Travel Smart travels along the fabled Silk Road, taking a look at the sights and wonders to be seen in Uzbekistan.The most visited of the central Asian republics, Uzbekistan is easy to traverse yet right now you're unlikely to be hit by the throngs of other tourists also checking out the country. It's a country that blends recent seismic world history with its Islamic medieval background while keeping an ambitious eye on the future and ultra-modernity.Annabel Grossman gives you a guide of Tashkent, while Ben Parker takes a look at Registan and Bukhara.Watch Travel Smart on Independent TV.
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00:00Welcome to Travel Smart, the insider's travel guide from Independent TV.
00:04Today we're going to be travelling along the Silk Road through Uzbekistan,
00:08stopping in at some of the most fascinating cities on this ancient route.
00:12Uzbekistan is a country that blends the medieval Islamic world
00:16with the more recent Soviet history and a surge towards modernity.
00:20It's the most visited of the Central Asian republics and is very easy to travel around,
00:25yet you're unlikely to encounter too many tourists even at the popular historical sites.
00:40We'd recommend taking a few days to explore Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent,
00:45where broad boulevards and imposing 20th century buildings
00:49give way to colourful bazaars and green parks.
00:53Although taxis are cheap, taking the metro is one of the best experiences you can have in Tashkent,
00:59thanks to its beautifully decorated stations that each have a specific theme.
01:04It's an Instagrammer's dream.
01:06In the centre of the city, you'll find the tree-lined Amir Tamir Square,
01:11with a monument to the controversial military leader
01:14and the formidable facade of Hotel Uzbekistan creating a dramatic backdrop.
01:20For shopping, or simply to experience the liveliest corner of the city,
01:24the vast Chorsu Bazaar sells everything from nuts and dried fruit
01:29to furniture, clothes, toys and handicrafts.
01:33For a moment of calm, head to the Memorial to the Victims of Repression,
01:38which is a park and a museum dedicated to the thousands of people
01:42who were killed during Stalin's era and other periods of political terror.
01:46From here, you'll be standing just below the Tashkent TV Tower,
01:50which has a viewing platform and 8th floor restaurant,
01:53where you can see right across the city,
01:55as well as towards the mountains along the border with Kazakhstan.
02:00There are three key Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan,
02:03and the first two, Bukhara and Samarkand,
02:05are easily accessible from Tashkent on comfortable, high-speed trains.
02:12In Samarkand, you'll want to explore the Registan,
02:15which is the city's main square,
02:17surrounded by three majestic madrasas with exquisite mosaics.
02:21It's particularly gorgeous at night, when the square dazzles under the lights
02:25and both locals and tourists listen to music, meet friends
02:28or just wander among the architectural wonders.
02:31Just a 10-minute walk away, the Guryamir Mausoleum
02:34is the final resting place of Timur, also known as Tamerlane,
02:38and features exquisite tiling and a grand blue dome.
02:42Samarkand has plenty of good restaurants,
02:44so it is an excellent place to sample Uzbek cuisine,
02:47including the national dish, plov,
02:49which is a rice dish with meat, carrots and onions, as well as various spices.
02:55The ancient city of Bukhara dates back around 2,500 years
02:58and is a beautiful example of a restored medieval Central Asia city.
03:03Among the many blue-domed mosques and intricately decorated madrasas
03:07is the tomb of Ismail Samani,
03:09which is one of the earliest examples of an Islamic tomb in Central Asia.
03:14There are plenty of historic sites and ancient architecture in Bukhara,
03:18and the city is also home to some excellent shopping opportunities
03:21in the bustling bazaars, where rugs, jewellery and art
03:24are some of the most appealing things.
03:26Your next stop after Bukhara should be Kiva,
03:28one of the more remote cities on the Silk Road, and well worth a visit.
03:32Here, tourists can stroll among mudhuts, alleys, minarets
03:36and monuments in Itchankala,
03:38the remarkably well-preserved walled inner town.
03:41Perhaps the most impressive of these is the unfinished Kolta Minor minaret,
03:46which never reached its intended height,
03:48but still reaches up impressively above the city.
03:51The 19th-century Tashkali stone palace
03:54may not be the oldest of the architectural delights in Kiva,
03:57but it is a beautiful place to explore,
03:59with wide courtyards, winding corridors and colourful ceramic tiles.
04:05For a slice of rural life in Uzbekistan,
04:08you can also take the high-speed train through mountain passes
04:11to the lush Ferghana Valley,
04:13known for silk and pottery production,
04:16with techniques that haven't changed in centuries.
04:19The adventurous may want to go even further afield to the Aral Sea.
04:24This saltwater lake was once the world's fourth-largest inland water,
04:28but has been reduced to less than 10% of its former size,
04:32in what is seen as one of history's starkest ecological disasters.
04:38That's it for this episode of Travel Smart Weekly.
04:41You'll find our next episode out soon,
04:43which you can watch online on the Independence mobile app
04:46or on your smart TV.
04:48And for all the latest travel news, reviews and advice,
04:51be sure to check out independent.co.uk forward slash travel
04:54and listen to Simon Calder's daily podcast.
05:02♪