Why visit Uzbekistan: Where is Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan is a country that forms a part of the Central Asian nation and former Soviet republican region. You must wonder what is Uzbekistan famous for? This country is known for its antique and beautiful mosques, mausoleums and other sites that linked to the Silk Road with the famous ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean. If you are planning to travel to Uzbekistan, you must apply for an Uzbekistan visa. However, before taking a trip to Uzbekistan, you must ask yourself “Why visit Uzbekistan?”! Don’t worry, it is good to be curious and for the same reason, we aim to quench your wanderlust by filling you in with all the reasons as to why you should visit Uzbekistan by going through Uzbekistan travel guide.
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Reasons as to why visit Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan is known for its enchanting beauty that draws you to its realm of exploring beautiful antiques and cultural heritage. Its undeniable beauty has lured many to visit Uzbekistan that is highly popular for its dazzling mosques, intricately carved minarets, following the patterns of soviet designed buildings and magical Silk Road cities that are becoming an emerging destination for all the wanderlust out there, so keep yourselves updated with the Silk Route travel blog.
Visit the Silk Route Cities:
Uzbekistan offers the golden opportunity to experience the very best of this famous trade route on even the shortest of your visits to the country as it is a country that is a home to some of the iconic sights Silk Road’s including the three great Silk Road cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. You can witness some of the world’s finest Islamic architecture that have all been restored to their former glory, to get a real sense of what life was like when these cities were the most famous and busy hubs of international trade.
Witness the glory of the Soviet Architecture:
Uzbekistan was a prominent part of the sprawling Soviet Union before gaining independence in 1991. You can spot the remnants of this part of the country’s history throughout the country mostly in Tashkent. Although, an interesting fact was that the city was flattened by an earthquake in 1966 and was rebuilt again in Soviet style.
This is the reason why you find too many of these stark Soviet buildings with classical Russian architecture such as the restored 12th-century mosques. Boulevards over there are never-ending as the buildings have a geometric structure. The areas around the Hotel Uzbekistan and Independence Square around Lenin Square until 1991 are the best places to look.
Uzbekistan’s biggest city is one of two halves. On one side of the capital, there are beautiful tree-lined streets and a square that boasts the statue of their national hero Amir Timur. Scattered around the square are Soviet and post-Soviet style government buildings, colleges and hotels.
If you want to venture into the Russian Avant Garde art you must head out on your way to Nukus and the city’s famous Museum of Art. It is known to consist of the second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art in the world, after the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg that has an extensive collection of work by a renowned painter, archeologist and collector named Igor Savitsk.
Visit the UNESCO World Heritage city
The beauty and marvel of Samarkand is highly powerful and addictive as it is known to be a home to one of the most recognizable monuments in Central Asia, known as the Registan shaped as a square with three prominent madrassas. The buildings around these areas are a sight to behold during dusk when the hues of the setting sun blending with yellow lights illuminate these magnificent structures. You can always visit the tomb of Amir Timur at Gur-Emir Mausoleum, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis and the observatory of Ulugbek for an amazing tour and sightseeing.
If you are into simpler pleasures of life, then we have just the right place for you as it is a slightly neglected but much more authentic old city, at the heart of which is known as Chorsu Bazaar. Here you will get to experience Uzbek life in all its originality as it is, with stalls selling everything from fresh fruits to lepeshka (traditional toasted bread). This bazar is not far from the dome-shaped market is the Khast Imam complex, home to a mosque, mausoleum and one of Muslim world’s most sacred relics, the caliph Osman’s Koran. You must use the metro to get around the city and take a tour of these unique designs at every station.
Travel easily
Travelling around Uzbekistan is easier than other places since it has Central Asia’s first high-speed train that will get you from Tashkent to the most desired Silk Road destinations in less than 3 hours for as little as over 20 pounds with amazing upgrade options. Book your tickets online to save your time that is wasted by standing in long queues and leave plenty of time for security checks. Daily flights and local buses also operate between major cities to keep the ongoing flux of people for the purpose of tourism and others.
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Handicrafts galore
If you collect trinkets and quirky things such as the handicrafts then Uzbekistan is the best place and is every shopper’s paradise. From paintings to pottery and carpets to dry fruits, it is full of enticing things that you'll want to buy. The silk fabric of Ikat is an Uzbek specialty and can be found at most bazaars in all imaginable colors. For a couple of pounds you can get hand-painted ceramics or if you’re looking for something unique, get your hands on a traditional Suzani that are known for its exquisitely embroidered pieces of cloth that vary from a hundred to thousands of pounds depending on size and design.
These are some of the good enough reasons that can compel anyone to find plenty of reasons as to why visit Uzbekistan.
