Bukhara
A century ago there were at least seven synagogues in Bukhara, reduced after 1920 to two. This synagogue is located southwest of the old town – from the…
Must-see attractions in Uzbekistan
Bukhara
Southeast of Samani Park are two massive medressas, one named for the great Shaybanid ruler Abdulla Khan (currently empty) and the other for his mother…
Samarkand
The Regional Studies Museum occupies an old Jewish merchant’s house, and has a lavish wing devoted to Jewish history, with old photos of Samarkand’s once…
Allakuli Khan Bazaar & Caravanserai
Khiva
North of the Allakuli Khan Medressa is the Allakuli Khan Bazaar & Caravanserai. The entrance to both is through tall wooden gates beside the medressa. The…
Fergana Valley
With a new facade, twin minarets and a taharkhana (wash house), the 19th-century Devanboy Mosque now plays the role of Andijon's Friday mosque. The…
Bukhara
In Bukhara's backstreets between Hoja Nurabad and Islamov, across from the Ark on Hoja Nurabad, the interior of the 16th-century Hoja Zayniddin Mosque has…
Shakhrisabz
Housed inside the renovated Chubin Medressa on the eastern side of the square is this simple museum. Among the maps and models is a war drum, an…
Khiva
This small mausoleum dates to 1310 when Khiva was under the Golden Horde of the Mongol empire. You might find people praying in front of the 19th-century…
Uzbekistan
The oldest, most remarkable and most difficult-to-pronounce fort in Ellik Kala is circular Koy Krylgan Qala, which archaeologists believe doubled as a…
Sheikh Hovendi Tahur Mausoleum
Tashkent
This little-visited mausoleum was built for a 14th-century Sufi saint and gives its name to the surrounding Sheikhantur complex. It's tricky to find, east…
Khiva
The small, low-slung building to the left of the entrance outside the main Kuhna Ark fortress is the Zindon (Khans’ Jail), with a simple display of chains…
Bukhara
At the intersection of Jubar and Naqshbandi is the large 16th-century Gaukushan Medressa, with chipped majolica on its unrestored facade. It's normally…
Samarkand
The lovely Hoja-Nisbatdor Mosque, a 15 minutes' walk south of the Registan, has a large aivan embraced by walls inlaid with beautifully restored ghanch …
Tashkent
This little-visited, pyramid-roofed mausoleum is for devoted fans of Central Asian architecture. It's tricky to find, east of the Tashkent Islamic…
Khiva
The twin-turreted West Gate (Ota-Darvoza, literally ‘Father Gate') is the main entrance to the Ichon-Qala and the place to buy your admission ticket. The…
Tashkent
This preposterously large hall is usually locked tight but occasionally hosts state-sponsored events for honoured guests. You may recognise the tigers on…
Fergana Valley
The sparse Museum of Regional Studies covers the Fergana region and is of marginal interest. Visitors can inspect the WWII uniforms and a 3D map of the…
Fergana Valley
Originally buried behind Modari Khan, Nodira was adopted by the Soviets as a model Uzbek woman and moved to a prominent place beneath a white stone tablet…
Bukhara
This cemetry, just south of the Old Town, is perhaps the most impressive evidence of the previous size of the local Jewish community. It's a well…
Samarkand
Across from the Bibi-Khanym Mosque is Bibi-Khanym’s surprisingly plain 14th-century mausoleum, home to five tombs and some lovely interior painted…
Bukhara
This medressa named after the Shaybanid ruler Abdulla Khan is part of an ensemble together with the Modari Khan Medressa. The medressa is empty but you…
Tashkent
Tashkent's main Juma (Friday) mosque was built in the 1990s on the site of a 16th-century mosque destroyed by the Soviets. On warm Friday mornings the…
Tashkent
The shiny white edifice on the western side of the Independence Square is the Senate building. The president's office and most ministries take up the…
Tashkent
Formerly the People’s Friendship Palace, this concert hall is one of several striking Soviet-era buildings in Navoi Park. It looks like a moon-landing…
Mausoleum of Abu Mansur al-Moturudiy
Samarkand
Deep in the lanes of the Old Town is the surprisingly impressive new Mausoleum of Abu Mansur al-Moturudiy. The entry fee is over the top; you can see it…
Tashkent
Near the Oliy Majlis in Navoi Park is a vast promenade and this post-Soviet Monument to Alisher Navoi, 15th-century Turkic poet and Uzbekistan's newly…
Shakhrisabz
The Mulk Ashtor Mosque was built in 1904 but has roots leading back to the 14th century. It's just inside the old town at the end of a road southwest of…
Bukhara
The Kukeldash Medressa, built in 1569 by Abdullah II, was at the time the biggest Islamic school in Central Asia. It now hosts the occasional evening…
Tashkent
The tightly guarded building southwest of the Friendship Palace is the Oliy Majlis parliament, which functions as a giant rubber stamp in its infrequent…
Bukhara
On the eastern side of Lyabi-Hauz is a statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical ‘wise fool’ who appears in Sufi teaching-tales around the world.
Samarkand
The gloriously faded Qoraboy Oqsoqol Mosque is hidden down an alley just off Abu Laiz Samarkandi ko'chasi in the old Jewish Quarter of the Old Town.
Samarkand
This restored Old Town gem is 100m east of the Registan. If it's locked ask the caretaker to let you in for a glimpse at the lush ceiling tilework.
Bukhara
The displays here on the history and manufacture of Bukhara's famous puppets are worth a quick visit, especially if you have kids in tow.
Samarkand
This small neighbourhood mosque in the Old Jewish Quarter is part of a charming ensemble with a hauz (pool) and small minaret.
Fergana Valley
The unrestored Modari Khan Mausoleum, built in 1825 for Umar’s mother, features unusual red, green, yellow and blue tilework.
Tashkent
Southeast of the Friendship Palace is the Soviet-era Wedding Palace – a vulgar, crooked chunk of Khrushchev-era concrete.
Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church
Uzbekistan
This gold-domed Russian Orthodox church is worth a visit on a Sunday when Termiz's dwindling Russian community flock here.
Uzbekistan
The local museum in the city hall has some interesting photos and paintings of the area prospering before the disaster.
Fergana Valley
There's not much to see at this small neighbourhood mosque in the old town but there's a welcoming chaikhana next door.
Khiva
This medressa (1804–12) faces the Allakuli Khan Medressa and has a nearly matching facade. It houses an art museum.
