The Silk Road Through Uzbekistan

High-speed trains may ply some of this route today, but the historical, religious and cultural significance of the great cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva remains intact

- Sophie Ibbotson

ASIAN Geographic’s expeditions are back, and with it the trip that tops so many people’s travel bucket lists: the Silk Road through Uzbekistan. This is the country where caravans of camels once journeyed through the desert, travelling from oasis to oasis, and where the descendants of those camels still roam. The caravanserais where they would spend the night are still standing, too, as are the grand bazaars and the glittering monuments of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. It might feel as if you are stepping into a fairy tale, but Uzbekistan is very much real.

The first thing you need to know about Uzbekistan is that the past and the present stand inseparably side by side. Flying into the capital, Tashkent, everything looks glitzy and new, but this is a city striding confidently into its third millennium. It has always been an important regional hub – the main market is named Chorsu, meaning “crossroads” – and if it weren’t for a catastrophic earthquake in 1966, you would still be able to walk among monuments generations old. Some tourists do arrive and travel straight on to Uzbekistan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but this is an opportunity missed: Tashkent sets the scene for your adventure, providing important historical and cultural context, and also offering some delightful attractions of its own.