Why I love Uzbekistan so dear,
Its beauty fills my eyes with cheer…
Ask me why the sun shines bright,
Or why fields of white unfold in light,
Every stream and every tree
Whispers ancient truth to me.
– Abdulla Oripov
September 2026
En route to and returning from Turkmenistan, I have the luxury to revisit Uzbekistan. From Shymkent, Kazakstan, I cross over to Tashkent, the bustling capital city with a mosaic of history, and take a first class Uzbek train worthy of a Swiss express to Bukhara. After a four-day whirlwind tour of Turkmenistan, I re-enter Uzbekistan through enchanting Khiva and retrace my steps to Samarkand. To be able to visit Uzbekistan once in life is lucky, twice a privilege, and thrice a blessing beyond measure! A sublime tapestry of ancient ruins and Silk Road oases, picturesque mosques and exquisite palaces, towering minarets and turquoise domes, colourful bazaars and open-air museums, desert hospitality and timeless traditions, Uzbekistan is the crown jewel of Central Asia.
Tashkent: Gateway to Central Asia
In my last visit to Central Asia in the summer of 2011, I spent some time in Tashkent, awaiting my visa for Russia, after overlanding from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan along the legendary Pamirs highway from Osh to Dushanbe. I remember the grand central station and the wide boulevards, museums with exquisite art and textile collections and the bustling bazaar. This time I am mainly passing through, en route to Turkmenistan, and find the capital surprisingly pleasant and modern. From the train station, I walk towards the Palace of International Forums, a classic example of Soviet monumentalism mixed with traditional Uzbek ornamentation. The iconic Hotel Uzbekistan that impressed me so much last time is still standing tall and strong, basking in crimson. I walk through the Amir Timur Square and take a few snapshots of the State Museum of Timurid History in fading light and an impressive metro mural. The night is still young; locals play ping pong and chill by the fountains in large squares in this beautiful summer evening.
Bukhara where Time Stands Still
The Uzbek train online platform is notorious to use, so I use the Kazak counterpart instead, which by error booked me a first class express from Tashkent to Bukhara. What a difference from the Kazak Soviet trains! It has been fifteen years since my last visit and I am excited to see Bukhara again. With over 140 protected monuments, 40 bazaars, and at least twenty caravanserais, the city is unparalleled even in Uzbekistan. Already a trading post in the Persian Empire in 500BC, then the capital of the Samanid Empire in the 9th and 10th century, prospered under the conqueror Amir Timur in the 14th- and 15th-century, and finally a permanent capital of the Uzbek Khanate of Bukhara under the Shaybanid dynasty, the city is a well preserved Silk Road gem that breathes history as a spiritual and learning centre of the medieval Islamic world. Large public plazas surrounded by jaw-dropping mosques and madrasas, enchanting pools and fountains shaded by ancient mulberry trees, unique trading domes where light gracefully enters, casting shadow on passers-by, and all flanked by a massive 5th-century fortified citadel, Bukhara is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. As I meander through its narrow streets, admiring each turquoise dome and wooden pillar, tiled facade and old clay wall set against a perfect desert sky, I am so awed by its grandeur and beauty, feeling like I have won a lottery to be able to return to for a second visit.
The minivan drops me right in front of the Ark Citadel, the royal residence for the rulers of Bukhara for over a millennium. The wall is so massive that whatever is moving through – a cyclist, a visitor, or a running child – becomes just a speck on the lens. All paths lead to the Lyabi Hauz Pool – who can forget this very heart of the city – encircled by the 17th C Sufi sanctuary, Nadir Divan-Begi Khanaka, and the magnificent 16th C Kukeldash Madrasas, largest in Bukhara. Strolling around the old town is traveling down memory lane, passing through the signature trading domes where I last bought a gorgeous black and red suzani with pomegranate motifs still hanging in my home. Here I pause and let light filter through the clay domes as visitors walk into my viewfinder.
The Ulugbek and Abdullahziz Khan Madrasas always draw a crowd. Here tour guides explain the rich, colourful history of the learning centres, elaborate vaulting, ornate cupolas, bright yellow and indigo tiles, stalactite pendentives, and if you care to listen, even the technique behind the dome craftsmanship. Locals ply their trade with delicate silk scarves and stunning embroidered suzani. One is already thoroughly impressed and then you walk further towards the Poi-Kalyan Ensemble with the towering Kalon Minaret (that even the almighty Genghis Khan spared), the vast Kalon Mosque, and the majestic Mir-i-Arab Madrasa with its two massive turquoise-blue tile domes. I still remember watching sun down from the rooftop cafe in my last visit. Returning for another timeless sunset feels like a dream.
