Why are you going to Uzbekistan?
Why Uzbekistan? Because a decade ago I saw an image of Shakhi-Zindi necropolis and could not let it go. A brief introduction to this double land-locked country of 30 million people and ancient cities. (3 min read)
The idea of going to Uzbekistan was seeded about a decade ago when I saw an image of Shakhi-Zindi necropolis in Samarkand. I could not let the image go and a few years later I purchased a stunning coffee table book which convinced me there is a place that can rival Iran’s most beautiful Islamic architecture and design. So after visiting Iran in 2019, the plan was to go to Uzbekistan in 2020… and then the world closed down.
The region that is now Uzbekistan has been inhabited for at least 100,000 years but this country has only existed since it declared its independence from the USSR in 1991. It has about 30 million people, about 3/4 of whom are Uzbek.
About the same size as Sweden, Uzbekistan is one of two “double land-locked” countries. This means the countries that surround it are also land-locked. Uzbekistan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest and north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east and southeast, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southwest. The autonomous republic of Qoraqalpoghiston (Karakalpakstan) is located in the western third of the country.
© Paul McCarthy & Iluminar.au
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