More often than not, we choose paths that have been beaten for a long time: seaside resorts, European city museums, snow-capped peaks. However, if you look to the east, you can discover the unique culture of a country as little known in the tourism plan as Uzbekistan.
basic information
Uzbekistan is located in Central Asia, in its central part, and has several neighboring countries. An interesting fact is that in order to access the sea, two neighboring countries must be overcome. The second such state is located in Europe. This is familiar to Liechtenstein. Uzbekistan was part of the USSR and after the collapse following the neighboring republics, it declared independence. For those who are interested in the question of whether a passport to Uzbekistan is needed, we answer: yes, we need it. But the visa is not.
Most cities and towns are located along river banks. The country is considered agricultural - in the supply of vegetables, fruits and nuts, Uzbekistan occupies one of the leading positions.
The capital is Tashkent. Many nationalities live in peace and harmony on the territory of the country. The bulk, of course, are Uzbeks. Next are the Russians, Koreans, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Germans. Religion - Islam, which exists in friendship with other faiths, such as Christianity, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Baptism, Buddhism.
The country has many ancient attractions associated with the nomadic period, as well as with the existence of the Great Silk Road, and tourism in Uzbekistan is mostly associated with them. Many mosques, tombs. Ancient buildings are preserved, which are protected and supported by the state.
Capital
A trip to Uzbekistan cannot do without getting to know the main city of the country - Tashkent. This is the largest city in the republic, in which the majority of state and private companies are concentrated, as well as the government. Tashkent proudly bears the title of the fourth most populated city, not only in Central Asia, but throughout the CIS. The capital of Uzbekistan is very ancient. In 2009, the 2,200th anniversary of Tashkent was widely celebrated.
The city has a difficult history. Over the years of its existence, he had to endure bloody political events, terrorist attacks, environmental and technical disasters, one of which is an unprecedented in its scale air crash in 1979, when the national football team died.
Winters in Tashkent are very warm, spring starts early. Due to the large number of orchards, the city in the spring is buried in the colors of apple trees, apricots, cherries, peaches. The aroma fills the air with all shades of nature, making the trip to Uzbekistan unique and memorable. Acquaintance with this Asian country must begin precisely with the capital. Tashkent is today the flagship of the country's tourism development.
Samarkand
Samarkand can be safely attributed to one of the first centers of civilization. Like the first cities of ancient Europe - Alexandria, Rome, Byzantium, Samarkand from the day it was born in the steppes of Asia was destined to become the center of the cultural and political life of that time, despite the fact that a catastrophe awaited it. The city survived the conquests of the Macedonian army, the invasion of the Arabs, withstood the myriad hordes of Genghis Khan.
Samarkand reached its peak of prosperity with the advent of the famous conqueror Timur, who conquered the lands by the strength of his spirit and military victories right up to the Bosphorus. Thanks to scientists - Jami, Navoi, Ulugbek, and many others - Samarkand stood in one line with the European centers of science, literature and art.
The development of tourism in Uzbekistan began precisely in such ancient cities that have preserved unique historical monuments. All the sights of the architectural direction amaze the eye with their unusual direction, woven from several cultures. For example, the mausoleum of Khoja Abdu Darun and the mausoleum of Bibi-Khanum. Both architectural monuments have a classical, at first glance, structure of forms, however, Arabic and classical Chinese motifs are woven into them. The walls and domes are decorated with magnificent mosaics and hand-painted. Many parts of the original design have survived to this day.
Bukhara
You need to come to Bukhara for at least a couple of days. After all, this is the concentration of structures unique in their historical significance.
One of the symbols of Bukhara is the oldest mosque Kalyan, with a minaret that rises 47 meters above the city. It was built in the twelfth century and served as a kind of beacon for caravans traveling to Bukhara with trade or other matters. The minaret remains the symbol of Bukhara now. For lovers of antiquities, there is something to see in the city, because almost one hundred and forty buildings have survived in their original form, which have not undergone any changes, including four domes under which the shopping arcades were located. They still operate, and traders offer tourists fur products, gold embroidered clothes, jewelry and, of course, spices and silk. Silk of this quality can be found in Bukhara and Tashkent. Take a walk to the beautiful pearl of the city - the Lyabi Hauz reservoir, which since ancient times has been the center of the cultural and commercial life of the city. It was from here that water was taken for watering gardens and for drinking.
