What’s the best city to visit in Uzbekistan?

Uzbekistan part 2: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva

January 2022

Uzbekistan is a country on the Silk Road, most famous for its historical sights. On January 2022 Nicole and I managed to fly into the capital Tashkent despite the pandemic. Tashkent is an interesting city as I wrote in part 1. But the big draw of the country are the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. I read a lot of online discussions about which of them should be visited. It’s usually a debate between Samarkand and Bukhara, though I know people who saw Khiva as their favourite. Luckily we had enough time to visit them all (and more). Here’s our experience.

Samarkand

The country’s most famous site is the Registan in Samarkand, a massive square surrounded by three medieval madrassas. The madrassas are big, with beautiful tilework. The middle one called Tilla-Kari has a blue dome and a magnificent golden ceiling on the inside. Scattered around the city are more madrassas, mosques and mausoleums. Our favourites apart from the Registan are the Shah-i-Zinda Tombs, Bibi-Khanum Mosque and the Amir Temur Mausoleum. The ruins from pre-Islamic times called Afrosiab are famous too, though there is not much left of them to see. The museum next to the ruins has a bit more to offer. Here are well-preserved panels from the 7th century showing the cultures Afrosiab traded with, like the Chinese and Koreans.

Unfortunately there are few restaurants around the Registan and the other sights. The good food is in the Russian Quarter three kilometres from the Registan. Uzbeks make wine and cognac too, and you can do a wine and cognac tasting here at the Khovrenko Winery. There is even more to see in Samarkand, and of the Uzbek cities we visited this city has the most things to do. The downside is that the sights are spread out. Therefore you need to walk a lot or take taxis, which takes time since there is a lot of traffic here.

Bukhara

Bukhara has a more compact old city centre. The new buildings blend in well with the old madrassas and mosques. In the middle is the 46 meter tall Kalyon minaret, next to two beautiful and impressive buildings across from each other: the Kalyon Mosque and Mir-I Arab Madrassa. A short walk away is The Ark, a fortress with tall walls. There’s a viewing tower next to The Ark offering great views of the historical city. Bukhara is a good place to buy crafts or simply see how they are made, like at the smiths under the Toki Telpak Frushon trading dome. Like in Samarkand there are many more historical sights. A well-known one is the Chor Minor, a Madrassa with four-domed turquoise towers. Compared to Samarkand there is more atmosphere. The historical centre is not made for groups on tour buses. People actually seem to live, shop and eat out here. Most of the old city is pedestrianized. Even if you’ve seen all the sights, it’s still enjoyable to walk around.

*Kalyon Minaret and Mir-I Arab Madrassa, Bukhara*

Khiva

Smaller Khiva is like an open-air museum. It’s compact historical centre is surrounded by ancient defensive walls. There are madrassas, mosques, minarets and palaces, though I wouldn’t recommend visiting them all as a lot of them are closed (at least in low season) or have not much to offer inside. An exception is the beautiful Juma Mosque. Inside are carved wooden pillars, each one unique and some dating as far back as the 11th century. Another highlight is the Pahlavan Mahmoud Mausoleum that has wonderful decorations on the inside. Being like an open-air museum isn’t always positive. Few people seem to actually live here, making the city feel empty. Apart from stalls with souvenirs there weren’t many shops or restaurants. Khiva is a wonderful city to walk around, but spending one full day in the city is enough.

The verdict

Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva all have amazing historical centres. But while Samarkand is a spread-out city filled with traffic and Khiva feels a bit like an empty open-air museum, Bukhara actually has the combination of lively atmosphere, a compact city centre and amazing sights. This makes Bukhara our favourite of these wonderful cities.

There is even more to see in Uzbekistan. Read about our travels to the Nuratau Mountains and Uzbek Desert Fortresses in part 3: what’s it like to visit Uzbekistan in January? It gives practical information on traveling here too.

Former Soviet States, Central AsiaArjan MookMarch 22, 2022