Tales of 1001 Arabian nights

Have you ever read or watched "Aladdin"? Or put your nose into a big old book titled "1001 nights"?
If you have, you certainly must have dreamt about big palaces in the desert, oasis and camels, beautiful princesses and princes and a kind Sultan reigning over his land. Or maybe you thought about groups of scarf covered bandits, chasing through the dunes on mighty looking horses, holding their long swords high above their heads?
Uzbekistan's silk road cities Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva give you a good impression of these dreams in real life. Or at least the buildings do. Huge mosques and medressas (education buildings), minarets and mausoleums greet you around every corner. They're very accessible, some with free entry, some cost a marginal fee, every one of them a monument taking you to a different time. Yet, some of them are still actively used in their old purpose as well.
I was deeply impressed by all the handcrafted tiles and mosaics adorning the in- as well as the outside of the buildings.
Taking into account the beauty and uniqueness, of course, you'd barely walk around on your own. But sitting down in a quiet corner, reminiscing all the stories you've heard that are vibrating colorfully in your head, that's something.
We liked Samarkand's Registan the most, especially during sunset, but go and explore for yourself.
Just maybe skip the driving yourself part, the desert can get to you after hours and hours of nothing but heat, rocks and sand.Läs mer