Travel to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – Episode 1000

Hear about travel to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the annual Amateur Traveler trip as host Chris Christensen and guest Bill Abbott talk about a tour to 2 of the 5 ‘Stans in Central Asia.

Why should you go to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan?

Chris says, “In this area, you can stand in these beautiful cities that date back over two thousand years. This is a trip through some of the great crossroads of world history: Persian empires, Silk Road merchants, Turkic tribes, Mongol armies, Timurid architects, Russian generals, Soviet planners, and two very different modern countries. This is not the edge of the map as we tend to view it, but historically, it’s the middle of the map.”

In this episode of Amateur Traveler, we celebrate episode 1,000 with a trip through Central Asia to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The episode follows a G Adventures trip, Best of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with a small group of Amateur Traveler listeners.

Historical Background

Chris gives listeners five broad historical markers to understand the region:

• Before Alexander the Great, much of the region was influenced by Persian empires and Zoroastrianism.
• Alexander the Great brought Hellenistic influence in the 300s BC.
• Arab caliphates arrived around the 700s, helping make the region predominantly Muslim.
• The Mongols invaded in the 1200s and devastated many cities.
• The Russian Empire arrived in the late 1800s, followed by the Soviet Union in the early 20th century.
• Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan both became independent in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Those layers of history appear again and again in the cities, monuments, food, languages, and architecture of the trip.

The Itinerary

The trip begins in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, then continues by train to Samarkand. From there, the group travels by road to a yurt camp near Aydarkul Lake, then on to Bukhara and Khiva. After Khiva, the trip crosses the border into Turkmenistan, visiting Dashoguz, Kunya-Urgench, the Darvaza gas crater, Ashgabat, Nisa, and the National Museum.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Tashkent is more than 2,000 years old, but much of the modern city was rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1966. As a result, it has a more Soviet-era and modern feel than the Silk Road cities that come later in the trip.

The G Adventures itinerary does not spend much sightseeing time in Tashkent, so Chris recommends arriving early if you want to explore. Places to consider include the Soviet-style metro stations, the Central Market, Independence Square, the Amir Temur Museum, the State Museum of History of Uzbekistan, and the State Museum of Applied Arts.

Chris stayed at the Harris Hotel, Spa and Fitness, which is near the State Museum of Applied Arts and in an area with embassies and consulates.

Food in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

Food was one of the pleasant surprises of the trip. Chris enjoyed the meals in both countries.

Common foods included kebabs, plov, round breads, tandoor bread, dumplings, pastries, soups, tea, salads, melon, and pide, a Turkish-style pizza-like bread and cheese dish.

Meals were also inexpensive by U.S. standards. In some cases, dinner was only four or five dollars per person. 

Samarkand

The first major Silk Road city on the trip is Samarkand, reached by train from Tashkent. Chris expected Samarkand to be the highlight of the trip, and it did not disappoint, although he found that the trip became even more interesting as it continued west.

Samarkand is known for the Registan, the great square framed by two madrasas and a mosque. The buildings feature the large entry portals, pointed arches, minarets, domes, and tilework that appear throughout the trip.

The major monuments of Samarkand date largely from the period after Genghis Khan, especially from the age of Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Timur was a brilliant and brutal military leader and a patron of architecture and the arts. His dynasty also included Ulugh Beg, the astronomer, and Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Highlights in Samarkand include:

• Registan Square
• Gur-e-Amir, the mausoleum of Timur
• Shah-i-Zinda, a necropolis with a narrow walkway lined with colorful mausoleums
• Bibi-Khanym Mosque
• The central market
• Ulugh Beg Observatory
• The Prophet Daniel Mausoleum

Chris and Bill both found Shah-i-Zinda especially memorable because of its smaller scale, narrow passageway, and richly decorated monuments on either side.

Aydarkul Lake and the Yurt Camp

After Samarkand, the group drove toward a yurt camp, stopping at the Chashma complex near Nurata, where the remains of an old fortress date back to the time of Alexander the Great.

They also stopped at Aydarkul Lake. Swimming was possible, but the day was chilly and windy, so the group skipped it.

