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Uzbekistan – The Strangers from West & East meet here.

Uzbekistan is the most populated country among all the other Central Asian Republics. Today Uzbekistan with its numerous ancient monuments, rich culture, history & nature is the most popular tourist destination than the other countries in region. Uzbekistan is located on the crossroads of Great therefore hospitality became a nature of Uzbek people. You can enter any house without invitation and always get warm welcome; this sort of hospitality is rather not available in other parts of the world. Although the country is developing and becoming more modern but people strictly follow their traditions, greet each other with “Assalomu Alaykum” (God bless you!), host any stranger a cup of tea with dry fruits by saying “Welcome”.

Exclusive atmosphere of mixed medieval and modern life surrounds visitors of Uzbekistan. One may rest in the shadow of big platan trees enjoying a peculiar smell of spices and herbs, viewing children playing in streets and elderly people resting at traditional tea-houses…and at the same time witnessed a modern city life with numerous cars on the wide streets, big streams of somewhere hurrying people and developing infrastructure. In Uzbekistan traveler should visit a traditional bazaar with abundant of fruits and vegetables, strong smell of spices and amazingly hospitable & friendly people of different races. The markets are full of unique pottery, silk, woodcarving and ceramics work pieces. From the remotest ages traditional crafts like woodcarving, ceramics, suzanne have been a foremost art. Uzbek famous fabric “Khan Atlas” is beautifully presented with nice hand skill everywhere.

Tashkent

Tashkent is the capital city of Uzbekistan and an important transport hub in the heart of Central Asia, with over 3 million people and massive modern infrastructure. Tashkent is the political, business, scientific, and cultural center of Uzbekistan, and it aspires to rank one of the most beautiful cities in Central Asia. It is a city of straight and wide avenues, vast parks, beautiful squares, colorful bazars and busy ambience you would expect from a modern city. But at the same time it remains to be an oriental city. Tashkent has its own unique flavor. Medieval buildings though descended from the pages of old Oriental tales, the elegant European architecture from the time of the Turkestan governor-generalship, standard concrete "boxes" of the Soviet era and, finally, the glittering skyscrapers of glass and concrete (modern business centers and banks) elegantly combine here.

Samarkand

Samarkand, one of the ancient cities in the world, contemporary of Rome, Athens and Babylon, recently celebrated it's 2750 year anniversary. It has been called "The Radiant Point of Globe", "The Jewel of ", and "The Mirror of the World", among others, since earliest times. "A traveler who approaches the city sees not only a mountainous height of trees and the houses embowered among them remain invisible" wrote Spanish envoy Rui Gonzales de Claviho who visited Samarkand in 1404.

In the 14th century Samarkand flourished, first as the capital of The Great Tamerlane, then as the glorious cultural and scientific center of the medieval East under the rule of Ulugbek, Tamerlane's grandson. Now Samarkand is a place where the unique spirit of the antiquity is carefully preserved.

The legendary Square is a pearl of Samarkand and it is considered the main architectural sight in all over Central Asia. Since ancient times this square was the trade and center of Samarkand and traders from the East & West. Samarkand’s importance to the history and culture mankind is now being recognized by UN, UNESCO and WTO, which are helping to promote tourism to the region. The mazar of great Muslim scholar Hazrat Imam Al -Bukhariy is worth visiting.

Registan Square

Shakhrisabz

Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, 160 km from Samarkand, is located in a small valley, surrounded by the foothills of the Pamir Mountains. Here the lord was born and grew up, here his father Amir Taragai and spiritual advisor Shamseddin Kulol, as well as his eldest sons Jakhongir and Omar Sheikh were buried. He always remembered and paid all his possible attention to his small hometown.

Among the architectural monuments of Timurids’ time there are the remains of the massive portal of the Ak Saray Palace, Dorul Saodat and Dorut Tilovat Complexes. Shakhrisabz is a traditional centre of folk art and is renowned for its distinctive embroidery style. Always an important stop on the path of the Great Silk Road that led south to the sea, Shakhrisabz is today a popular one or a day trip from Samarkand or a detour on the way to .

