Top Uzbekistan hotels
Sponsored Links
Bukhara was a very important religious and tradind centre around 1000AD, with a larger population than nowadays.From that time lots was buildings still exist and even the "Old town" is inhabited. Visit the Ark, a 2000 year old fortress and the mosques and madrasas.
"Everything I've heard about Samarkand is true-except that it is even more beautiful than I could have imagined"Alexander the GreatSamarkand is certainly the most popular spot in Uzbeskistan with its amazing architecture from 14th and 15th century.Most prominent is Registan Square which is surrounded by three madrasas (muslim seminary).Other important sight are the Shah-i-Zinda, the necropolis of the rulers of Samarkand and the Ulug Bek obsevatory from the 15th Century.
Central Asia's two famous rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, were known in antiquity as the Oxus and the Jaxartes. Often, present-day Uzbekistan was called 'Transoxiana', the land beyond the Oxus River.
The ancient Emirate of Bukhara and Khanate of Khiva (today's Bukhara and Khiva) have amazingly beautiful and well- preserved fortifications, mosques and madrassahs (Islamic schools). The mud-brick architecture is inlaid with beautiful tiles to make intricate mosaics of birds, vines, and sweeping Arabic calligraphy. The turquoise-blue domes are out of this world. No journey on the Silk Road would be complete without a visit to these oasis towns.
Hoja Nasruddin was a Sufi . He is still today renowned for its sense of humour and his educational Islamic stories are used to feel people heart with joy and laugh while studing and learning the Islam.This statue is located in Labi-Hauz square Bukhara city.There are several Nasruddin Hojas and that can be confusing. The Arabs call him Joha, the Turks know him as Nasruddin Hoja, and the people of India/Pakistan and Iran as Mulla Nasruddin.Smal stories of Hoja Nasruddin:Machismowhile working as a lorry driver, nasrudin found himself one day a sole customer in a roadside restaurant, in the middle of the desert, when three bikers budged in. the bored bikers started to provoke him, looking for a fight. one of them bumped into him, another put his cigarette ashes in his cofee, etc. nasrudin didn't react, got up calmly, payed his bill and left. while they listened to him starting the lorry...
This mosque on the picture is one of many mosques forgotten by time in the city. This one is near the big bazaar and belongs to the 19th century. Its called Hazrat-Hizr Mosque and I found it particulary precious and interesting.
This minaret was the tallest building in all Central Asia. It was built back in 1126 by the Karakhan ruler Arslan Khan. Kalon means "great" in Tajik.At the bottom of the Minaret is the 16th century congregational Kalon Mosque. This mosque was constructed right on the place of an earlier mosque destroyed by Jenghiz Khan. This mosques helds place for more than 10,000 people it was re-opened for worship 14 years ago. Opposite to this Kalon Mosque is the Mir-i-Arab Medressa built in the 16th century. This is still a seminary for muslims and every year 250 young men, enrol here for a 5 year study of Arabic, the Qur'an and Islamic law.
Taqi-Zargaron is a area that held the Ulughbek Medressa (on hte left side of the picture) dated from 1417 and its actually one of the three Medressas build by Ulughbek himself. This was ment to be a medressa right after Uzbekistan independence but the government shut it down.On the righ side of the picture you have the Abdul Ziz Khan Medressa and its construction began back in 1652 by the Astrakhanid ruler by the same name of the building.
this amazing building seems to have been built to be a Caravanserai, but the khan tought it was a medressa, so after a while (1630) it just became one. Its entrance blue tiled gate is impressive and got my attention for a few minutes as this was my first monument to see in town, just across the street of my guesthouse.
This amazing place is one of the most emblematic squares in the world and a must in whole Cneral Asia and on the Silk Road.This was the medieval commercial centre of Samarkand and it seems to have been a wall-to-wall bazaar.In Soviet era, restoration took place and digging went down 3m to take all the existing sand off te buildings walls exposing its amazing construction.You have Ulughbek Medressa on the left side of the picture. This was finished bak in 1420 under Ulughbek. On the right side ou have the 1636 constrution Sher Dor Medressa (Lion), and its gate is decorated with tiles with lions which seem more tigers...In the middle is Tilla-Kari (Gold-covered) Medressa, completed back in 1660.
Lyabi-House Hotel Bukhara
5 Reviews and 16 Opinions This is where we thought we were staying on our first visit to Bukhara - a charmingly restored old...
Best Eastern Orient Star Samarkand
4 Opinions
InterContinental Tashkent Tashkent
2 Reviews and 68 Opinions As I know, the InterContinental Hotel is less that Europian standart, but it really good one. There...
Reviews and photos of Uzbekistan attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Uzbekistan sightseeing.
More Cities in Uzbekistan
Q: Myself and my wife are considering combining Uzbekistan and Kyrgystan in a two week plus trip in the summer of 2012. We are well...
A: It would help if you had more info, as opposed to none, in your profile, so that we would know your country of residence. However, I hazard a guess that it is Canada? ...
Read 13 Replies
Sponsored Links
