May 2026 The Registan is most likely the most photographed site in Uzbekistan, and is, without a doubt, the most famous in Samarkand. The Registan is a public square. It consists of three madrasas. The Ulugh Beg Madrasa of the Timurid period, the Sherdar Madrasa, and the Tilakari Madrasa, which was built much later. People … Read more
May 2026 In the Museum of Samarkand are these amazing murals. The Afrasiab murals, also called the Paintings of the Ambassadors, are a rare example of Sogdian art. It was discovered in 1965 when the local authorities decided to construct a road in the middle of the Afrāsiāb mound, the old site of pre-Mongol Samarkand. … Read more
May 2026 Named for Timur’s wife, Saray Mulk Khanym (Bibi Khanym was her nickname, meaning ‘senior princess’) between 1399 and 1405. Timur was a huge fan of the arts. His megalomania project was the Bibi Khanum mosque. It was to be a monument to God and to himself. It was originally to have 160-foot minarets … Read more
May 2026 The Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble includes mausoleums and other ritual buildings of the 11th – 15th and 19th centuries. The name Shah-i-Zinda (lit. ‘the Living King‘) is connected with the legend that Qutham ibn Abbas, a cousin of Muhammad, is buried here. He came to Samarkand with the Arab invasion in the 7th century to preach … Read more
May 13, 026 Gur-e-Amir The Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum is the final resting place of Timur. The site of the tomb was originally a khanqah (a Sufi lodge) and madrasa endowed by Timur’s grandson, Muhammad Sultan, Timur’s heir-apparent. In 1403, Muhammad Sultan died suddenly at age 27. The inconsolable Timur ordered a lengthy period of official mourning … Read more
May 14, 2026 If you are a Westerner, your basic astronomy education was Copernicus, Ptolemy, Galileo, and Newton. If you studied further, you would have learned that they were latecomers to the game. While Samos, Eratosthenes, and Hipparchus came before, they were all Greek. My education never included the astronomers of the East, such as … Read more
May 14, 2026 Tamerlane’s name was derived from the Persian Timur-i lang, “Temur the Lame,” which Europeans adopted during the 16th century. His Turkic name is Timur, which means ‘iron’. In his lifetime, he has conquered more than anyone else except for Alexander. His armies crossed Eurasia from Delhi to Moscow, from the Tien … Read more
2026 My Thoughts This has been a fascinating trip. Uzbekistan is anxious to expand its tourism, and yet it isn’t quite ready. Service is spotty at best, although everyone is absolutely delightful despite the fact. Some of the hotels we stayed in were absolutely 5-star, but it is the little things that haven’t been ironed … Read more
May 12, 2026 We visited two homes of families who make Suzanis. The first does everything in the traditional manner. The second, while still embroidering by hand, utilizes premade fabrics and chemical dyes. Uzbekistan is known for its embroidery called Kashtachilik or, more commonly, Suzani. Technically, a suzani is a large, hand-embroidered textile panel; the … Read more
May 12, 2026 Sitorai Mohi Khosa This was the summer palace of the Emir of Bukhara. Sitorai-Mohi-Khosa, which means “A Star Similar to the Moon”. * The palace was built between 1912 and 1918, with both local masters and Russian engineers. The Sitorai Mohi Khosa Palace is divided into the old and the new. … Read more
May 11, 2026 Bahoutdin Architectural Complex The Bahouddin Naqshband Memorial Complex was established after Bahouddin Naqshband’s death and has been a place of pilgrimage for many generations. Bahouddin Naqshband lived from 1318 to 1389 and is recognized as the seventh Sufi saint. Following his death, Bahouddin was buried near his birthplace. A number of buildings … Read more
May 11, 2026 Ismail Samani Mausoleum The Ismail Samani Mausoleum is the oldest building in Bukhara. The mausoleum is believed to have served as the family tomb of the Samanid dynasty (819-1005). The tomb is named for Ismail Samani (r. 892-907), the dynasty’s most esteemed ruler. The mausoleum is extremely important from an art-historical perspective, … Read more
May 10, 2026 Bukhara is the seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents in January 2020. After its capture by Alexander the Great (330 BCE), the Greco-Bactrian state was established here. Then, states such as the Kushan, the Hephthalite Empire, the Turkic Khaganate, the Arab Caliphate, the Samanids, the Karakhanids, the Kara Khitai, … Read more
May 9, 2026 Toprak-kala I would love to share the historical lineage of this area, but it gets incredibly complicated with more conquests than you can imagine, so we will stick with the basics here. * The archaeological site of Toprak-kala (1st-4th centuries CE) was discovered in 1938. Toprak-kala had a population of around 3,000 … Read more
May 8, 2026 Khiva, Uzbekistan To give you an idea of how much history is in this area, Khiva celebrated its 2500th anniversary in 1997. Like so much of history, the name of Khiva is a mystery. Also, like so much history, many contradictory stories have been told to explain it. Khiva is split into … Read more
May 6, 2026 Our guide joked that the most beautiful Metro stations in all of Uzbekistan were in Tashkent. Of course, Tashkent is the only city in Uzbekistan with a Metro System. The system opened in 1977 while Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union. It was the first metro in Central Asia. There are … Read more
May 6, 2026 Tashkent – Day 2 Islamic Civilization Center The Islamic Civilization Center is one of those experiences that is both divine and absolutely frustrating. The building itself is a three-story structure with a total area exceeding 430,000 square feet. It is topped with a 35-foot-tall dome. In an attempt to show more than … Read more
May 5, 2026 Tashkent – Day 1 I have tried to get to Uzbekistan for seven years. For various reasons, everything fell through until this year. The trip is interesting. We are beginning in Tashkent, the capitol and working our way to Samarkand. So, if you will, we are starting with somewhat modern history and … Read more