Uzbekistan is the most tourist-friendly country in Central Asia

Uzbekistan is, by far, the most tourist-friendly country in Central Asia and an unmissable destination for sightseeing city lovers, because this is what Uzbekistan is mainly about.

With almost half its landmass covered by desert, remote, mysterious Uzbekistan, a landlocked country of 33 million in Central Asia, is slowly starting to unravel its secrets to Western visitors.

Among its UNESCO World Heritage recognised towns and cities, the country has some of Central Asia’s most incredible sights along what was the Silk Road, the ancient network of trading routes that linked China with Europe.

This year marks Uzbekistan’s 30th anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union, with a calendar of Covid-friendly celebrations taking place in the capital Tashkent as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.

Travelling between these cities is now easier than ever thanks to new high-speed rail links that have reduced the journey time from Tashkent to Bukhara to three hours 40 minutes, two to Samarkand and from 19 to eight to Khiva, a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometres.

To entice foreign visitors back during the coronavirus pandemic the Uzbek government is offering anyone who catches COVID-19 while on holiday $3,000 (€2,558) to cover medical bills as long as they are travelling as part of a tour group.

Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand, whose glittering mausoleums and madrassas adorn the travel brochure front pages, are the holy triumvirate of a trip to Uzbekistan.

Founded 2,500 years ago, Khiva, in the northern Xorazm Region, is like a living museum.

Most of its attractions are located within Ichon-Qala. Like the city’s adobe-walled core – the Kalta Minor minaret, a voluptuous stone tower, covered in glazed turquoise Majolica tiles. Or the 10th-century Juma mosque, with its 200 individually patterned wooden pillars. And the Kunya-Ark Citadel, former residence of the khans, whose observation tower offers sweeping views of the compact city.

In Bukhara, famous for its well-preserved medieval bazaars and caravanserais, you can shop for Astrakhan hats and Soviet coins and medals in the Taki-Telpak Furushon bazaar, or gaze at the 12-century Kalyan minaret. Made of intricately patterned baked brick, it’s 47 metres high and becomes a showstopper at night, when it is illuminated by hundreds of backlights.

The fabled Silk Road city of Samarkand offers what is arguably the pièce de résistance of all Central Asia’s Islamic masterpieces – the Registan, a vast public square flanked by three soaring mosaic-tiled madrassas, or religious schools.

The oldest one was built by Timur’s grandson, Ulugh Beg, in 1417. An astronomer and mathematician, he invited scholars from across the region to study there, making Samarkand the intellectual capital of Central Asia. Beg went on to found an observatory in the city, at the time considered the most advanced in the Islamic world.

By Sher Karimov

 

The Liberum

The subtitle of The Liberum ("the voice of the people is the voice of God") reflects the concept that the collective opinions and will of the people carry divine importance. They embody truth and wisdom, particularly in a non-partisan arena that profiles itself as a marketplace of free ideas and thoughts.
See full bio >
The Liberum runs on your donation. Fight with us for a free society.
Donation Form (#6)

More articles you might like

- by The Liberum on 07/10/2025

When Speech Becomes a Crime: The Global Assault on Freedom of Expression

Despite the formal guarantee of freedom of expression and speech, it has become increasingly dangerous […]

Abortion and the Soul: A Philosophical and Spiritual Perspective

Abortion remains one of the most difficult ethical questions for me. It touches the core […]
- by The Liberum on 03/10/2025

Asylum in Europe: a Lubricant for Jihadi Terrorism

More than 75% of all asylum seekers (excluding Ukraine) in Europe are Muslim. Yet, these […]

Russia’s untouchable and expanding nuclear empire

Despite the West's continued imposition of sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, the […]

Calling for Jihad is calling for Terrorism

Turkey’s highest-ranking imam and head of Diyanet, Ali Erbaş, called for “a global jihad by […]

Genocide for the Advanced

Yeshayahu Leibowitz, arguably the greatest Israeli thinker of the past eighty years, once defined Zionism […]