Uzbekistan

Samarkand is famous for its surprisingly long history - it is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded 8 centuries BC. In the old days, this city was the most important point connecting East and West, and the Silk Road passed through Samarkand. Therefore, here, as nowhere else, a huge number of cultural and historical monuments have been preserved - such as mausoleums, museums, mosques, the ruins of ancient settlements and much more.

Samarkand was proclaimed in 2001 by UNESCO crossroads of cultures and world heritage site.

Another city on the Silk Road is ancient Khorezm, or Khiva as it is now called. Khiva can be considered an open-air museum - it is not for nothing that it is included in the UNESCO list, because every building here is a monument of antiquity. In the old part of the city of Ichan-Kala, founded around the 5th century AD, about 60 historical monuments have been preserved, including the citadel, palaces, mosques, minarets and mausoleums. In addition to the old city-fortress, there is another old part Dishan-Kala, where residential buildings and shopping arcades were located.

Namangan is the 2nd largest city in Uzbekistan after Tashkent, and therefore the most important city in the Ferghana Valley which has developed around its salt mines since the 17th century. Archaeological excavations have shown the presence of a colony from the first centuries of our era.

In the shade of mulberry trees, the city of Bukhara was an important stop on the Silk Road. A museum city that testifies to the rich past of Central Asia.

Bukhara- Buqaraq of the sogdienwhich would mean "fortunate place" and Vihara in Sanskrit which means a Buddhist monastery.