Brits have long been enamoured with the Silk Road, and with Uzbekistan in particular. From James Elroy Flecker’s The Golden Journey to Samakrand to Robert Byron’s The Road to Oxiana, the lure of these places – and of the voyages to get there – permeates our national consciousness and popular literature.

That’s no surprise: Alexander the Great was so bowled over by Samarkand that he declared it was more beautiful than he ever imagined; and even Genghis Khan, not normally known for his sentimentality, admired the Kalon Minaret so much that he forbade his Mongol troops from touching it, even as they razed the rest of Bukhara to the ground.

 Silk Road Cities

Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities still captivate even the most world-weary of travellers. Four cities, Bukhara, Khiva, Samarkand, and Shakhrisabz, have UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and numerous smaller monuments are recognised by UNESCO as part of the Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor group.

In a matter of days you can watch sunrise over the Chilpik Dakhma, a Zoroastrian tower of silence first constructed in the 1st century BC; imagine the decadent lifestyle enjoyed by the khans of Khiva in the magnificent palaces of the Ichan Qala; climb the 104 steps to the top of the Kalon Minaret (yes, it’s still standing!); and say a quiet prayer in the courtyard of the Bibi Khanym Mosque, once the largest mosque in Central Asia. The mausoleums and shrines, bathhouses and bazaars, caravanserais and madrassas are almost too numerous to count.

If you love architecture, you will be in your element. Uzbekistan offers a jaw-dropping array of styles, from Buddhist monasteries with a strong Graeco-Bactrian influence, to monuments from the Golden Age of Islam, and even distinctive Tashkent Modernism. Construction and creativity go hand in hand as national obsessions.

 Religious landmarks

Much inspiration for Uzbekistan’s most impressive buildings has religious origins. Buddhism spread to Central Asia from India 2,000 years ago, and you can still see the dome of a stupa shadowing the courtyards of Fayaz Tepe. Its sister monastery, Kara Tepe, is only moments away, and Buddhist artefacts excavated, including a statue of Buddha sat under the sacred bodhi tree, take pride of place in Termez Archaeological Museum.

The arrival of Islam from the 8th century onwards tied Central Asia politically and culturally to Arabia and Persia, which is why you see such a strong resemblance between Uzbekistan’s medieval monuments and those in Iran. Mosques, madrassas, and mausoleums shimmer with gold and glazed tiles; their blue-green colour scheme is emblematic of the Silk Road.

With very few exceptions, religious buildings are open to both men and women, and as long as you are respectfully dressed, those of all religions and none are welcome.

Visiting Uzbekistan is a feast for every one of your senses, and when you smell freshly baked bread wafting from the tandyr, or see the shiny red strawberries piled high, it is inevitable that your stomach will start rumbling. Sightseeing always builds up an appetite, and the Uzbekistani people take incredible pride both in their cuisine and in affectionately overfeeding their guests.

 National dishes

Unsurprisingly, Uzbekistan’s national dishes reflect the country’s Silk Road history. Every family has their own recipe for plov, the rice-based dish which is a close cousin of pilaf and biryani; somsa are pastries akin to samosas, encompassing a tasty hot filling of meat and onion or soft pumpkin; and you’ll want to slurp up multiple bowls of laghman, a hearty noodle soup typically topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill.

Every community which has come to or traded with Uzbekistan has made their mark on regional gastronomy, which is why you’ll see Russian borscht on menus and even Korean kimchi in the bazaars!