The most recent articles from my travel blog. Stories, news and peculiarities from all over the world. All you need to know to prepare for your next trip.
Tashkent subway is one of the most beautiful in the world but nobody noticed since it was forbidden to take photographs of it! Like many others who decide to travel to Uzbekistan, I will stay in Tashkent for a few hours before flying back. I’m going for a quick visit to the Uzbek capital!
“A man never gets tired of looking at three things: water, fire and a bazaar”. The Urgut Bazaar is a famous local market that boasts a great offer of fabrics and jewelry. I am happy to walk through the alleys of a Uzbek suq and I feel I have refined the art of bargaining…
No other place in the world recalls the Silk Road as Samarkand. Its streets are full of myths and legends and the monuments built by Tamerlane make its atmosphere magical. Despite the recent restoration works have partially transformed its face, bringing it closer to the typical Russian town with its avenues and parks, Samarkand remains a breathtaking beauty. Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bi-Khanym Mosque and Shah-i-Zinda are among the most spectacular monuments in Central Asia. And, if we retrace the thread of its history, we must admire its tenacity as Samarkand has been reborn several times from its ashes.
On the way between Bukhara and Samarkand, I make a short stop at Shakhrisabz, a small town surrounded by greenery, a few kilometers south of Samarkand.
The town was formerly known as Kesh, until Timur renamed it to its present name. He built majestic buildings and monuments there, which gave prestige and fame to the city until the sixteenth century, when it was destroyed to avenge the death of a horse.
I continue my journey along the ancient Silk Road and arrive in Bukhara. Here is the most fascinating artistic heritage of all Central Asia: Bukhara suffered a less invasive restoration than Samarkand and today still looks like the way Turkestan looked before the Russians arrived. Every time I look up, I enjoy the sight of the facades of the madrassas and the profiles of the minarets, which never tire of being admired.
It’s love at first sight.
Visit the ruins of Topraq Kala and Ayaz Kala, Uzbekistan. The ancient capital of the Kushan kingdom and the fortresses defending its borders are now exposed to the elements and are likely to disappear altogether. The whole tour of the settlement takes about an hour, you can climb up the walls and enjoy the beautiful view. From different angles, the views of the ancient city are so dislocated and multi-level to remember the sketches of the impossible worlds of Escher. At every step I feel the earth creaking under my feet. Nearby, the fortresses of Ayaz Kala are worth a visit.
In many respects, Central Asia is still uncharted territory. For centuries this area has remained inaccessible to Westerners: that’s why it is still surrounded by a halo of mystery, relegated to an unknown elsewhere. Khiva is one of the most fascinating cities of Uzbekistan: it was founded by legendary Shem, the son of Noah, at the point where he found water by digging a well. Its old town, surrounded by a high wall of raw bricks, is so well preserved that it became a UNESCO heritage site in 1990.
In times of adversity, when all seems lost, history teaches there is always someone who does not give up, in spite of all evidence. People like that become an inspiration, and sometimes their efforts really make a difference. As happens in Nukus, where there is one of the largest Soviet art museums of the 900. The works escaped the censorship of the Stalin regime only thanks to the courage of a man, Igor Savitsky.
The Aral Sea was a salt lake of oceanic origin, formed 5.5 million years ago and located in an area ranging from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan. Although it has not completely disappeared, today we talk about it in the past. In only 60 years, man has succeeded in destroying his delicate ecosystem, leaving instead a desolate poisoned desert. Not surprisingly, Al Gore called it “the most serious environmental disaster of all time caused by man”.
Tuzbair Lake is located in the southwestern region of Mangystau, where there are no water sources and the land is rich in salt. About 250 million years ago this area was covered by Tethys ocean, so it’s actually sea salt. Seen from above, the white colouration of the salt soil produces a small mirage and the lake seems covered with water even in summer. In addition to the lake basin, tourists are attracted by the unique shores, with peaks and ripples that seem drawn.
We wake up at dawn, have a frugal breakfast and jump on our jeeps. We are moving towards the canyons of Bozshira, perhaps the most famous place in the Mangystau desert. If it was still fashionable to send postcards, we’d all like to send one from here. And we’ll keep another one in our pocket, as a reminder, as proof that we’ve been here, dirty and sweaty, admiring one of the most beautiful views in the world.
Kyzylkup Mountains are extraordinary and unknown. There are no road signs leading us here. I heard that even locals don’t know these rock formations. The jeep stops at a vantage point. A valley with soft reliefs stretches from end to end of the horizon. Afternoon light makes the shadows appealing… like tiramisu!