See this fascinating country before it changes (again)

Strolling the streets of Bukhara, it’s easy to forget this city, now part of modern-day Uzbekistan, has a rather sinister history. Once a stop on the Silk Road, its old town is both expansive and incredibly beautiful. But it wasn’t always like this.

About halfway through the 13-day Ultimate Uzbekistan itinerary with Wendy Wu Tours, we’ve already ogled Soviet avant-garde art at the Savitsky Museum and strolled around the hillside Mizdakhan Necropolis with not another person in sight. At Ayaz-Kala, a fortress thousands of years old, I’d peeled off from the group and explored its crumbling outer walls before realising, with time ticking, the only way to get back was to retrace my steps.

Then there was an overnight stop in Khiva, a city where artisans and craftspeople ply their wares in a living museum bathed in exquisite desert light.

My mind is reeling thanks to our guide Ildar Yunusov, a walking encyclopaedia. The history of his country is complicated, engrossing and often violent. As part of Central Asia, the Silk Road ran through this region as early as the first century BC, connecting China with the Middle East and imperial Rome. Since then, it has been ruled by the Persians and, briefly, by Alexander the Great.

The Hindu kings took their place until they were defeated by the Arabs, who converted the region’s inhabitants to Islam. Genghis Khan arrived in a marauding fury before the Mongol-Turkic ruler Timur (also known as Tamerlane) took charge. An incredible military leader, he expanded his empire from Delhi to Ankara, murdering or enslaving anyone in his path. To his people, Timur was a hero, an intellectual and patron of the arts. Eventually, along with the rest of Central Asia, the region became part of the Russian empire, with independence finally coming to the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1991.

By the 10th century, Bukhara was an important centre of Islamic culture, but it looks very different today. This vision stretches back to the 1600s, when it was home to caravanserai and covered bazaars, more than a hundred medressas and about 300 mosques. Ildar leads us to Kalon Square, where the focal point is the 46-metre-high Kalon Minaret, built in 1127.

“Bukhara didn’t even resist Genghis Khan,” says Ildar of the Mongol leader’s invasion in 1220. “They opened the gate and let him in.

“He dropped his hat and bent over to pick it up without thinking. He realised he’d bowed before the minaret, so he left it. Then he went and slaughtered everyone in the mosque.”

During his murderous rampage, the Mongol army destroyed all but the minaret, which they used as a watchtower and lighthouse when not throwing people from the top. The structure also got lucky during the Soviet Union bombings almost exactly seven centuries later. You can see where it’s been patched up between its bands of glazed blue tiles. They can be seen on buildings all over Uzbekistan, but this was the first time they’d been used.

The Kalon Mosque in the square today is big enough to hold 10,000 people for Friday prayers. Opposite it is the Mir-i-Arab Medressa, with its blue domes that glow in the light of the setting sun. After dark, crowds gather here to walk around the square and stare at its timeless beauty.

Beyond the walls of the Bukhara’s old town, Sitorai Mohi Hosa is the summer palace of the last emir, Alim Khan, with its combination of Russian architecture and more traditional Central Asian design. One of its buildings sits by a pond.

“Legend has it the emir would sit on that balcony and watch his naked concubines swimming in the pond,” Ildar tells us. “He would throw an apple to the one he wanted, and if she caught it, she would join him.”

As we sip coffee in the shady garden where peacocks roam, it’s easy to imagine the scene. Yet like all the ancient sites of this impressive country, the crowds enjoying the garden are sparse. Even in Samarkand, with its epic Registan Square and the avenue of stunning mausoleums called Shah-i-Zinda, the tempo is relaxed. As infrastructure evolves, its political leaders reform and this region becomes better known, that is sure to change. Best plan to visit before Uzbekistan that happens.

THE DETAILS

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Wendy Wu Tours’ 13-day Ultimate Uzbekistan itinerary visits ancient and more modern sites in Tashkent, Nukus, Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. The journey is fully inclusive, covering return economy airfares, comfortable travel by coach, air and fast train, as well as accommodation, meals and entrance fees. Prices start at $9590 per person, twin share. See wendywutours.com.au