Travel Back To Babylon In Samarkand
Still to do
What it is
Samarkand was a major city on the Silk Road, with the Registan square and its blue-tiled madrasas.
How to do it
Fly to Tashkent and take the high-speed Afrosiyob train to Samarkand, about two hours away.
Top tip
Visit the Registan again at night, when it's lit up.
Why it’s on my list
The city of Samarkand has been at the crossroads of world cultures for over two and a half millennia, and is one of the most important sites on the Silk Routes traversing Central Asia.
With beginnings that make Samarkand as old as Babylon, this beautiful city on the Silk Road has survived many of history’s major upheavals including Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and the Arabic conquest.