Uzbekistan holidays

Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most-architecturally spectacular country — the three Silk Road cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva represent some of the greatest Islamic architecture anywhere in the world: Samarkand's Registan Square with its three medressas (one of the most photogenic urban scenes on earth), Bukhara's Kalyan Minaret (the "Tower of Death" that Genghis Khan reportedly spared because of its beauty) and the working medieval medressa-and-trading-dome old town, and Khiva's tiny UNESCO walled-city Ichan Kala (the most intact medieval Central Asian city). Add the modern capital Tashkent (the Soviet metro system is one of the most-decorated in the world) and the Fergana Valley's silk and ceramic traditions.

A 10-14 day Uzbekistan trip: Tashkent arrival (2 nights — Chorsu Bazaar, the Khast Imam complex with the world's oldest Quran, the Soviet metro tour) → high-speed train Afrosiyob to Samarkand (3 nights — Registan Square at sunset, the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, the Bibi Khanum mosque, the Ulugbek observatory) → train or drive to Bukhara (3 nights — the Kalyan Minaret and mosque complex, the Lyabi Hauz pool and surrounding old town, the Ark Fortress, the Ismail Samani mausoleum) → drive across the Kyzylkum Desert to Khiva (2 nights — the Ichan Kala walled city by night when the towers are lit, the Tash Hauli Palace harem) → optional fly back to Tashkent or cross to Turkmenistan via the Konye-Urgench border.