Khiva
Travel agencies of Uzbekistan offer trips to the wonderful city of Khiva. The town is quite small in scale, but famous for its interesting legend, according to which the town grew around an ordinary well dug out by the son of Noah. It is noteworthy that the old city called Ichan Kala was the first in the history of Asia taken under the protection of UNESCO. Khiva is famous for its ancient mosques, squares, and shopping malls, where, if you dig around, you can get real treasures of textile and jewelry art.
Mausoleum of Tamerlane
If you are traveling in an Asian country and thinking about what to see in Uzbekistan without wasting time, include Gur-Emir, the most famous mausoleum in the world named after Tamerlane, in your route. A masterpiece of medieval Islam was erected at the beginning of the 15th century in Samarkand. Initially, the complex consisted of a regular madrasah, where the children of wealthy citizens studied, next to which a building with separate cells for students was built. According to the idea of the then reigning Muhammad Sultan, the mosque was to become a center of education. But the unexpected death of the Sultan made adjustments to the purpose of the building. After the death of the Sultan, his grandfather, Amir Timur, ordered the construction of the mausoleum and bury the remains there. The mausoleum was the final touch in the architectural composition. But Tamerlane himself did not see the end of construction. He was also buried in Gur Emir, which eventually turned into a tribal burial place for the descendants of Tamerlane.
Charvak reservoir
To the north of Tashkent, in the foothills of the Western Tien Shan, there is a magnificent artificial lake with blue waters and steep banks. The lake arose due to the fact that the leadership of Uzbekistan decided to build a hydroelectric power station on the banks of the Chirchik River. When the workers built a dam, the water of the mountain rivers began to collect and turned into a wonderful lake. However, the sad fact is that the ancient settlements found by archaeologists were located in the valley. With the beginning of the construction of the station, water flooded all the finds. The memory of them remained exclusively in books and archaeological guides.
Tashkent TV tower
The metropolitan television tower is truly amazing and bears the title of the highest open viewing platform in Central Asia and the second highest free-standing structure. The first place belongs to the Kazakhstan state district power station, the height of the exhaust pipe of which is 420 meters.
The construction of the tower began in 1978 and lasted six years. The tower can be called one of the pillars of tourism in Uzbekistan. Interestingly, the project was originally intended for construction in Iraq. However, the hostilities that unfolded there did not allow this to happen, and the President of Uzbekistan, Sharaf Rashidov, agreed to the construction. People involved in construction recall that the time spent on agreeing and approving all documents exceeded the time of construction itself.
Citadel Arc
One of the symbols of tourism in Uzbekistan and part-time government is the citadel Ark. It is not known for certain when the construction of this gigantic structure was started, but historical documents indicate that the structure is more than one and a half thousand years old. Already in those days, rulers had their own impregnable fortress. The supreme ruler - the emir - lived in this citadel. In addition to him, the inhabitants were scientists, artists, philosophers and poets, among whom were Firdousi, Avicenna, Omar Khayyam, Al Farabi.
The fortress saw many wars, survived several bloody raids, among which was the raid of Genghis Khan. When the Mongols captured Bukhara, Genghis Khan ordered his soldiers to seize the citadel. Warriors entered the considered impregnable fortress, killed all the defenders, plundered valuables. The fortress itself was destroyed almost to the ground. So the myth of the invincibility of the citadel of Ark was debunked.
During the uprising, Ark was subjected to tyranny from the inhabitants of the city: stones and cobbles flew into the gates. Before the Great Revolution, the walls of the Arch served as a refuge for more than two thousand inhabitants, but with the arrival of soldiers of the Red Army in Uzbekistan, the citadel was destroyed.
Ulugbek Observatory
Few people know this name - Muhammad Taragay. But everyone knows the pearl of medieval Asia, the Ulugbek Observatory. Meanwhile, this is one and the same person. Ulugbek was very lucky. He was a grandson of the mighty Tamerlane, he had all the necessary things for life, which centered around the exact sciences. Unlike his grandfather, Ulugbek hated the war and threw all his strength into the development of science in his native land. Geniuses of that time were engaged in his training, among which was Rumi. The construction of the observatory was started in 1420 and lasted three years.