Uzbekistan

Taste a fascinating tangle of contradictions in Uzbekistan’s newly built capital. The city was razed to the ground by an earthquake in the 60s then promptly rebuilt under soviet era muscle. Meander down leafy streets and thrumming bazaars, and look up to observe its curious mosaic of brutalist Soviet, classical Russian and ancient Islamic architecture.

• Take a City Tour – Experience old and new Tashkent. From Muy-Mubarak Mosque that houses the world’s oldest Koran of Khalif Osman and golden hair of the prophet Muhammad to the Palace of International Forums on Amir Temur Square that was opened in 2009 to celebrate Tashkent’s 2200th anniversary.
• Get amongst the hyper-activity of the Chorsu Baazar found in the unique complex of trade halls crowned with magnificent blue domes. Gather around one of the steaming street kitchens and sample some Plov, the king of Uzbek cuisine.
• For amazing views of the city make your way up the Tashkent TV tower that is the highest building in Central Asia.
• Take a day trip to the outdoor haven of Chimgan Hills. Jump on the chairlift up to Kumbel for a breathtaking view of snow capped mountains, green valleys, and glistening mountain rivers.
• Combine with a visit to Charvak. Today this is a favourite summer destination for the residents of Tashkent. You can relax on the beach, swim, sail on a catamaran, hike the many trails, windsurf or jet ski before you travel back to Tashkent.

Ancient traders navigated the golden city carrying silks, spices and precious metals overland to China as far back as 206BC. Its enviable Silk Road position made it hot property for conquerors, each time adding a new layer of cultural intrigue. Fall under the spell of azure adorned Timur monuments such as Registan Square, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Gur-e-Amir and Shah-i-Zinda.

• Visit the Gir Amir Mausoleum, the final resting place of the mighty Tamerlane, his sons and grandson, Ulugbek.
• One of highlight's of your stay in Samarkland will be standing on the iconic Registan Square with its three Madrassah's towering over you.
• Close to Registan Square is the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, the sheer size, beauty and understanding the construction of this monument built in the 15th century will take your breath away. This mosque overlooks the busy and colourful Siob Bazaar, it's a unique place where you can get acquainted with the life of the Samarkand people.
• Shar-I-Zinda Necropolis is a row of more than twenty mausoleums grouped along the narrow medieval streets, each topped with a sparkling azure dome. It's the most mysterious and unique architectural monuments of Samarkand.
• Travel to the outskirts of the city to discover the amazing story of Ulugbek. As the grandson of Tamerlane, Ulugbek was an emir in the early 15th century and also a renowned astronomer.
• Visit the site of the ancient settlements of Afrasiab that existed more than two thousand years ago, as well as the Mausoleum of the Prophet Daniel on the fringe of Afrasiab.

Thanks to its proximity to waterways, roadways and agricultural bounty, Bukhara was an important rest stop along the Silk Routes. It became a major cultural and religious centre, nourished by the constant flow of enlightened merchants. Get lost in a warren of protected wonders before relaxing by the Lyabi-Hauz - the only remaining stone pool reflecting the city’s splendour.

• Visit the ruins of the Ark Fortress, the truly stunning Ismail Samani Mausoleum, the final resting place of the founder of the Samanid dynasty (the mortar for the baked bricks is made of camel's milk, egg yolk and bull's blood!) and the Kalyan Minaret, a part of the Poi-Kalon Ensemble. The Kaylan Minaret stands at 47 Metres with 10 metre deep foundations, including reeds stacked underneath in an early form of earthquake proofing. Genghis Khan was so impressed that he ordered it to be spared from destruction.
• Opposite the Ark is the Bolo-Hauz Complex with its mosque also known as the Forty Pillar Mosque that features slender, elegantly carved wooded pillars that hold up a beautifully restored painted coffered ceiling, the emir’s official place of worship.
• See the impressive architectural complex that surrounds famous Lybai-Hauz, the heart of Bukhara, including the magnificent Kukeldash Madrassah. It was from this pool that professional water carriers would carry water in leather bags to their wealthy clients in the heyday of the Silk Road.
• Wander the labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys of old Bukhara to find the unique turquoise topped four turrets of Chor Minor.
• Make your way to the covered market place of Tim Abdulla Khan, built in 1577. If you are shopping for carpets or rugs this is the place to come. You can also watch the silk carpet weavers in action here.
• Between the two covered bazaars Taqi-Sarrafon and Taqi-Telpak Furushon is Central Asia's oldest surviving mosque, the Maghoki-Attar, this is probably the town's holiest spot. Under it, in the 1930's, archaeologists found remains of a 5th century Zoroastrian temple ruined by the Arabs, and an earlier Buddhist temple.
• Chashma Ayub Mausoleum, it is said that in the days before Bukhara even existed the biblical prophet Job came to the valley and witnessed terrible drought. As people perished around him Job struck the dusty earth with his staff and struck upon a spring that bought liquid salvation to the people. Chashma Ayub commemorates this site
• Head 6km outside the city and see the elaborate Summer Palace of the last emir of Bukhara, Sitora-I Mohi Khosa.
• Visit one of Bukhara’s most famous hammams (baths) Borzi Kord.

Once the final stop before crossing the desert to Persia, or if you were unlucky enough, the overcrowded city in which you were sold by oppressive slave caravans. From its brutal history rises a marvellous UNESCO protected town, Itchan Kala, the mud-walled fortress of a bygone Khiva oasis.

Shake the sand from your shoes and gulp down an authentic taste of Uzbek life in this fertile border region. The ‘valley’ is an unexpectedly flat expanse, swaddled by dramatic mountains on either side. Curious and friendly locals tend to cotton fields, and produce the majority of Central Asia’s silk. The bazaars are bright and full of local crafts and fresh fruit that grows abundantly.