The second day I visit the holy site of Chasma Ayub Mausoleum where, according to legend, a millennium before Islam, the Prophet Job struck the ground and a spring miraculously burst through, saving his followers. I make a pit stop at the bustling Kalkhoz Bazaar next door to check out the fancy silk kuylak (dress) but end up buying just tomatoes and cucumber instead. The Bolo Khauz Pool in the Register Square has a stunning reflection of the mosque’s exquisitely carved wooden pillars and small minaret. I retrace my steps to the Ark, the madrassas, and the Kalyan Minaret, passing again through the caravanserais and trading dooms like in a loop. I am sad to leave this gorgeous city, but Ashgabat is calling me.
Khiva: A Living Fairytale
After a four-day whirlwind tour in Turkmenistan, I cross back the border and reach Khiva that I had missed in my 2011 visit to Uzbekistan. The oasis town might have grown into prominence out of sheer luck, becoming the capital of Khorezm Empire in 1598, when the Amu Darya river shifted course, leaving Konye-Urgench in today’s Turkmenistan high and dry, the successive nomadic Uzbek rulers spared nothing to develop the desert city into a major trading post and spiritual centre.
Arriving in Itchan Kala in sundown is like entering a Hollywood movie set, complete with medieval mud brick walls, traders in embroidered skullcaps, and towering blue-tiled minarets glowing in fading desert light. Entering by the Western Gate, one’s eyes are met with the strikingly stubby but glamorous Kalta Minor Minaret, glimmering in indigo blue, bequeathed by ruler Muhammad Amin Khan who wanted to build the tallest minaret in the world, aiming for 80m, but perished in battle in 1855 when it was a third way through. You follow the domes or the walls or both and soon you fall into the Ark Fortress, the royal residence and centre of power, with its massive entrance portal before entering the summer and winter mosques in dazzling blue and gold. On the opposite side of the large plaza is the Muhammad Rahim-khan Madrasah, one of the largest in Central Asia (with 72 rooms!) revered as a centre of enlightenment in honour of the scholar who introduced secular education in Khiva. Standing prominently in the main corridor is the Juma Minaret, leaning like Pisa Tower, on its sister mosque supported by over 200 carved wooden pillars. But everyone is holding her breath for the ultimate Islam Khoja Minaret, the tallest and most dramatic in the city, with its striking mix of turquoise-blue and white glazed ceramics alternating with ochre bricks and
a top finished with an arched lantern and a golden dome. Then there are still the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum dedicated to Khiva’s poet-saint with its stunning green dome and the Tash Khauli Palace with the most lavish decorations in its 270 rooms, especially the harem, that make the Buckingham Palace pale in comparison.
I have the luxury of four days to return each morning and late afternoon for leisurely strolls, enjoying especially the calm and the empty city before the crowd gathers. An old wooden door here and a serene mosque there, a tandyr heating up by a minaret and shadows of passers-by… There are places that you are happy to visit once and then others where you want to stay. The cat is out of the bag, from behind the walls: Khiva is one of the most beautiful cities in all my travels and one of the most memorable photographic moments. I can hardly wait to return…
The Road to Samarkand
The overnight non-express train from Khiva drops me in Samarkand at the vipassana hour of four in the morning. Founded in the 7th century B.C., Samarkand is considered the crossroads of world cultures for over two and a half millennia. As the capital of the Timurid Empire under Amir Timur, masterpieces were built that became seminal in the development of Islamic architecture over the entire region. By eight, the Registan is already teeming with eager visitors. The sheer scale of the three madrasas flanking the square – Ulugbek, Sherdor, and Tilyakori – with their massive entrance arches and dramatic front portals, soaring blue domes and impressive gold reliefs make it one of the most impressive in the world. I still remember the iconic tiger and rising sun mosaics on the portal of the Sherdor Madrasa as well as the short walk towards the Gur-Emir Mausoleum and Bibi-Khanym Mosque, down to the detail of the morning bread delivery. Ah, the Proust effect in Central Asia! Even if Samarkand has lots its city walls and citadels compared to Bukhara and Khiva, the historic town is testament to the extraordinary development in art, architecture, and urban structure in the region’s cultural and political history since the 13th century. Famished by the long train ride and city walk, I decide to try the legendary Samarkand plov. Wow, the explosion of flavours from cumin to onions, caramelized carrots and raisins under the fatty beef in just a humble dish of rice. To digest all those calories, I walk along University Boulevard swarming with students in this beginning of a new academic year, feeling so fortunate that I am touring in Central Asia rather than returning to the classroom.
For now, my epic journey has come to an end. From Andorra, I went through Marseille and the Cote d’Azur, Liechtenstein and Belarus, and end the European leg in Moldova before completing the circle in Central Asia. The history, culture, and hospitality make the region so endearing that no photos can even begin to capture the stunning beauty and all the enriching experiences. One time lucky, twice blessed, and forever changed by the roads and people who have brought me here. Rahmat!
This is part of my 193+ project with the goal to visit all countries in the world, beginning with Europe and Central Asia, bringing the current country count to 128!
Liechtenstein: Small is Beautiful
Turkmenistan & the Modern Silk Road
All Content © 2026 by Jennifer Chan
Jennifer Chan Photography 