Clay Letters of Love from Khiva
In brief: The beauty of Khiva comes from generations of leaders, like the last Khan, who built monuments for Allah - and for themselves. When he wrote poetry, a lot of love poetry, he called…
Finding the Unusual in Bukhara
In brief: The legacy of stories, sovereigns, styles, and sects helped to distinguish Bukhara from the other famous Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan. Satiated by the richness of old Samarkand (see article), we wondered how…
Timur’s Vision: The Flourishing of Samarkand
In brief: After destruction by the Mongols, it took strong leaders like Timur and his heirs to build a city of stunning architecture, great learning, and durability. A dazzling showcase. The essence of the Silk…
Fire and Clay: Ancient Towns of Tajikistan
In brief: We end our Tajik stay at the remnants of its early cultures. For them, fire was a link to the heavens. To us, it still seemed to warm the hearts of the people.…
Dushanbe: Empires Past and Present
In brief: In their passion for grand monuments, the current leaders of Tajikistan aim to make the capital heir to the empires of the past. Once part of the emirate that ruled from Bukhara in…
Tajikistan’s Fann Mountains 2: Seven Lakes – a String of Turquoise Jewels
In brief: You could endure a 10-hour tour and perilous roads to see the Seven Lakes...or just enjoy the beauty through our slideshow. In Part 1, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Beautiful, we…
Tajikistan’s Fann Mountains, Part 1: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful
In brief: Waterfalls, avalanches, mirror lakes, and extraordinary mountain landscape more than justified enduring Tajikistan's perilous dirt roads. Mountains. 93% of Tajikistan’s terrain is mountainous, with peaks of the Fann Range ascending to 5500 meters…
Bishkek: Capital of Tradition and Change
In brief: Like the Kyrgyz people, Bishkek has tried to honor the past in the face of change and disruption. After spending our time amid the rustic towns and high alpine terrain around Issyk-Kul, Bishkek…
The Myths and the Misses of Issyk-Kul
In brief: The Kyrgyz are a superstitious people in everyday life and spin tales about the countryside, notably at Issyk-Kul, their great lake. At 1600 meters in altitude (1 mile), Issyk-Kul - in the center…
A Wooden Spoonful: The Many Ingredients of Karakol
In brief: Our first stop in Kyrgyzstan gave us a taste of the diverse mix of ethnicities within the country. The 40 tribes of the Kyrgyz people were nomads who traced their origins back to…