UZBEKISTAN: THE ANCIENT SILK ROAD
Uzbekistan's central location on the Eurasian continent gave it the opportunity to play a significant part in the global network of the Great Silk Roads. The region of modern-day Uzbekistan was actually one of the locations where the first societies arose and advanced along the Great Silk Roads connecting East and West.
Photo by Snowscat
Citadels in the desert, deteriorating mud castles, medressas decorated with mosaics, and bustling market bazaars. The Silk Road served as the world's main thoroughfare for many ages, and Uzbekistan was at its centre.
The Silk Road progressively lost importance after maritime, and then air, commerce replaced land-based trade. Under Soviet control, the nations and cultures of Central Asia stagnated for many years, all but forgotten by tourists and the ups and downs of global trade.
But in recent years, Central Asia has started to once again welcome tourists who want to reclaim the Silk Road's lost grandeur. Uzbekistan, which acted as a major crossroads for travellers and merchants travelling the paths between the Far East and Europe, Persia, and North Africa, is home to many of the most famous sites along the Silk Road.
A trip to this recently reopened nation is essential for anyone interested in learning more about the origins of global trade and how it facilitated the spread of religious ideologies, art, language, and culture. Here are the best Silk Road attractions in Uzbekistan.
Photo by Axp Photography
Bukhara
The Ark
This fortified fortress-town from the fifth century is in the middle of Bukhara, one of the earliest buildings in Uzbekistan. Walking through the Ark today gives a look into the ancient lives of people who made their homes along the Silk Road during its early trading periods because it was once the house of the emirs of Bukhara when it was an emirate state (1785–1920).
Kalon Mosque & Minaret
The tall minaret that guards the Kalon Mosque compound in Bukhara is said to be the only building that Chinggis Khan spared when he was marauding through Central Asia on his way to Europe. This impressive mosque and medressa complex, which features two sides that face one another and a stunning minaret made of mud, is one of the most impressive instances of Islamic art and building anywhere in the world.
The first rest break east on the route from Tashkent, Kokand was tucked into the eastern Fergana Valley on the other side of Uzbekistan and had its own khanate during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Khan's Palace housed 114 elaborately adorned rooms and numerous courtyards that served as the capital of the kingdom.
The last Uzbek settlement before entering Afghanistan is Termiz, and the region around it used to be a cosmopolitan hub for Buddhist, Bactrian, and Islamic cultures that were all carried here by the Silk Road. The city's archaeological museum is brimming with artefacts from the Silk Road, including Bactrian ivory chess pieces and Buddhist symbols as well as sculptures with Greek and Islamic influences.