The Republic of Uzbekistan, located in the heart of Central Asia, covers an area of around 449 thousand sq.km. It is famous for its rich history, wonderful architectural monuments dating back to hundreds of years ago, incredible natural landscapes, fortresses of past civilizations, outstanding cultural events, gastronomic delights and famous craft workshops.
History of Uzbekistan dates back to the 2 millennium BC and is more than 3.5 thousand years. Some of the cities of Uzbekistan such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, Shakhrisabz, the contemporaries of Rome and Babylon, are included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. Over the centuries, Uzbekistan’s cities played a major role in the life of the Great Silk Road, the ancient, transcontinental thoroughfare. These cities which were the most important hubs of the Silk Road and the ancient culture, advanced science, education, crafts and art, trade, palaces, temples and mosques were being built as early as in the Middle Ages.
Today, Uzbekistan has more than 7,000 ancient archaeological sites from different eras and civilizations. The country ranks 9th in the number of historical monuments and attractions.
Tashkent is the Capital of the present-day Uzbekistan and one of the largest cities of Central Asia. An important international transport junction, both in ancient past and in the present, nowadays directly linked to many countries of the world by local carrier Uzbekistan Airways and international airlines.
Tashkent is one of the ancient cities of the world. In 2009 it celebrated its 2200th anniversary. During the years of Independence more than 240 architectural and archeological monuments within the city boundary have been brought to light. Today the images of olden times such as mosques, madrassahs, and minarets stand in elegant grandeur among parks, museums, fountains, modern skyscrapers made of glass and metal, and highway flyovers. There are about 100 museums in Uzbekistan with almost half of them being located in the capital of the country. Each of them reflects Uzbek land’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage. In the center of the Uzbek capital, the building crowned with the huge blue dome, which reminds ancient domes of Samarkand structures, accommodates the State Museum of Temurids.
Samarkand stands out among the cities of Uzbekistan as being "the Heart of Great Silk Road". A contemporary of Rome, Athens, and Babylon, this city has already celebrated its 2750th anniversary, and its golden age took place during the Temurid dynasty as the city was chosen by Emir Temur, the greatest ruler of the Central Asia after Chingiz Khan, as the capital of his powerful Empire, Movarounnahr. Emir Temur carried out a vast program of town-planning during his rule. Here in Samarkand the great ruler gathered skillful architects and craftsmen whose works of art have outlasted the years. Today the monuments of Samarkand are majestic and wonderful. It can be traced in the ancient ruins as well as in the madrassahs, mausoleums, and minarets, which have been decorating the city until now.
The legendary Samarkand square of Reghistan ranks amongst the key architectural sights in Central Asia. Since ancient times, this square has been the trade and public center of Samarkand. Three grandiose madrassahs – Ulughbek madrassah, Sher Dor and Tillya Kari madrassahs – proudly dominate the square.
Bukhara, the famous trading post on the Silk Road, stirs the romantic in many travelers. With over 2500 years of history and a welcoming atmosphere, Bukhara is one of the tourists’ favorites. More than 140 monuments of ancient architecture, and these sights are located within a compact area and are best seen on foot.
Kalyan Minaret whose vertical lines mark the city skyline at about 50 metres; a living maze of numerous mosques and madrassahs, caravanserais, baths and multi-domed market buildings - all these monuments are inimitable gems of Holy Bukhara.
Khiva, “open air museum”, is the only town along the Great Silk Road, which has remained intact through centuries and has retained the exotic flavour of a medieval town. Today Ichan Kala, the nucleus of ancient Khiva offers the visitors the most stunning homogeneous collection of architecture of the late 18th century - the first half of the 19th century.
Uzbekistan is famous not only for its history and legendary architecture. It is also an attractive destination for exotic tours. Here, modern comfort and wildlife are successfully combined - primarily due to the special geographical location of the country. Indeed, in Uzbekistan there are almost all varieties of the natural landscape - mountains, valleys, steppes, deserts, rivers, lakes. Today, many travel companies in Uzbekistan offer a wide variety of tours, such as trekking, a trip to the mountains, horseback riding or camel riding and others.
Uzbek cuisine is one of the most colorful in Central Asia. For centuries, the culinary traditions of the settled and nomadic ethnic groups of the region have been gathered into Uzbek cuisine. Tasty Uzbek treats, such as famous Uzbek pilaf, tasty somsa cooked in dandyr (clay oven), shashliks, various soups, filled with aromas of spices will not leave indifferent even the most demanding gourmet.
For those Korean tourists who miss their national food during their travel abroad – there is no need to worry! In Uzbekistan there are plenty of Korean restaurants, mainly in Tashkent, serving Korean dishes.
Gastronomic Tour of Uzbekistan. Gastronomy is one more reason to fall in love with Uzbekistan. Having arrived to our country, you can refuse any excursion, but you will never refuse food, especially here, where even at the airport the air is saturated with the smell of delicious dishes.
The gastronomic trip to Uzbekistan will give you an unforgettable taste experience for the whole year and you will certainly want to repeat it even at home.
Uzbek cuisine is, perhaps, one of the most diverse and colorful in the world. If you want to enjoy the most delicious pilaf in the world, succulent lamb on charcoal, the tandoor-kebab, the spicy lagman or the crispy samsa – visit Uzbekistan!
Uzbek bread - non, patyr, shirmoi-non, katlama. Dishes from the dough - soms, manty, khanum, chuchvara, naryn, kovurma lagman. Rice dishes - pilaf, shawl, moshkichiri, moshhurda, mastava, hasip. Desserts and sweets - fresh and dried fruits, sumalak, halva, halvaitar, nisholda, chak-chak, boogirsak, kushtili, urama (people call it “khvorost” and it translated as brushwood), baklava, pashmak behi-dulma.
Bazaars and shopping. The traditional idea of an oriental bazaar, plentiful, colorful, noisy, is becoming a reality in the markets of Uzbekistan. To get acquainted with the culture and life of the Uzbek people, be sure to go to the local bazaar. Active life in the market begins early in the morning and ends only after sunset. Here you can enjoy an abundance of various goods: souvenirs, fruits, vegetables, spices, bread, food.
Since 2017 the tourism police has been functioning in all tourist sites of the country. In 2019 Uzbekistan was ranked fifth in the safety rating for single travelers in the Solo Travel Safety Report 2019, published by the online travel service wegoplaces.me The data Source was Gallup Law and Order Report 2018 (https://www.insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Gallup_Global_Law_And_Order_Report_2018.pdf) and Global Peace Index 2018 (https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-peace-index-2018).
CNN Travel said that Uzbekistan to be a top travel destination for 2020. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/uzbekistan-travel-destination-2020-trnd/index.html
No visa for Korean tourists. Since 2018 citizens of the Republic of Korea can enter Uzbekistan without a visa for a period of stay up to 30 days. Korean travelers can just buy the ticket and fly to Uzbekistan (for period not more than 30 days).
