Photos from UzbekistanThe first people known to have occupied Central Asia were nomads who spoke Iranian dialects. At this time, cities such as Bukhara and Samarkand began to appear as centers of government and culture. As China began to develop its silk trade with the West, these cities became centers of trade. Then the Mongols conquered the region and remained strong for two centuries. When their rule began to break up, a local chieftain emerged : Timur (or Tamerlane) who left the magnificient architectural heritage that we can enjoy today. Later the region was conquered by Uzbek nomads, who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. As the Russian Empire expanded, the region came under its influence, and Uzbekistan was then incorporated in the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. |
Khiva : old city walls
Khiva : Kutlig Murod Inok Medressa
Khiva : in Kukhana Ark
Yurts in the Kyzylkum desert (more deserts photos)
Bukhara : Mir-i-Arab Medressa
Bukhara : the Registan (Kalon minaret and mosque)
Samarkand : the Registan (Sher Dor Medressa)
Samarkand : Guri Amir Mausoleum (where Timur, two sons, two grandsons
in Shakhrisabz with students from Samarkand
Tashkent : the TV tower (teleminorasi)
Margilan bazaar : nan (bread) sellers
Margilan : traditional (Yodgorlik, souvenir) silk factory
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Uzbekistan was part of the 2005 trip
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to :
Kyrgyzstan
from : Turkmenistan
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