ESCORTED TOURS UZBEKISTAN DESTINATIONS


before heading to the maze-like old town. Wandering around the tiny alleys, you’ll see silversmiths at work and colourful ikat being hand woven from silk threads, drink tea with carpet salesmen and marvel at the hat bazaar. And then there’s the tiny – and


utterly ancient – Magok-i-Attari Mosque. Situated on the remains of a Zoroastrian temple built by the original Persian settlers, the mosque is decorated with ancient symbols, including twin inverted triangles that symbolise good thoughts, good words and good deeds. Descend the stairs into what was once a fire pit, and you’ll find a fascinating carpet museum inside. Legend has it that when


Alexander the Great arrived at our next stop, Samarkand, in 329 BC, he proclaimed: “Everything that I have heard is true, apart from the city is more beautiful than I could have imagined.” He even


went on to marry the daughter of a local chief. Registan is Samarkand’s most


famous square, and surely one of the greatest sights, not just in central Asia, but the entire world. On three sides, incredible tiled madrasas date back to the 15th century, while arched colonnades stretch out on either side, and minarets and domes grace each corner. To take it all in, stand as far back as possible. But to fully appreciate the rich blue and gold mosaics that cover every surface, you’ll need to get up close and crane your neck. Inside, the intricate gold leaf and bronze tiles reflect off each other to dazzling effect. Nearby is the Shah-i-Zinda


necropolis, a network of elaborate mausoleums linked by cobbled lanes. On the way home, we meet an older couple at the airport, who’d


ABOVE: Kalyan Minaret, Bukhara


visited Uzbekistan after reading about it in Lonely Planet. “It was absolutely fantastic,” they say, grinning from ear to ear. Set at an extraordinary


crossroads in central Asia, with Europe and Iran to the west,


China to the east, Russia to the north, and Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent to the south, people and produce have been flowing through it for millennia – and now they are beginning to flow back.


21 February 2019travelweekly.co.uk55


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