Uzbekistan · Travel journal
Uzbekistan
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Long-form articles, history, and the real decisions you make before buying a ticket. All free.
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If you want to keep going.
Uzbekistan · 18 September 2026
Timurid architecture: why the blue matters
The turquoise and cobalt tile mosaics of Samarkand and Bukhara's madrasas and mausoleums represent the peak of medieval Islamic architecture. Why they are so extraordinary.
Uzbekistan · 11 September 2026
Tashkent's museums: Soviet history, Islamic art and ancient civilisations
Uzbekistan's capital has museums condensing 2,500 years of history, from Afrasiab's Sogdian treasures to the Museum of Political Repression. An honest guide.
03 Archive
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Uzbekistan · 4 September 2026
Uzbekistan in autumn: why September and October are the best months
Uzbekistan's summer exceeds 40°C and turns monument visits into endurance tests. Autumn brings perfect temperatures, extraordinary fruit and the country at its best.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 28 August 2026
Rishtan ceramics: the art that survived the Soviets
In the Fergana Valley, the village of Rishtan has been producing ceramics with the same blue-turquoise mineral glazes for 2,000 years. How the craft survived Soviet attempts to industrialise it.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 21 August 2026
Where to stay in Uzbekistan: an accommodation guide by city
Uzbekistan's best accommodation is not in international chains but in small guesthouses inside historic buildings. A city-by-city guide with real price ranges.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 14 August 2026
Photographing Uzbekistan: the places and the moments
The blue of the Timurid tiles, the bazaar caravans, old women with suzanis in doorways. Uzbekistan is one of the world's most photogenic destinations if you know where and when.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 7 August 2026
Southern Uzbekistan: Termez and the Kashkadarya region
Termez was the southernmost city of the Soviet empire and one of Central Asia's earliest Buddhist centres. Southern Uzbekistan has three historical layers most travellers ignore.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 31 July 2026
Uzbekistan in two weeks: the definitive itinerary
The route that lets you see Uzbekistan's essentials without rushing: Tashkent, Samarkand, Shakhrisabz, Bukhara, Nurata and Khiva in 14 well-used days.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 24 July 2026
The Aral Sea: the twentieth century's greatest environmental disaster
In 1960 it was the world's fourth-largest lake. Today it has lost 90% of its water due to Soviet irrigation policy. Travelling to the Aral is one of the most unsettling journeys you can make.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 17 July 2026
The Silk Road: history of the route that connected civilisations
The Silk Road was not a single route and it didn't only carry silk. It was the nervous system of pre-modern Eurasia: ideas, religions, plagues and technology all travelled along it.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 10 July 2026
Nurata and the Kyzylkum Desert: Uzbekistan off the tourist trail
Between Samarkand and Bukhara, in the heart of the Kyzylkum Desert, there is a network of yurt camps and an oasis with sacred fish that most travellers skip.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 3 July 2026
Uzbekistan visa: requirements, the process and what to expect at the border
Uzbekistan has radically simplified its visa process in recent years. Citizens of over 90 countries can enter without a visa or with an easy e-visa.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 26 June 2026
Afrasiab and the origins of Samarkand
Before the Registan, before Tamerlane, there was another Samarkand. The Afrasiab archaeological mound holds 2,500 years of history and the world's finest Sogdian frescoes.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 19 June 2026
Trains in Uzbekistan: how to travel between cities independently
Uzbekistan has one of the best rail systems in Central Asia. The Afrosiyob high-speed train connects Tashkent to Samarkand in 2 hours.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 12 June 2026
Uzbekistan's bazaars: a guide to the markets that matter
Uzbekistan's great bazaars are not tourist souvenir markets: they are the economic nervous system of the cities, with spices, silk, ceramics and daily life.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 5 June 2026
What to eat in Uzbekistan: from shurpa to plov
Uzbek cuisine is one of Eurasian cooking's great unknowns. Dishes with Persian-Turkic-Mongol roots that don't resemble anything you've eaten before.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 29 May 2026
Khiva: the walled city that time forgot
Ichan Kala, Khiva's walled inner city, is the Silk Road's best-preserved open-air museum. What makes it different from Samarkand and Bukhara.
5 min
Uzbekistan · 22 May 2026
The Silk Road cities: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva compared
Three legendary cities, three different personalities. An honest comparison of Uzbekistan's Silk Road trio to help you understand what each one offers — and why you need all three.
13 min
Uzbekistan · 8 May 2026
The Fergana Valley: Uzbekistan's best-kept secret
A guide to the Fergana Valley — the cradle of Central Asian culture that most travellers skip. Silk workshops, ceramic traditions, and a pace of life the Silk Road cities have lost.
12 min
Uzbekistan · 28 April 2026
Bukhara or Khiva: which to visit first
Two Silk Road jewels with very different personalities. We compare Bukhara and Khiva so you can choose — or decide to visit both.
11 min
Uzbekistan · 24 April 2026
What to see in Tashkent: the capital nobody expects
Tashkent is more than a stopover. The Soviet metro, Chorsu bazaar, brutalist architecture and a city reinventing itself without losing its identity.
12 min
Uzbekistan · 14 April 2026
Samarkand: from the Registan to Shah-i-Zinda
A narrative guide to Samarkand, the most legendary city on the Silk Road. What to see, what to understand, and why what you are looking at matters.
15 min
Uzbekistan · 10 April 2026
The Silk Road in Uzbekistan: history and itinerary
The legacy of the Silk Road lives on in Uzbekistan. A journey through the cities that connected East and West for centuries.
14 min
Uzbekistan · 1 April 2026
How to travel independently in Uzbekistan in 2026
Everything you need to know to plan an independent trip to Uzbekistan: visas, transport, budget, safety and the reality on the ground.
12 min
Uzbekistan · 1 April 2026
How much does it cost to travel in Uzbekistan: a detailed budget
A real cost breakdown for a trip to Uzbekistan: accommodation, transport, food and extras. With examples for 9 and 14 days.
10 min
Uzbekistan · 28 March 2026
What to see in Uzbekistan: the places that actually matter
A practical guide to Uzbekistan's unmissable sights: from the Registan of Samarkand to Khiva's walled city, with the Bukhara bazaars in between.
12 min
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