The refined charm of the East, the vivid feeling of the past centuries - this is what attracts tourists to Uzbekistan. Architectural monuments and the beauty of nature will not leave any traveler indifferent, and three ancient cities of this amazing country are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are the cities that every tourist should visit:
- Khiva - open-air museum of antiquities;
- the historical center of Bukhara, which the locals consider a sacred city;
- Samarkand is the "Pearl of the East", as the poets called this city.
But the list of attractions is not limited to this! You can talk for a very long time about what to see in Uzbekistan.
Top 15 sights of Uzbekistan
Khoja Akhrar Vali Mosque
Khoja Akhrar Vali Mosque
The foundation of this cult object was laid in the 8th century by the Arab conquerors of Tashkent. Today it is one of the most interesting architectural sights of the capital of Uzbekistan. In the middle of the 19th century, the mosque was badly damaged by an earthquake. Later it was restored, funds for this were provided by the Russian Emperor Alexander III. During the Soviet era, the mosque was destroyed, but in the early 2000s it was restored again. The cubic building is crowned with a dome with four windows. The arches of the mosque are pointed, which is typical for the Gothic, and not for the Central Asian architecture.
State Museum of Nature
If you decide to go to Tashkent, be sure to plan a visit to this museum. It was created at the end of the 19th century and is the oldest museum in Central Asia. His collections will give you a complete picture of the nature of Uzbekistan and the history of its development by man. Here you will see the fossilized remains of mammoths, see dioramas depicting an oasis and a cotton field, learn about endangered species of animals and birds … An interesting fact: there are about four thousand exhibits in the museum, three thousand of them are insects.
Museum address - st. Niyazov, 1. Opening hours - from 10-00 to 17-00.
House-Museum of Sergei Borodin
House-Museum of Sergei Borodin
One of the sights of Tashkent is the house where the people's writer of the Uzbek SSR Sergey Borodin lived and worked. The museum was opened at the turn of the 70s and 80s of the XX century. Today it contains approximately twenty-eight thousand exhibits. All personal belongings of the writer in his library, study and living room are in their places: the atmosphere that surrounded the famous writer during his lifetime is completely preserved. The museum also houses a huge collection of coins collected by S. Borodin.
The house-museum is open from 10-00 to 17-00. Free admission. Address - Lashkarbegi street, 18.
Tashkent zoo
The zoo was founded in the 1920s. Today he specializes in breeding birds of prey (black vultures, condors, griffon vultures). The zoo has aquasystems where you can see the inhabitants of the underwater world.
The Tashkent Zoo is open every day, but its opening hours change periodically. In summer, it works from 8-00 to 20-00, in winter - from 9-00 to 17-30. The address of the zoo is Bogishamol street, 232-A.
Tashkent Botanical Garden
Tashkent Botanical Garden
This garden, with an area of sixty-five hectares, is the second largest botanical garden in the CIS. The garden was founded in the middle of the 20th century. Initially, its territory was eighty hectares, later it was reduced (part of the land was transferred to the zoo). The botanical garden has five lakes. About six thousand different varieties, species and forms of plants grow here. Among them:
- large-leaved linden;
- Chinese poplar;
- tulip tree;
- pyramidal oak.
It is also home to many species of birds.
The garden is open to visitors from 8-00 to 17-00, its address is Bogishamol Street, 232 (not far from the zoo).
Registan
Registan
Samarkand Square, the heart of the ancient city. This landmark of Uzbekistan is known all over the world, artists have depicted it on their canvases many times: they were inspired by the beauty and grandeur of the architectural complex erected on the square in the past centuries. Three madrasahs, each with a unique decor, surround the Registan from three sides. The period of their construction covers several centuries (XV-XVII centuries), but they form a single harmonious architectural ensemble, which today is the main attraction of Samarkand.
Ulugbek Observatory
Ulugbek Observatory
Another amazing attraction of Samarkand. In the Middle Ages, Ulugbek was the ruler of Uzbekistan, it was he who turned Samarkand into a scientific center. Ulugbek compiled world famous astronomical tables that played an important role in the development of astronomy. Ulugbek succeeded in making this breakthrough in medieval science thanks to the observatory he built in Samarkand.
Chor-Chinor
Plane garden, which is located fifty kilometers from Samarkand, in the city of Urgut. Trees grow here that are more than a thousand years old! The perimeter of the trunk of the largest of the trees is over sixteen meters! In the hollow of the plane tree there is a room with various pieces of furniture. Once upon a time there was a Sufi school here, inside a tree. More than one generation of disciples came here, and the tree continued to grow, as it does today.
