Tashkent to Tehran

Places To See

Moynaq

Once one of the Aral Sea's two major fishing ports, Moynaq now stands almost 150km (93mi) from the water. What remains of Moynaq's fishing fleet lies rusting on the sand, beside depressions marking the town's last futile efforts in the early 1980s to keep channels open to the shore.

Poignant reminders of Moynaq's tragedy are everywhere: the sign at the entrance to the town has a fish on it; a fishing boat stands as a kind of monument on a makeshift pedestal near the Government House. The beached ships are a five minute walk south of the hotel, across the main road and beyond the collection of homes.

Forget about reaching the current shore. It is a seven to eight hour drive across salty marshland that only a sturdy jeep and experienced drive could handle.

Khiva

Khiva (Uzbek: Hiva) is an odd place. Its historic heart, unlike those of other Central Asian cities, is preserved in its entirety - but so well preserved that the life has almost been squeezed out of it. As a result of a Soviet conservation program in the 1970s and 80s, it's now a squeaky-clean official 'city-museum'.

Even among its densely packed mosques, tombs, palaces, alleys and at least 16 medressas, you need imagination to get a sense of its mystique, bustle and squalor.

A few of the historic buildings in Ichon-Qala are functioning mosques or shrines, but most are museums. You can see it all in a day trip from Urgench, but you'll take it in better by staying longer. Morning and evening are the best times, and there are several decent places to stay. Khiva is at its best by night when the moonlit silhouettes of the tilting columns and medressas, viewed from twisting alleyways, work their magic.

Bukhara

Central Asia's holiest city, Bukhara (on road signs you'll see the Latinised Uzbek word Buxoro, pronounced Buhoro) has buildings spanning a thousand years of history, and a thoroughly lived-in old centre that probably hasn't changed much in two centuries. It is one of the best places in Central Asia for a glimpse of pre-Russian Turkestan.

Most of the centre is an architectural preserve, full of former medressas, a massive royal fortress, and the remnants of a once-vast market complex. Allow at least two days to look around. If you're short on time, at least see Lyabi-Hauz, the covered markets, the Kalon Minaret and Mosque, the mausoleum of Ismail Samani and the unique little Char Minar.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

The best time to visit is in spring from May until the end of June, and in autumn from September until November. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. In autumn it's harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit. If you're interested in trekking the mountains, summer (July and August) is a better time to visit; at all other times the weather is unpredictable and there can be snow in the passes from Christmas to February. You may wish to remain in the mountains to stay cool, as the rest of the country will be sizzling at this time. But remember, whilst the mountains are pleasantly cool in summer, they are freezing in winter.

Travel Visa Overview

Every visitor to Uzbekistan needs a visa. Some nationalities need an invitation from an Uzbek citizen, firm or organisation approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or from an accredited Uzbek travel agent. The visa fee varies by nationality, but ranges between 60.00-120 for a 30-day single entry visa.

Electricity

220V

50Hz

Electrical Plugs

Australian-style plug with two flat angled blades and one vertical grounding blade

European plug with two circular metal pins

Health Information

Diphtheria

Diptheria

Vaccination against this serious bacterial disease is very effective, so you don't need to worry if you've been properly immunised against it. It mainly affects children and causes a cold-like illness that is associated with a severe sore throat. A thick white membrane forms at the back of the throat which can suffocate you, but what makes this a really nasty disease is that the diphtheria bug produces a very powerful poison which can cause paralysis and affect the heart. Otherwise healthy people can carry the bug in their throats, and it's transmitted by sneezing and coughing. It can also cause a skin ulcer known as a veldt sore. Vaccination protects against this form too. Treatment is with penicillin and a diphtheria antitoxin, if necessary.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis

Several different viruses cause hepatitis; they differ in the way that they are transmitted. The symptoms in all forms of the illness include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, feelings of weakness and aches and pains, followed by loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-coloured faeces, jaundiced (yellow) skin and yellowing of the whites of the eyes. Hepatitis A is transmitted by contaminated food and drinking water. Seek medical advice, but there is not much you can do apart from resting, drinking lots of fluids, eating lightly and avoiding fatty foods. Hepatitis E is transmitted in the same way as hepatitis A; it can be particularly serious in pregnant women.

Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood, blood products or body fluids, for example through sexual contact, unsterilised needles (and shaving equipment) and blood transfusions, or contact with blood via small breaks in the skin. The symptoms of hepatitis B may be more severe than type A and the disease can lead to long-term problems such as chronic liver damage, liver cancer or a long-term carrier state. Hepatitis C and D are spread in the same way as hepatitis B and can also lead to long-term complications.

