THE SILK ROAD - SEPTEMBER


We're following the Silk Road (popularly known as the trade route from China through Central Asia and Northern Africa to Constantinople).  We're on just the part that passes through Uzbekistan: Tashkent (the capital) to Samarkand, then Bukhara, and Khiva.  

Stopping off at the end in the biggest city in Kazakhstan, Almaty (capital until 1997), and an overnighter (when our flight times home were changed at the last minute!) in the new capital Nur-Sultan (until recently, 'Astana'), as we're flying with the national carrier, also 'Astana'.


Quick quiz before some facts about the Silk Road and Uzbekistan: name the other 5 '-stan' ('land of...' by the way) countries, alongside Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan...

The Silk Road (or Route) seems to wander about between China (some even say Japan) and Turkey, depending on what period you're looking at and whom you believe.  Some routes go north via Russia, others dip into Syria and modern-day Iraq.  But all seem to agree that Uzbekistan (in particular Samarkand and Bukhara) were on the 'to do' list of every caravanserai and trader.

While you're still thinking, a few highlights to whet your appetite
Answers (and a prized place in the pub-quiz team when the geog round comes on) : Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. Half an honorary point if you said 'Turkestan', Tamberlane's other masterpiece alongside the Registan

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