Bukhara

Bukhara is the ancient and fairy-tale town. It is a land of magical lamps, the beauty of the spirit, the birthplace of Imam Al Bukhariy, the great Islamic scholar, the most honorable person in Islamic history after the prophet Muhmmad (PBUH). The mazar of Imam Bahauddin Naqshbandi, where thousands of local pilgrims pay tribute every day. Throughout the centuries, Caravans of ancient Great Silk Road never missed this town. Bukhara was the center of knowledge and great scholars from over the Islamic world had learnt the knowledge from famous madrassas of Bukhara.

Bukhara has more than 300 historical sights: fortresses, Islamic schools – madrassahs, , caravan sarays and trade domes. Dating back to 10-12th centuries, the monuments of – Kalyan , Samanids mausoleum survived the hardships of centuries and still admire visitors.

The city is alive with friendly people who are busy with their daily routine. The workshops of blacksmith, shoe- makers, carpet and silk weavers, trade domes are always busy. Bukhara with the narrow, twisting streets of its old quarter is full of architectural gems. One can wander along these streets, feel the smell of newly baked local breads in tandoors (clay oven), see children playing hide-and-seek, enjoy the scenery of sunset, whereas young women watering the ground, after sweeping and in the evening a family having their dinner in Tapchans (platform with special local mattresses) in the open air. This is the life of local people of Bukhara and one can enjoy for a short time by visiting this peerless city of Bukhara.

Poi Kalyan complex with Kalyan

Khiva

Khiva is ancient Chorasmia and later known as Khwarizm and Khorezm. It was built by Khan of Khorezm and it is still well- preserved and living city. Most of the historical buildings are in excellent condition of its architecture, Khiva gives an excellent idea of what other cities of Central Asia may have been like before.

Khorezm has a very long and interesting history. It is a cradle of three civilizations formed in Uzbekistan. Khiva is usually called city-museum under the open sky with its beautiful and madrassahs. It is one of the remote cities of Uzbekistan. Once upon a time Zoroastrian religion was flourished here and worshiped for centuries. Some historians say that Zoroastrian was born in Khiva and exported to Iran. Khiva is split into two parts. The outer town, called Dichan Kala, was formerly protected by a wall with 11 gates. The inner town, or Ichan-Qala, is encircled by brick walls, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in the 10th century. Present-day crenellated walls date back to the late 17th century and attain the height of 10 meters. Ichan-Qala was the first site in Uzbekistan to be inscribed in the World Heritage List (1991).

Ecological & Adventure Tourism

The exotic nature of Uzbekistan with its surprising contrasts, variety of flora and fauna, plenty of sunny days in a year and favorable climate attracts numerous numbers of ecological tourism. Now there are ten natural preserves in Uzbekistan, which accommodate a variety of unique landscapes from velvet sand to flowering oasis. Kizilkum desert (The Red Sand), the mysterious plateau Ustyurt, the mountains of the Pamir-Alay and Tien Shan reaching heights of more than 4500 meters.

Yurt camp Chimgan

Mountains near Tashkent (80 km) is the most famous place for adventurous holidays for the local people, the area geographically belongs to the South-western Tien Shan Mountain range. Chimgan is a vast expanse for skiers, alpinists and trekking fans. Another interesting place for the adventurous holiday is the Nurata mountain range. Though not very high at 1500-2000m above sea level, in the spring it is a wonderful place for trekking, riding and biking. Besides, this place is interesting for rural tourism.

General information:

Official name: Uzbekiston Respublikasi (Republic of Uzbekistan) Area: 447,400 square km Population: 31.5 million Ethnic mix: 80% Uzbek, 5% Russian, 5% Tajik, 3% Kazakh, 2% Tatar, 2% Karakalpak, 1% Kyrgyz, 1% Korean, and 1% others. Capital: Tashkent Religion: Islam - 88%, Christian - 9% Language: Official – Uzbek; Widely Used – Russian, Tadjik, Karakalpak

Language

Uzbek is official language (Turkic group of languages). Russian is also commonly spoken. It is possible to meet people who can speak English, German or French but not very common.

