The age of most of the Uzbek cities is more than 2,500 years. Uzbekistan is known primarily by ancient Bukhara and Samarkand. These are unique cities - the pearls of Central Asian culture.
Having been in Samarkand, a fantastic city, you will find that everything what you have seen and experienced is a dream, inspired by the fairy tales of the East. Splendor and grandeur of ancient palaces and mosques sneaks right through to the heart.
It is truly exciting to touch the ancient shrine, shrouded in legends of not one hundred generations or live tree 600 years of age. On the streets of this country there is a spirit of old times. It is the unforgettable experience!
In Urgut district of Samarkand region there is an extraordinary variety of attractions: monuments of history, sacred, respected, or just very beautiful places. The Ukrainian archaeologist Alexei Savchenko, after many years of research, finally found here the ruins of the medieval Christian monastery. This monastery, according to the Arab traveler of the 10th century Ibn Haukal, was in all Sogdia the main center of the Church of the East (Nestorian Christianity). Here archaeologists discovered a Buddhist temple and the sanctuary of Zoroastrianism.
In the Urgut pilgrims worship Sufien – a place connected with the founder of the Islamic mystical order Qadiri sheikh Govsuli Azam Abdul Kodir.
Not far from Urgut there is a gray karst plateau Kyrktau, through worm-caves with vertical labyrinths and underground reservoirs. In an almost inaccessible tract Aman-dar unique landscapes of Central Asia millennial grove of pines and firs is hiding from hunters. And next to the pass Takhtak Aracha, in the valley Takhalik-say D.N.Lev, the archaeologist in 1966 found a cave with lots of artifacts of so-called Mousterian era (100-40 thousand years ago). The locals call this sight the "Lion Cave", not only because the name of the archaeologist, but also bizarre stone figures around inevitably comes up against such comparisons.
From Amankutan or Agalyk villages the mountain trails lead away in the direction of the granite plateau of the Karatepa ridge. This is an entire country of weird rocks, over which the wind and the birds of prey reign.
In the spring the steppe is lit by countless red and yellow tulips, pink Ferula and Eremurus. If, yielding to an involuntary delight, start to run across from one unusual rock to another, for half an hour, you can wander God knows where, lost direction, common sense and the very belief in the reality.
Somewhere on the outskirts of the Granite plateau there is the legendary rock massif Shaitan-Djiga - a wide area, crowded with gigantic boulders, like dancing demons. Click the link and order the appropriate tour route to Uzbekistan sights.
Uzbekistan is a home to more than 100 nations and nationalities. All of them - the Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Russian, others are generous, hospitable and open. During the talks they are eager to know more about you, consider you as a valued guest. Talking to you, they know how to listen. These people will admire you their zest for life.
At warm dark nights in a small fruit garden you will drink teas, eat sweets, play backgammon, simultaneously teaching the tricks of this game, and none other will ever remember that all is not included in the list of services. You will be told about life in Uzbekistan that you will never learn from the guide.
