90 km South of Samarkand, the great capital of the Timurid Empire, on the other side of the mountains, lies Kesh, now known as Shahrisabz, the city where Amir Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane) was born. Shahrisabz is actually the Persian name of the city, meaning "green city".…
For centuries, Bukhara was one of the main cultural and religious hubs of Central Asia. It also had a bustling trade activity due to its location by an oasis in the Silk Roads. Samarkand is probably more famous in the West, but Bukhara's historical importance is even greater.Bukhara does not…
Samarkand is a legendary city, its name the most evocative in Uzbekistan and all Central Asia. Nowadays, Samarkand (Uzbek: Samarqand) is the second most populous city in Uzbekistan and a must in any trip in the country. Actually, only a few large monuments survive of its old city, but what…
When we told people we were travelling to Uzbekistan, not few didn't quite understand what we were saying - "what's there to see?" was a typical question and the more prejudiced "wow! a stan?" ("-stan" is a suffix that means land, just like we say "England" or "Finland"). To be…
Píngyáo (平遥) is a town with a population of about 50 000 in the province of Shānxī (not to be mistaken for neighbouring Shǎnxī or Shaanxi, on the West). Visiting Pingyao is meeting the real late Imperial China.In a country with many fake historical towns, Pingyao is one of the…
A city that tries to bring back its history. The largest Buddhist caves in China, over 1500 years old.