Representatives of different denominations visit the amazing garden to receive peace and healing: it seems that plane trees here radiate a special energy that everyone feels.
There is a legend telling about the origin of Chor-Chinor: a mighty hero planted four sprouts of plane trees, which brought him birds of unearthly beauty in their beaks. He also planted a stone, which turned into the source of a stream that feeds the trees.
Kalyan Mosque
Kalyan Mosque
Cathedral Mosque of Bukhara. This iconic site was built in the 12th century. During the invasion of Genghis Khan, the mosque was destroyed, no stone was left of it. The building was restored in the 16th century. It ranks second in size among all Central Asian mosques. The walls of the mosque are decorated with ornament and mosaics. The dome of the temple rises above all city buildings.
The Kalyan Mosque is just one of the many ancient places of worship worth seeing in Uzbekistan.
Lyabi-Hauz
This is a beautiful city square with a reservoir, one of the sights of Bukhara. Mulberry trees grow along the shores of the reservoir, under their branches it is pleasant to relax in the sultry hours of the day: the townspeople and guests of Bukhara walk here, admiring the smooth surface of the pond. But in the evenings, the reservoir is very crowded. Restaurants, teahouses, souvenir shops are built on its banks. On the street, artists and musicians showcase their art to tourists and locals.
This area has always been Lyabi-Hauz. From time immemorial there have been teahouses and shops. Water was taken from the reservoir for drinking, and the streets were watered with it. Around the 16th-17th centuries, a wonderful architectural ensemble was built on the banks of the pond, which today is one of the city's attractions. A monument to Khoja Nasretdin, the world famous hero of Central Asian folklore, is erected in the park near the reservoir.
Chor-Minor Madrasah
Chor-Minor Madrasah
This beautiful building is located not far from Lyabi-Khauz. The madrasah is crowned with four minarets with blue domes. Each dome is decorated in a special way, so that they are all different from each other. The four minarets are different in shape. It is believed that the design of the minarets conveys the architect's philosophical understanding of the four religions, the symbols of which can be traced among the decorative elements.
The exact date of the building's construction is unknown. Some scholars believe that the madrasah could have existed as early as the 17th century, others believe that the building was built at the beginning of the 19th century.
Ichan-Kala
Ichan-Kala
This old part of the city of Khiva is a real open-air museum. Here are the most interesting sights of Khiva (about sixty tourist sites). The territory of Ichan-Kala is twenty-six hectares, it is surrounded by a fortress wall. Those who enter this territory are enveloped in the indescribable atmosphere of an oriental fairy tale.
Ichan-Kala is not only a museum, but also a residential part of the city. About three hundred families live here. Most of the inhabitants of Ichan-Kala are engaged in various crafts.
Tash-Khovli palace
The palace was built in the 19th century for the ruler of Khiva. It originally had more than one and a half hundred rooms and three courtyards. First, the part of the palace was built, in which the khan's harem was located. Small rooms were erected for the wives - ayvans. Each of them is decorated with a special pattern that distinguishes it from the others. The walls are decorated with white-blue-blue panels, the ceilings are red-brown. Each of the iwans is a true masterpiece. This statement is also true for the rest of the palace.
Tash-Khovli is not the only palace in Uzbekistan built in the past centuries and preserved to this day. There are many similar attractions in this country, and each of them is worthy of a traveler's attention.
Chimgan
Chimgan
This ski resort is worth visiting not only for winter sports enthusiasts, but also for everyone who appreciates natural beauty, wants to have a good rest, and at the same time improve or strengthen their health. "Uzbek Switzerland" - this is sometimes called this area. Relic forests, rapid rivers, majestic mountain slopes, poppies in alpine meadows … The beauty of Chimgan can be described for a long time, but it is much better to see everything with your own eyes. And the purest air, filled with the aromas of medicinal herbs and flowers, is completely impossible to describe in any words.
Boy-Bulok
The deepest of the Asian caves. Its depth is about one and a half thousand meters. For a long time, the cave was notorious: in the old days a local teacher disappeared without a trace, after that no one dared to enter Boy-Bulok. Only twenty years after the disappearance of the teacher, the Ural cavers explored the cave; they made sure it was a completely safe and very interesting place. Since then, it has become a popular tourist destination.
