Phespirit goes to Tashkent - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
Aside from the Osman Koran - a credible candidate for the title of 'oldest koran in the world' - there is nothing in the capital city that can be considered to have a genuine international significance.
Even so, Phespirit enjoyed his wanderings.
Phespirit goes to Urgench - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
Passing through its outer edges by coach, en route from Urgench airport to nearby Khiva, Phespirit observed that Urgench is not the typically soulless Soviet cityscape that is often depicted; but then again, he equally observed no reason to stop for a look around.
Phespirit goes to Khiva - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
The tops of the mud walls of old Khiva can be reached via a slope by the North Gate, but sadly only the northern half can be walked. Good views across the city can also be appreciated from the tops of minarets, although their staircases can be dark and trecherous; beware the plank fixed at the top of the Juma Mosque's minaret!
Phespirit goes to Bukhara - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
Like Tashkent, the ancient city of Bukhara is situated at the heart of an earthquake zone. Reassuringily, Phespirit had a copy of the Hotel Bukhara Palace's "safety measures in case of earthquake".
Phespirit goes to Shakhrisabz - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
The colossal twin entrance towers of Ak-Serai - the ruined palace of Timur (also known as Tamerlane) - are still the most imposing structures in town. They stand at one end of Victory Park, which is a popular location for newly-weds and their entourages to pose for wedding photographs. Phespirit observed three such groups in the space of an hour.
Also favoured for Uzbek wedding photographs are the Earthquake Monument in Tashkent and Polvon Qori Street in Khiva.
Phespirit goes to Samarkand - sightseeing checklist:
# = admired from the outside only
Having arrived at Samarkand and checked in to the Hotel Afrosiab Palace, Phespirit walked ten minutes up the road to the Registan. This magnificant ensemble of madrassahs built between 1417 and 1664 is surely peerless. Such a wonder to see. Phespirit visited it again in the evening for the 'sound and light show' (in French), but this succeeded only in making the spectacular appear mediocre.
