Author: Dilshod Karimov, Cultural Heritage Specialist and Travel Guide

I’ve walked through a lot of historic sites, but Shah i Zinda hits different. The necropolis sits on a hillside in northeastern Samarkand, basically

I used to think getting around Uzbekistan would be straightforward—trains, buses, maybe a taxi or two. Turns out, the reality is messier and way more interesting.

I’ve stayed in maybe a dozen places across Samarkand over the years, and here’s the thing—budget doesn’t always predict charm.

The first thing that hits you isn’t the sight—it’s the smell. Cumin and coriander and something else I can never quite place, maybe dried apricots

The first time I stepped into a traditional hammam, I wasn’t prepared for the heat—or the intimacy. Anush Khan Bathhouse sits tucked within the labyrinthine

I used to think budget travel meant sacrificing comfort entirely, but Uzbekistan changed that assumption pretty quickly. Why Your Dollar Stretches Further

The first time I stood in Registan Square at dusk, I didn’t expect to cry. But here’s the thing about the sound and light show that unfolds

I used to think the word “hauz” was just some archaic term until I stood at Lyabi Hauz in Bukhara and realized it literally means pool—and

I’ve walked past museum cabinets filled with dusty rocks more times than I care to admit, but the natural history collections at Tashkent’

I used to think straw was just something you threw away after harvest. Then I watched Gulnora Karimova’s hands move through a pile of dried wheat