There are vaccines against hepatitis A and B, but there are currently no vaccines against the other types. Following the basic rules about food and water (hepatitis A and E) and avoiding risk situations (hepatitis B, C and D) are important preventative measures.

Weather Information

Temperatures in Uzbekistan vary wildly, with 20°C (68°F) drops at night and dramatic differences between the deserts and mountains. Rain is minimal, except at higher altitudes, but does tend to turn everything to mud from March to April and October to November. The lowlands can be quite pleasant from May to early June and September to early October. Midsummer (mid-July to August) is insane, with temperatures up to 40°C (104°F) in Tashkent, and 50°C (122°F) in southern Uzbekistan. In winter (January to February), daytime temperatures hover around -5°C to 10°C (23°F to 50°F).

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

The land along the upper Amu-Darya, Syr-Darya and their tributaries has always been different from the rest of Central Asia. Its people are more settled than nomadic, with patterns of land use and social structures that changed little from the 6th century BC to the 19th century. The region was part of several very old Persian states. During the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great passed through and married the daughter of a local chieftain near Samarkand. Under the Kushan empire, Buddhism took hold and the Silk Road brought peaceful contact with the wider world. Towns grew and the area became rich.

In the 6th century AD, Western Turks rode out of the steppes, bringing Islam and a written alphabet. When they moved on to greener pastures, Persia took over again, until Jenghiz Khan and his hordes rolled over the country. With the rise of the ruthless warrior Timur in the 14th century, Uzbekistan again rose to prosperity and Samarkand became a glittering Islamic capital thanks to Timur's patronage of the arts.

Around this time, certain Mongol tribes took the name Uzbek. In the 14th century they began moving south, eventually conquering Timur's empire. By 1510 they had control of everything from the Amu-Darya to the Syr-Darya, and they have maintained control ever since. In the early 18th century the khan of Khiva asked Peter the Great of Russia for aid in defending his land against Turkmen and Kazakhs, stirring the first Russian interest in Central Asia. However, by the time the Russians got around to marching on Khiva, the khan no longer wanted their help and massacred almost the entire army. Apart from a few minor forays, the next major Russian excursion was made in 1839 by Tsar Nicholas I, who was eager to prevent British expansion in the area, but the mission was not a great success. Twenty-five years later the Russians again made a serious move on Uzbekistan and by 1875 the region was theirs.

Modern History

After the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks proclaimed the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Turkestan, despite the fact that most Central Asians defined themselves not by country, but as ethnic Turks or Persians. In October 1924, Uzbekistan was declared, although it changed shape and size many times in the following decades. For rural Uzbeks, Soviet rule meant forced collectivisation of their farms and a huge shift to cotton cultivation. For the intelligentsia it meant devastating purges.

The first serious non-communist popular movement was formed in 1989 to speak out on cotton farming and the use of Uzbek as an official language. Although (or because) the movement was very popular, it was not permitted to contest elections. After Moscow's 1991 coup Uzbekistan was declared independent, and its Communist Party changed its name but retained everything else. The party's leader, Karimov, has held onto power ever since, largely because genuine opposition groups are still not allowed to contest elections. In fact, since independence his power has grown and dissent has shrivelled, thanks to restrictions on travel, political activism and publishing, the introduction of a virtual police state, and the ever-present threat of violence. Officially Uzbekistan is a multi-party democracy, but in reality, opposition groups are terrorised out of existence. In 1999, militant Islamic groups struggled to overthrow the government. Sixteen people were killed and hundreds injured in Tashkent by bomb blasts that February. Uzbek fighter planes were unable to dislodge the Islamic gunmen who stationed themselves across the southern border.

Recent History

President Karimov has presented himself as a champion of democracy at home and abroad, but human rights organisations and activists publicly question his sincerity. In reality he seems committed to authoritarian rule, and torture is a feature of his ruling style. Nevertheless, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks the government forged a close alliance with the US military. The US used this alliance to operate from military bases in southern Uzbekistan in its 2002 war in Afghanistan, but relations cooled in May 2005 after Uzbek officials violently put down a civil protest in Andijon. Unknown hundreds were massacred in the attack, earning President Karimov a strong rebuke from Washington. Karimov responded by throwing the US military out of Uzbekistan and moving towards stronger regional alliances with China and Russia. Since the Andijon massacre, journalists and NGO workers have likewise been shuffled out of the country and the US is considering imposing sanctions on the country.