Traveling around Uzbekistan

The Dorut Tilovat complex sits in Shakhrisabz like a half-remembered dream, crumbling and magnificent. I’ve walked through dozens of Central Asian

I’ve walked past dozens of madrasahs in Central Asia, and honestly, most of them blur together after a while. But the Bikajan Bika Madrasah in Khiva—this

I used to think artisan markets were basically the same everywhere—you know, the usual suspects selling overpriced scarves and questionable “

I used to think zoos were just sad concrete boxes where animals paced endlessly, but then I spent three days at Tashkent Zoo and—honestly—my assumptions

I used to think Buddhism just sort of… vanished from Central Asia, like it packed up and moved to Tibet one day. Turns out, the remnants are still

I used to think shopping in ancient cities meant dodging tourist traps with mass-produced junk stamped “authentic.” Then I spent three days

I used to think court music was just—you know, background noise for royalty eating grapes. The Shash Maqam Tradition and Its Bewildering Complexity in

I’ve spent the better part of three autumns chasing birds across Uzbekistan’s nature reserves, and honestly, I’m still not sure I’

I used to think corn husks were just agricultural waste. Then I spent three weeks in the Fergana Valley watching Uzbek artisans transform these papery

The first time I walked into the Juma Mosque in Khiva, I wasn’t prepared for the forest. I mean, it’s not an actual forest—obviously—but the