Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzsistan - 2019

We have always been attracted by the mythical capital of Tamerlan, Samarqand in Uzbekistan. This city has long been on the list of those we wanted to see.

It's been done since September 2019, when we made the trip combining Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, two countries of Central Asia, on the Silk Road.

Uzbekistan (the country of the Uzbeks) is a large desert area interspersed with a few large oases where the most important cities of the country have developed.

We visited Khiva, an extremely well (maybe a little too ...) restored city where ancient monuments seem to have been built quite recently to the point that one comes to wonder if they are authentic or if we are found in an amusement park.

After Khiva, it is the turn of a more important city which also possesses perfectly restored architectural jewels, Bukhara.

Then we visited the object of our desires, Samarqand. Very beautiful mosques and madrassas, the famous Registan Square and a few other wonders are a bit lost in a modern city that does not shine with its charisma.

After Sanarqand, the capital Tashkent. Another city with a mythical sound that does have some first-rate Islamic monuments, but the general impression is the recent memory of the Soviet occupation. Witness the Tashkent metro and the old-fashioned building bars.

After Uzbekistan, direction the neighboring country: Kyrghysistan. The country is very different from Uzbekistan. If the interest of Uzbekistan lies in the architecture of its cities, that of Kyrgyzstan is much more in its nature. Its mountains and high altitude lake, Issyk Kul, the second largest in the world after Titicaca.

Bishkek is the capital and here too there are strong hints of the Soviet period. Karakol remains a charming little town with its amazing wooden buildings, like its mosque and church.

Astonishing petroglyphs are also worth the detour between Bishkek and Karakol.

date of the trip: 11/2019

Travel agent: SRC

https://www.src-reizen.nll

Countries: { • Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia) • Uzbekistan (Central Asia) • }