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Uzbekistan was the last country my wife and I
visited before moving to the states, and it provided the perfect note on
which to end my time in Central Asia. Despite poor economic and political
conditions, the natives are friendly, their country tidy, and the
historical sites they care for truly world-class. We began the main
portion of our trip at the remote desert fortress of Khiva, flying from
the capital of Tashkent after a stressful overland border crossing into
the country from Kazakhstan. Our guidebook stated that Khiva can be
comfortably seen in a day, but we didn’t want to rush; we spent two days
and three nights there and could have stayed longer. Next, we rode to the
ancient Muslim holy city of Bukhara, our favorite due to its relaxed
atmosphere and authentic, un-Russified feel. Finally, we visited Samarkand,
the jewel of Tamerlane’s fourteenth-century empire. While the modern
city is run-down and sprawling, the historic buildings at its heart are
some of the best-preserved and stunning in the country. |
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