Product Description

From the blue-tiled splendor of Tamerlane's Samarkand to the holy city of Bukhara, which boasts a mosque for each day of the year, and beyond to the desert-girdled khanate of Khiva, Uzbekistan lays claim to a breathtaking architectural legacy. Bound by sand and snow, fed by meltwater from the Roof of the World, these fertile oases attracted the greatest travelers and conquerors in history along the fragile threads of the Silk Road. This groundbreaking guide, now extensively revised and updated, focuses on the wealth of sites and colorful legends at the heart of Central Asia, plus the best of the rest—excursions covering the major attractions of neighboring republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

• Still the only guide to cover this former Soviet republic, offering informative insights into the history, religion and culture of Uzbekistan
• Up-to-date practical information for the traveler, covering visas, customs and specialist travel agencies
• Hints for business visitors
• Environmental issues
• Special topics include the disappearance of the Aral Sea, and the life and death of Tamerlane the Great
• Updated information on transport, food and accommodation for each city and site
• Useful maps, together with detailed plans of principal sites
• Suggested excursions to neighboring republics, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
• 92 color photographs
• 22 maps

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #498669 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 332 pages

New York Times
The best guidebook to bring is in the Odyssey series....a joy to read whether or not you are planning a trip.

Peter Hopkirk, author of The Great Game
Quite excellent. No one should visit Samarkand, Bukhara or Khiva without this meticulously researched guide.

Tom Bissel, author of Chasing the Sea: Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia
The best guidebook on Uzbekistan available. Land in Tashkent without it at your peril.

Customer Reviews

The best guide for Uzbekistan
I lived in Uzbekistan for two years, and at the time this was the only reliable guide to sightseeing in the country. Well researched and full of historical anecdotes. Re-reading the book only makes me want to return to this very complex nation.

The Golden Road to Samarkand
This book is not only the definitive and most comprehensive but it is also the most uncannily accurate and comprehensive guide to Uzbekistan in 2006. Throughout our travels from Tashkent to Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and back to Tashkent it was our bible, not only helping us to negotiate the culture but directed us to the 'must do' places to see or visit. In fact it made eveything about the country utterley comprehensible - from food and culture to history and politics. It came home very badly thumbed. Brilliant!

Best Guide Yet!
I live and work in the heart of Central Asia. Of all the guide books available, this one is the best yet. Not only does it have beautiful color photos and maps, the history articles are excellent. Beware: when you open up this book on the streets of Samarkand, Bukhara, or Khiva, people will gather around to view it! It's so good, I am ordering a full class room set for my students to use in the Uzbekistan studies part of our curriculum at Tashkent International School.