Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia and surrounded by other Central Asian gems: it borders Kyrgyzstan on the east, Kazakhstan on the north, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan on the south and south-west and Tajikistan on the south-east. The geographical location, history and unique culture of this country can really surprise tourists from all over the world.
It is famous for its mosques, mausoleums and madrasas of incredible beauty! The architecture and history of this state is marked by the Silk Road, the anciant trade route that left a rich cultural and, of course, architectural legacy.
Besides, for a long time the country was under the Persian rule, and it left such architectural monuments as Gur-e-Amir, devoted to the leader Amir Timur – in eye-popping cobalts, cyans and sapphires before they even conceived of building India’s now famous counterparts.
Uzbekistan has all the elements of an Oriental fairytale that live in the imagination of the Western people: camel tours along the ancient caravan routes (Uzbekistan was a vitally important and one of the biggest parts of the Great Silk Road that connected the worlds of Occident and Orient), beautiful mosques and minarets, among them – the Minor Mosque located in the capital of the country – Tashkent city, it was built in 2013 and it was called “the white mosque of the capital” as it is decorated with white marble.
Bibikhanum mosque located in Samarkand city is a classic example of Central Asian architecture that was built by order of the great conqueror Amir Timur. It is one of the most beautiful ancient constructions in the Muslim world. The mosque is decorated with majolica, mosaics, gilded murals, geometric drawings and lapis lazuli.
Besides, in Bukhara there is a very big mosque called “Kalyan”, which could accommodate up to 10000 visitors. “Kalyan” mosque is included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage list along with other cultural and historical monuments of Bukhara and Samarkand.
Such Uzbek cities as Khiva, Samarkand and Bukhara were considered centers of different empires and civilizations since ancient times. These cities are legendary and may tell many stories to a curious and attentive visitor.
Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand include mosques, minarets, mausoleums, madrasas, palaces, fortresses, hammams. They represent the gorgeous historical and cultural heritage of the area and are connected to many legends. One of the most famous is about the origin of the mausoleum Chashma-Ayub located in the center of Bukhara. The complex includes the mausoleum and a saint water source.
The locals connect the origin of the city with the name of the prophet Job: once upon a there was a drought in Bukhara and people suffered very much from it. They prayed Allah to send them a miracle and to save them from the drought. Allah responded to the plea of the Bukhara’s citizens: at that time the prophet Job travelled through the Bukhara’s land, he knocked the ground with his cane and in that place a healing water source appeared, which saved the Bukhara’s citizens from death. Thankful people called this source “Chashma-Ayub” – “the source of Saint Job”.
The famous Chimghana mountains and the Beldersai river basin for those who love camping in the mountains and hiking; the mountains of the camp site Yanghiabad will impress you with purest air, smell of pine and virgin nature.
In winter Uzbekistan tourism offers well-equipped bases for alpinism and winter sports, such as skiing.
Local guides offer different tours to the Aral sea and to the unique lake Aidarkul located in the Kyzyl-Kum desert (the lake is surrounded by the desert’s sands). People who visited this place are usually full of delight – they call Aidarkul Lake “a miracle of the nature”, “the most beautiful place of Uzbekistan”, “mysterious and unique”, “quite impressive. Here visitors will see many birds included in the Red Book, among them are pelicans and black herons. Tourists can fish, swim, ride a camel or sleep in the yurts near on the lake shore.
Uzbek cuisine is famous for its diversity and deliciousness: great variety of pilafs, shish kebabs, manty, lagman, shurpa and other delicious dishes won’t leave you indifferent!
Unlike its nomadic neighbors, Uzbek people have always been sedentary and have had highly developed agriculture. They grew vegetables, fruit and cereals. The great richness of receipts in Uzbek cuisine (unlikely to the cuisines of other Central Asian peoples) is based on the fact that not only meat products are used in traditional Uzbek dishes, but juicy vegetables, fruit, herbs, spices, cereals, berries and nuts. These elements are not present in almost exclusively meaty cuisines of other Central Asian cultures. In many countries you can see books with a rich collection of Uzbek cuisine recepies –it won the hearts of gourmets from all over the world.