Customs

Every foreign traveler is required to fill two custom declaration forms, the foreign currency and other valuable need to mention. These forms are available in arrival hall at the airport, in case the operating airline does not provide. The custom officer will keep one filled form and second copy will return to the traveler with official seal and signature. On departure, you need to fill one new form and present to custom officer along with previous one. Please keep safely this custom declaration form as you cannot take any currency out of country in case you lost it. Law of Uzbekistan does not permit to export any item which is more than 50 years old or have cultural significance. The duty free allowances, please visit official website: http://www.taxfreetravel.com/uzbekistan-duty-free-allowances

Health

Uzbek people love to keep clean the country; you will never see any garbage along the roadside or in the streets. But tourists mostly complaint about the stomach upset which could be due to any reason. Therefore always keep “emergency kit” although the medicines are available without prescription of doctor. Please drink bottled mineral water during your stay or drink tea / coffee.

Weather

Uzbekistan has a sharp continental, dry climate. It is generally hot in summer, rather cold in winter, and mild climate in spring and autumn. Temperatures in winter may decrease up to -15°C ~ 20°C. During summer temperature can reach 45°C. Humidity is low. Spring (mid March to June) and autumn (September through mid November) are generally the most pleasant times to travel. Averagely around 300 days are sunny in Uzbekistan. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. In autumn it is harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit.

Dress Code

Western dressing style is popular in main cities and traditional dresses in small towns. In general, there are no strict limitations on dress code but people cover head while visiting religious places. You may encounter young ladies wearing traditional Islamic covers, but this is a personal preference rather than a must. The most of the people are familiar with alcohol beverages.

In some provinces, however, such as Ferghana Valley, it would be better to avoid wearing shorts. But when visiting religious places, mosques, mausoleums, etc. ladies should cover their shoulders, chest and preferably wear a hat or a headscarf.

Electricity

The voltage is 220 V. To use a 110/120 volt appliance (U.S. appliance), you need a converter or adopter.

Food and drink

Traditional meals begin with small dishes of nuts and raisins, progressing through salads, soups, and meat dishes and ending with main course. Uzbeks favor mutton and beef for the main course. It is always nourishing a bit fatty but flavorful. There are big variety of unique Uzbek national meals, like plov, manti, shashlyks, lagmon and others.

National dish Plov - is the flagship of Uzbekistan cookery. It consists mainly of fried and boiled meat, onions, carrots and rice; with raisins, barberries, chickpeas, or fruit added for variation. This meal will not remain indifferent even the stickiest gourmet. You will find a great variety of fruits and vegetables in Uzbekistan which are popular with its juiciness and sweet taste. Uzbeks enjoy many types of fruits, eaten fresh in summer and dried in winter. Uzbek dishes are not spicy, though certainly flavorful. Some of the principle spices are black cumin, red and black peppers, barberries, coriander and sesame seeds. The more common herbs are cilantro (fresh coriander), dill, parsley, celeriac, and basil. Other seasonings include white vinegar, liberally applied to salads and marinades, and fermented milk products.

Bread holds a special place in Uzbek culture. At mealtime, bread will be spread to cover the entire dastarhon. Traditional Uzbek bread, tandoor non, is flat and round. It is torn by hand, served with tea, not to mention at every meal. Manti - steamed dumplings of meat, fat & onions. It also may be with pumpkin instead of meat for vegetarians. Lagmon - is a rich spicy stew with chopped meat, varied vegetables and spices, poured over long hand- made noodles.

Currency

In Uzbekistan, the unit of currency is the Soum. Notes are issued in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 5000 Sum.

Foreign currency exchange is possible at exchange offices in big hotels only. The most popular and easy convertible currency is US dollar but the bill must be without any marks or sign and not later than 2000 year. Euro, Pounds and Yens are occasionally accepted in exchange offices in Tashkent mostly.

Credit cards (Master Card, Visa Card) are occasionally accepted in hotels but not by vendors on the streets.

Visa information

There is a simplified visa procedure for the citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and the United States. The citizens of these countries can apply to Uzbekistan embassy in home country without having visa authority from ministry of foreign affairs in Tashkent where as other national need a prior visa approval from Tashkent with help of local travel companies, which may takes seven to ten working days.

After having the visa approval, usually the concern embassy takes 3-5 working days to issue visa but it entirely depends on the local staff of the embassy. Online application visa form is available at www.evisa.mfa.uz After filling the form, print it with the barcode and present to Uzbek embassy with photo. Please read the application instruction which is available of interne. For more detailed information you can contact the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in your country or visit the website of the embassy.