Uzbekistan: Where History is still alive

Most tourists around the world travel different countries generally with two points of view. One part love to explore the beauty of nature and prefer to choose striking sea beaches and arresting hilly regions. Another part travel historical places to know about history, culture and heritage.

If you are among the second part, Uzbekistan would be an ideal country for you. Located in Central Asia, it is a landlocked country sharing borders with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Kirghizstan. Uzbekistan is famous for its historical importance and spectacular Muslim architectural beauty. Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva etc. are important parts of Muslim history. Uzbekistan is richer than other Muslim countries of Central Asia with unique culture and heritage. Became an independent country in 1991 from a Soviet republic, the tourism industry of Uzbekistan is flourishing hastily.

Top tourist destinations:

Tashkent: Not only the capital city but also the economic, religious and political center of Uzbekistan. Most travel involves entering and leaving Uzbekistan through Tashkent. It was the fourth largest city in the former Soviet Union but you wouldn’t know it with the sheep that wander the streets under the watchful eye of their turbaned shepherds. But as Tico after Tico races by, followed by hundreds of Daewoo Nexias and the metro rumbles underneath, you begin to understand the complexity that it is Tashkent. Though Tashkent is often overlooked in the search for the Silk Road oasis town of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, today one can visit such noticeable sites as Chorsu Bazaar, Emir Taimur Square, Khast Imam Ensemble, Museum of Applied Arts, Tashkent Metro Rail, Tashkent Tower (one of the highest television towers in the world), beautiful Kukeldash Madrasah, Independence Square, Uzbek Parliament, National Museum of Uzbekistan etc. Chimgan Mountain outside Tashkent is beautiful picnic spot.

Tashkent has several large luxury hotels along with relatively small comfy private hotels of B&B pattern. It is quite true that there is no clear downtown area in Tashkent. Therefore most of the hotels rightly has been established near main city and Tashkent airport. La Grande Plaza Hotel, Hotel Uzbekistan, Miran International Hotel, Shodlik Palace Hotel, Hotel International Tashkent, Hotel City Palace, Lotte City Tashkent Palace Hotel, Radisson Blue Tashkent Hotel, Golden Valley Hotel etc. are recognized Hotels in Tashkent.

Samarkand:

Samarkand perhaps the most famous city of modern Uzbekistan. The site of Samarkand was settled about 2000 B.C. In times in old the city was also known as Afrosiab and also Marakanda by the Greeks. The city was the capital of Sogdiana, an ancient Persian province and conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 B.C. It subsequently grew as a trade center on the road between China and the Mediterranean region. In the early 8th century A.D., it was conquered by the Arabs and soon became an important center of Muslim culture. Samarkand was completely destroyed in 1220 A.D. by the Mongol ruler Chenghis Khan. It flourished again when Tamerlane (known as Taimur locally) made it the capital of his empire in 1369 A.D. As his capital, Taimur put Samarkand on the world map and much of the architecture visible today was built by him or his progenies. Imam Al-Bukhari Mausoleum, St. Daniel’s Tomb, Ulughbek Observatory, Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble, Bibi Khanym Mosque, Gur Emir Mausoleum and Registan Square are the top tourist attractions of Samarkand.

Now when you seek accommodation in Samarkand, you don’t have to feel uncertain about the hotels. Many modern hotels have been established after ending the Soviet regime. Kamila Hotel, Grand Samarkand Hotel, Caravan Serail Chorrakha Hotel, Hotel Registan Plaza, Orient Star Hotel, Asia Samarkand Hotel, Malika Prime Hotel, Hotel Ark Samarkand, Jahongir Hotel etc. are noteworthy hotels in Samarkand.

Bukhara:

Bukhara is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia. Nevertheless, most of the intact historic buildings in the city belong to the period of the Late Middle Ages. Only numerous archeological excavations in the 20th century revealed thick cultural layers with trace of ancient settlements in location of the present-day Bukhara. In archeological trenches at depth of 20 meters, archeologists discovered the remnants of dwellings, public building and basis of age of numerous archeological finds such as ceramic pottery, fireplaces, coins with images and inscriptions, antique, trinkets, artisan’s tools etc. The most deep-seated layers, which belong to the period of the antiquity from the 3rd century B.C. until the 4th century A.D., are also most thick. The upper layer belongs to the period from the 9th century until the beginning of the 20th century. This proves that Bukhara never changed its location but grew vertically over at least 2,500 years. The region of Bukhara was for a long period a part of Persian Empire. The origin of its inhabitants goes back to the period of Aryan immigration to the region. Iranian Soghdians inhabited the area and some centuries later the Persian language became dominant among them.

It was almost unthinkable to find a modern private hotel in Bukhara in the Soviet period and the state hotels were often simply abysmal. But now contented hotels like Komil Bukhara Boutique Hotel, Bukhara Palace Hotel, Old City Hotel, Hotel Grand Bukhara, Omar Khayyam Hotel, Asia Bukhara Hotel, Minzifa Boutique Hotel, Kamerlot Hotel, etc. are ready to provide you warm hospitality.

Khiva :

Khiva is located in the south part of Aral Sea. This city is famous for its ancient buildings and many of them is preserved as museum. It is one of the oldest cities in Uzbekistan. Most of the buildings of this city was established in 19th century. Khiva’s diversity of architecture will give you a clear concept that how the cities of Central Asia were in past. Orient Star Khiva Hotel, Azia Khiva Hotel, Hotel Malika Khiva, Hotel Arkanchi, Hotel Malika Khievak, Islambek Hotel, Meros Hotel etc. are notable hotels in Khiva for overnight stay.

Key information:

As a tourist-friendly country, it isn’t very tough to obtain Uzbekistan visa if you follow the basic criteria. You can easily get detailed visa information by searching Google. In Bangladesh, the Uzbekistan Consulate is located at Wail Centre (3rd floor), House-74, Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka. There is no direct flight from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Tashkent, Uzbekistan at present. But connecting flights are easily available. Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Thai Airways, Etihad Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Gulf Air, Malaysian Airlines, Air India, etc. operate connecting flights between Dhaka and Tashkent. The climate of Uzbekistan is extremely continental with a great number of sunny days. Summer is hot and dry. April to June and Late August to November is the best time to visit the country. Official language is Uzbek and Russian is widely spoken. English is getting popular among the youth generation. National currency is Uzbek Soum. One US Dollar = 11,376.68 Uzbek Soum (approximate). As a country of historical importance, you should travel with a smart guide and stay at least 10/12 days there. Local people are very hospitable and tourist friendly which will be a bonus for you.

Writer : Freelance journalist and travel blogger

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