CENTRAL ASIA

Central Asia

The madrasas and mausoleums of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, the blue tiles of the Timurid empire, and the hospitality of the steppe.

Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC0

City guides

Start with a city

Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.

Samarqand

Samarkand

4 places

The blue capital of the Timurid Empire: Registan and Gur-e-Amir

Buxoro

Bukhara

2 places

Holy Bukhara: the Kalyan Minaret and the emir's fortress

Xiva

Khiva

1 places

A khanate's capital within mud-brick walls: Itchan Kala

Classic landmarkAlmaty Region, Kazakhstan

A desert 'Valley of Castles' at the foot of the Tian Shan, a maze of red sandstone canyons.

Classic landmarkTurkistan, Kazakhstan

The 'second Mecca' of Central Asian Muslims, a Sufi saint's mausoleum ordered by Timur.