Travel to Uzbekistan – Episode 571

Hear about travel to Uzbekistan as the Amateur Traveler talks to Latish Sharma about his travels on the Silk Road to ancient cities including Samarkand.

Of his travels to Uzbekistan, Latish says, “I was fascinated with travelers like Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Following their footsteps in Central Asia would take you to Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is also a place with Islamic history and also history that predates Islam and the Mongol conquerors, Alexander the Great’s campaign [for instance]. I also found out after I went that they have excellent food. They are a very welcoming culture.”

Latish guides us on a series of cities connected by rides in collective taxis. He traveled to the capital of Tashkent, the walled city of Khiva, the old city of Bukhara, and the ancient city of Samarkand.

While he enjoyed the Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent, he does not recommend spending a lot of time in the city, nor did he. But did you know that Tashkent has a Korean neighborhood that dates back to Soviet times?

Legend has it that the city of Khiva was founded by Shem, one of the sons of Noah, although archeologists can only date it as far back as the 6th century. Inside the walls, you will find sites like the Islam Hoja Minaret and Juma Mosque.

Bukhara is another silk road city that has been a center of Islamic learning. It is the home for theologian Muhammad al-Bukhari as well as mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, the father of algebra. It has a number of well-preserved mosques and madrassas.

Samarkand is just huge. Its monuments are on a much greater scale since it was built using money from the conquests of Tamerlane, who founded the Timurid Empire in Persia and Central Asia.

We talk about food, like plav as well as the differences that Sufism has made on the art and architecture you will see in the country.

Come hear why explorers have been drawn to these ancient cities for many, many years.

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Show Notes

Uzbekistan
Marco Polo
Ibn Batuta
Samarkand
Tashkent
Chorsu Bazaar
Khiva
Shem
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
Sufism
Bukhara
Lyab-i Hauz
Kalyan minaret
Genghis Khan
History of Bukhara
Ark of Bukhara
Samanid Mausoleum
Chor Minor
Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Registan
Ulugh Beg Madrasa
Afrasiyab
Uzbek plov
Tashkent photos
Latish’s Khiva photos
Latish’s Bukhara photos
Latish’s Samarkand photos
Latish’s Uzbek food photos

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November 2017 – India Amateur Traveler Trip