Wanderlust - 04.2020

36 wanderlust.co.uk April 2020

EXPLORE CENTRAL ASIA

VERDICT:Forwell-preservedancienthistoryandbejewelledSilkRoadarchitecture,

Uzbekistanisimpossibletobeat.Butifyourappetiteisforunspoiltmountain

landscapes,yurtstaysandexperiencesofnomadiclife,Kyrgyzstanmayhavetheedge.

In2019,youvotedUzbekistanasyourtopemergingdestination;in2020,

Kyrgyzstanstoleitsneighbour’scrown.WhatisitaboutthesetwoCentralAsian

republicsthatexertssuchadraw,andhowcanyouchoosebetweenthem?

SilkRoadculturesareenshrinedin

UzbekistananditsUNESCOsites.Emperor

TimurbroughtcraftsmentoSamarkand

fromasfarasIndiaandIran,andmasters

inwoodwork,silkweaving,ceramicsand

miniaturepaintingcontinuetheirlegacy

today,whichcanbeadmiredatTashkent’s

AppliedArtsMuseum(pictured).

Kyrgyzstan’sculturewasbornon

horseback.It’sdeƒinedbyaclan-based

societyandthetraditionalmigrationof

thenomadicpopulation.Youcanstill

sleepinayurtbeneathafeltshyrdak

rug,ridebarebackbesidesƒlocksof

sheeporevenuseatrainedgoldeneagle

tohuntforrabbits.

CULTURE

Words:

Sophie Ibbotson

Images:

Shutterstock; Dreamstime; Alamy

Humanhistoryheredatesbackover

10,000years,withZoroastrian,Buddhist

andManichaeansocietiesprevailinglong

beforethearrivalofIslaminthe8thcentury.

TheNavoipetroglyphsdepictextinct

wildlife;AlexandertheGreatbuiltatNurata

andKampirTepe;andmorethan 50 ruined

castleshavebeenexcavatedinKhorezm.

ThevastpoemEpicofManasdescribesthe

triumphsofKyrgyzhero;thisoralhistoryis

keytonationalidentity.Scientistshave

discoveredremnantsofanancient

civilisationatthebottomofIssyk-KulLake

andhundredsofcarvedbalbals(pictured)

onthesteppe,whiletheBuranaTower’sall

thatremainsofanancientcity.

HISTORY

Head to Head

Uzbekistan VERSUS Kyrgyzstan

There’s an empty beauty in the Kyzylkum

Desert, which covers much of Uzbekistan.

But here, too, you’ll ƒind the Amu Darya River

with its fertile ƒlood plains; the agricultural

patchwork of Fergana; man-made reservoirs

and lakes; and the snow-capped peaks of

the Chimgan range, which beckon hikers

and winter sports enthusiasts alike.

LANDSCAPE

More than 90% of Kyrgyzstan is

mountainous. If you rolled Kyrgyzstan out

ƒlat, it’d probably cover the same land

area as China. Bishkek is ringed by jagged

peaks; Issyk Kul and Song Kul (pictured)

are Central Asia’s most photogenic lakes

and the country o™ers high mountain

passes, gorges, forests and meadows.

You’ll ƒind iconic mosques, madrasas and

minarets clad in turquoise and blue tiles in

the heart of the Silk Road. Ismail Samanid’s

mausoleum (pictured) is one of the earliest

examples of classic Islamic architecture,

with models from medieval Uzbekistan

even helping inspire India’s Taj Mahal.

Kyrgyzstan’s predominantly nomadic

population left little in terms of a built

environment, but the population made

up for it in the 20th century. Cities such

as Bishkek and Osh boast Soviet

architecture, from classical opera

ARCHITECTURE houses to Brutalist apartment blocks.

TOPTIP

Uzbekistan’s one of

only two doubly

landlocked countries

in the world (the
other’s Liechtenstein)

• in every direction
  of the compass,
  there are two or
  more countries
  between Uzbekistan
  and the sea.

AT A

GLANCE

Uzbekistan
Population
Around 30.5
million
Total area
447,400 km sq
Famous for
The UNESCO-
listed cities of
Samarkand,
Bukhara and Khiva

Kyrgyzstan
Population
Around 5.9 million
Total area
199,900 km sq
Famous for
Shining a light on
nomadic cultures
through the World
Nomad Games

Get There
Air Astana lies from
London to both
Tashkent (U) and
(via a connection)
Bishkek (K);
airastana.com

UZBEKISTAN KYRGYZSTAN