Best of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Essentials

Uzbekistan’s Silk Road heritage is preserved within the historic centers of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. This collection highlights the evolution of Islamic architecture, from the 10th-century Samanid Mausoleum to the grand Timurid monuments of Registan Square. It includes scientific landmarks like Ulugh Beg’s 15th-century observatory, the intricately carved wooden columns of Khiva’s Juma Mosque, and the turquoise-tiled necropolis of Shakhi Zinda, representing centuries of artistic and scholarly achievement.

Uzbekistan Essentials — Map

Popov Cyril / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Itchan Kala

Itchan Kala is the walled inner town of the city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. Since 1990, it has been protected as a World Heritage Site.

Bobyrr / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Bibi Khanym

The Bibi-Khanym Mosque is one of the most important monuments of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Alaexis / CC BY-SA 2.5

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Shakhi Zinda entrance

Shah-i-Zinda is a necropolis in the north-eastern part of Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Nikolaus / CC BY 3.0

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Samanid Mausoleum

The Samanid Mausoleum is a mausoleum located in the northwestern part of Bukhara, Uzbekistan, just outside its historic center.

Alaexis / CC BY-SA 2.5

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Tilya Kori Madrasa

The Tilya Kori Madrasa, also known as Tila-Kori Madrasa, is a 17th-century madrasa in the historic center of Samarkand, a UNESCO World…

Bobyrr / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Ulugh Beg Observatory

The Ulugh Beg Observatory is an observatory in modern day Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which was built in the 1420s by the Timurid astronomer…

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Minaret Kalta Minor

An iconic, unfinished 19th-century tower in Khiva, notable for its unusually wide base and vibrant turquoise glazed tilework that covers its entire exterior.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Islam khodja minaret

Completed in 1910, this is Khiva’s tallest minaret. The 45-meter brick structure is decorated with horizontal bands of blue, white, and green tiles.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Siab Bazaar

Samarkand’s primary traditional market, located next to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, specializing in regional spices, dried fruits, and the city’s distinctive local bread.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Friday Mosque (Juma mosque)

An 18th-century mosque built on 10th-century foundations, unique for its flat roof supported by 213 intricately carved wooden columns.

Tripomatic User / CC-BY-SA

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Bahoutdin Architectural Complex

Bahoutdin Architectural Complex is a complex in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, that includes the tomb of Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari, the founder…

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Kunia Ark (Khuna Ark)

A fortified inner citadel in Khiva that served as the Khans' residence, containing a throne room, mint, arsenal, and a blue-tiled open-air mosque.

Olga Labutina / CC-BY-SA

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Minor

A modern mosque in Tashkent completed in 2014, distinguished by its white marble exterior and large turquoise dome on the banks of the Ankhor Canal.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

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Cathedral Mosque Char-Bakr

Chor-Bakr is a memorial complex in the village of Sumitan at 5 km of Bukhara in Uzbekistan, built over the burial place of Abu-Bakr-Said,…

anonymous / Public domain

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Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand

Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand is a museum located at the historical site of Afrasiyab, one of the largest archaeological sites in the world…

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