The yurt camp was more comfortable than Chris expected, with electricity, Wi-Fi, a good meal, and a performance of traditional music. The drive included dirt roads and enough bouncing around to make the group ready for a rest.

Bukhara

Bukhara became Chris’s favorite city so far when he reached it, although Khiva would later compete for that title.

The old center of Bukhara is a pedestrian area filled with mosques, madrasas, trading domes, tea houses, restaurants, small shops, ponds, and bazaars. It felt touristy, but also comfortable and atmospheric because visitors can walk without worrying about traffic.

Bukhara is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Highlights include:

• Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, the summer palace of the last emir
• Ismail Samani Mausoleum, dating to the 10th century
• Chashma-Ayub, the Spring of Job
• Po-i-Kalyan complex
• Kalyan Minaret
• Ulugh Beg Madrasa
• Ark of Bukhara
• Caravanserais, trading domes, shops, tea houses, and puppet workshops

Chris stayed at the Istat Boutique Hotel, within walking distance of the historic center.

Khiva

Khiva was Bill’s favorite city and one of Chris’s favorites as well. The historic center, Itchan Kala, is a walled city and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The group stayed inside the walls in a hotel converted from an old madrasa. Chris’s room used two former student rooms, with part of another converted into a bathroom. The low doorways and thick walls made it atmospheric, but also required some ducking.

Khiva feels compact and cinematic. Within the walled city are minarets, madrasas, mosques, palaces, museums, shops, and city walls. Chris says you can walk from one part of the old city to another in about five minutes.

Highlights include:

• Itchan Kala
• Juma Mosque, with its forest of carved wooden pillars
• Kalta Minor, the unfinished blue-tiled minaret
• Konya-Ark fortress
• The palace and harem area
• The city walls
• The tall minaret that some members of the group climbed for views over the city

Bill remembers the view from the rooftop restaurant at the closing dinner in Khiva, with the sun going down over the minarets and monuments, as one of the most beautiful scenes of the trip.

Crossing into Turkmenistan

The border crossing from Uzbekistan into Turkmenistan was one of the most memorable parts of the trip, but not because it was efficient.

The process included clearing the Uzbekistan side, taking a short bus ride between borders, paying a dollar for the bus, paying $110 at the Turkmenistan border, getting a COVID test, sorting out visa paperwork, and going through luggage screening. The group needed the help of their G Adventures CEO, Yusuf, to navigate the process.

Chris and Bill both emphasize that Turkmenistan is not a place to try to visit independently. A guide is required, and the border process would be very difficult without one.

Kunya-Urgench

After crossing into Turkmenistan, the group visited Kunya-Urgench, the ancient capital of the Khwarezmian Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

There is not a lot left after the Mongol invasion, but the site includes a tall leaning minaret and several mausoleums. It also helps connect the history of Khiva and the wider Khwarezm region.

Dashoguz and Turkmenistan’s Modern Architecture

In Dashoguz, the group saw government buildings, visited the local market, and began to get a sense of modern Turkmenistan.

Chris describes the post-independence architecture as full of white marble, gold, symbolic buildings, and oversized public spaces. If a building is a library, it may look like a book. In Ashgabat, the Petroleum Ministry looks like an oil derrick.

Turkmenistan also has a strong carpet tradition. The national flag includes five carpet patterns, one for each of the country’s five regions.

Darvaza Gas Crater

The Darvaza gas crater, often called the Gates of Hell, is one of the most unusual stops on the trip.

It is not a natural wonder in the usual sense. It is the result of a Soviet-era drilling accident. Natural gas escaped, and the decision was made to set it on fire, with the expectation that it would burn out quickly. Decades later, it is still burning.

The group traveled there in four-wheel-drive vehicles over rough roads and dunes. They arrived near sunset, ate dinner at a yurt camp, and returned to see the crater glowing at night.

Chris calls it the world’s largest fire pit. Bill’s wife named it her favorite part of the trip, while Chris also appreciated the desert setting, a shepherd’s hut, a sheep pen, tracks in the sand, and even a dung beetle at one of the yurt camps.

