Plan your trip to Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan lies between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in Central Asia. The land stretches from the shrinking Aral Sea in the northwest through mostly flat terrain to the eastern border shared with mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The most populous country in Central Asia, many of the people rely on farming for income. Positioned on the ancient Silk Road linking Asia and Europe, conquerors such as Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan ventured through the territory as they expanded their rule. By the end of the 19th century, Russia ruled the area, leading to Soviet control for much of the 20th century until Uzbek independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.

In the capital of Tashkent and the major tourist destinations of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, tourist facilities are available, but much of the rest of the country is difficult to reach. On the ancient Silk Road, the walkable city of Bukhara has existed for millennia, authentic buildings on back streets leading to a well-preserved old city center; Samarkand offers impressive Islamic architecture surrounded by Soviet-era construction; Khiva has an abundance of mosques, shrines and Itchan Kala, the walled inner town of the city and a World Heritage Site.