of monuments covering
1,000 years of history, including the Kalyan
minaret – 47 metres tall and probably the
tallest structure in Central Asia when built in
1127. The oldest monument in Bukhara is the
Ismail Samani mausoleum, built in the early
10th century for the founder of the Samanid
dynasty. It was partially buried during Genghis
Khan’s visit, and so escaped his attentions.
No visit to Bukhara is complete without a
tour of the Ark, an imposing fortress that was
continuously occupied from the fifth century
until the 1920s. Behind the Ark is the prison
where agents Charles Stoddart and Arthur
Connolly were held and beheaded in 1842 on
charges of spying for the British empire.
Khiva & Urgench,
Uzbekistan
Itchan Kala, Khiva
Ancient city turned open-air museum •
Centuries-old city walls
Situated 450km northwest of Bukhara, the
ancient Silk Road city of Khiva has been
extensively restored and is in effect a giant
open-air museum. Many of the mosques and
madrasas located within its UNESCO-listed
old city, known as Itchan Kala, are no longer
in use but instead contain numerous displays
and collections. The old city is surrounded by
an 18th-century mud-brick wall and has four
main entrance gates, one at each point of the
compass.
Urgench is the capital of the Khorezm
province, wedged between the Amu Darya
river and the Turkmen border, and is mainly
used by travellers as a transport hub for Khiva,
which is around 40km away.
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