Ashgabat

Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, was largely rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1948. Since independence, it has developed into a city of broad avenues, white marble buildings, gold accents, monuments, and planned spaces that feel larger than the current population requires.

The group visited the Monument to Independence and the Monument of Neutrality. Turkmenistan officially identifies as a neutral country, which is a point of national pride.

Chris pushes back against the description of Turkmenistan as the “North Korea of Central Asia.” He says it is unusual and more closed than Uzbekistan, but it is not a closed country in the same way, and the people the group met seemed friendly, well-fed, and normal.

Nisa and the Parthians

One of the historical highlights in Turkmenistan was Nisa, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an ancient Parthian capital.

The Parthians were contemporaries and rivals of Rome. Chris connects the site to the defeat of Crassus, one of the members of Rome’s First Triumvirate, by Parthian horse archers. The famous “Parthian shot” comes from this style of mounted warfare, firing backward while retreating.

Nisa also gives travelers a glimpse into the Zoroastrian past of the region, with fire temples and burial practices that predate Islam.

National Museum of Turkmenistan

The group also visited the National Museum in Ashgabat, where artifacts from Turkmenistan’s many historical layers are displayed. The museum includes material from Greek, Persian, Parthian, Mongol, and other periods.

The group had an English-speaking guide who helped interpret the exhibits. The museum also displays what used to be the largest carpet in the world, now the second largest.

Merv

The trip did not include Merv, Turkmenistan’s third UNESCO World Heritage site, but two members of the group stayed longer and arranged a day trip there. Chris says that if he had known in advance how easy it was to arrange, he probably would have added it as well.

Practical Tips

• Arrive early in Tashkent if you want to see the city, since the G Adventures itinerary does not include much sightseeing there.
• Use Yandex Go in Uzbekistan for inexpensive taxis.
• Learn “rahmat,” which means thank you in Uzbek.
• Bring crisp U.S. dollars for Turkmenistan.
• Expect the Turkmenistan border crossing to take time and to require patience.
• Download a VPN before entering Turkmenistan. Chris’s regular VPN did not work there, and the guide recommended Jump VPN.
• Do not expect Turkmenistan to be as tourism-ready as Uzbekistan.
• Be prepared for rough roads, especially near Khiva and in parts of Turkmenistan.
• The yurt stays are part of the adventure, but travelers should expect simpler facilities, especially near Darvaza.

Who Should Take This Trip?

Chris and Bill recommend the trip for travelers interested in history, Silk Road cities, Islamic architecture, ancient empires, unusual borders, desert landscapes, and destinations that are still less visited by North American travelers.

The trip is likely to appeal most to well-traveled people, but Bill says it is not only for veteran travelers. Uzbekistan, especially, felt easier to travel in than expected, and going with a company like G Adventures made the logistics much easier.

The roughest parts of the trip were the yurt stays, the road conditions, and the Turkmenistan border process.

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Show Notes

Best of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan | G Adventures
The Five Stans of the Silk Road | G Adventures
Turkic Languages distribution map – Turkic peoples
Tashkent
State Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan
Harris Hotel, Spa and Fitness: A Practical, Comfortable Base in Tashkent | Hotel Review
Samarkand
Samarkand – Crossroad of Cultures | UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Hotel Karvon: A Practical Base for Exploring Samarkand | Hotel Review
Timur
Registan
Gur-e-Amir
Bibi-Khanym Mosque
Shah-i-Zinda
Ulugh Beg Observatory
‎Yandex Go: Taxi Food Delivery App – App Store
Aydarkul Lake
Bukhara
Historic Centre of Bukhara | UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Istat Boutique Hotel – Family Run Hotel for Bukhara, Uzbekistan | Hotel Review
Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa
Kalyan Minaret
Po-i-Kalyan
Ark of Bukhara
Khiva
Itchan Kala | UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Itchan Kala
Juma Mosque, Khiva
Hotel Muso To’ra, Khiva | Expedia
Turkmenistan
Kunya-Urgench | UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Kunya-Urgench
Darvaza gas crater
Ashgabat
Parthian Fortresses of Nisa | UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Nisa, Turkmenistan
The State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan
State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv” | UNESCO World Heritage Centre

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