Khiva
It's possible to climb this 57m tall minaret, Uzbekistan's highest, for fine views over the old city. Morning light offers the best views. With bands of…
Must-see attractions in Central Asia
Bishkek
Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII, this monument is designed to evoke three symbolic yurt struts curving above an eternal flame. It…
Bishkek
The seat of government in Kyrgyzstan, the sidewalk out front of this Stalinist Modern construction is also the site of regular protests organised by local…
Bishkek
Dedicated to the 'Queen of the Alay', this 19th-century stateswoman and tribal leader was famous in Kyrgyzstan long before being featured in a 2014 film…
Nukus
On a hill 20km west of Nukus, near Hojeli, are the remains of ancient Mizdakhan, once the second-largest city in Khorezm. Inhabited from the 4th century…
Turkmenistan
The best remaining testimony to Seljuq power at Merv is the 38m-high Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, located in what was the centre of Sultan Kala. The…
Afghanistan
Mawlana Abdur Rahman Jami was Herat’s greatest poet and one of the greatest Sufi poets who wrote in Persian. He was a regular at the court of Sultan…
Kazakhstan
Lovers of mysterious, remote ruins should venture out to Akyrtas – Kazakhstan's Stonehenge – on the steppe 6km south of Aksholak village. What you'll find…
Khiva
Walk south from the Abdulla Khan Medressa to the Islom Hoja Medressa and minaret – Khiva’s newest Islamic monuments, both built in 1910. You can climb the…
Turkmenistan
Like entering Milton’s underworld, only with changing rooms and a staircase, a visit to the Köw Ata Underground Lake is a unique experience. You enter a…
Turkmenistan
Turabeg Khanym Complex, opposite the Konye-Urgench ticket office, is still the subject of some debate. Locals and some scholars consider this a mausoleum,…
Ashgabat
Looking like a lost palace in the urban desert, the National Museum occupies a striking position in front of the Kopet Dag. It’s actually a collection of…
Kazakhstan
Around 22km northwest of the town of Shetpe, this awe-inspiring, 332m-high, 1km-long chalk outcrop that resembles a lion's head looms over the desert. To…
Kyrgyzstan
The 60m Belogorka Waterfall is one of the most impressive in the Bishkek area. The surrounding valley is dominated by a sharply pointed spike of mountain…
Afghanistan
Once comparable to Babylon in splendour and size, the remains of the ancient city of Balkh still offer glimpses of a magnificent Afghani history.
Tajikistan
This important shrine complex marks the spot where the remains of the great Persian poet Rudaki (858–941) were found in 1958. The modern complex, built in…
Dushanbe
Tajikistan's national museum is housed in an impressive modern building with an elliptical roof and giant atrium. The collection encompasses three main…
Kazakhstan
The World Heritage–listed Tamgaly Petroglyphs are the most impressive of many petroglyph groups in southeastern Kazakhstan. Set in a lushly vegetated…
Kabul
Holding over 15,000 documents, the National Archive is housed in a palace built at the end of the 19th century by Abdur Rahman Khan for his son. …
Samarkand
The Afrosiab Museum was built around one of Samarkand’s more important archaeological finds, a chipped 7th-century fresco of the Sogdian King Varkhuman (r…
Turkmenistan
With bands of pink, red and yellow rock searing across the sides of steep canyon walls, Yangykala is a breathtaking sight and one of the most spectacular…
Turkmenistan
This museum is housed in a sparkling white-marble palace across the river from the centre of town. The enormous premises is home to a collection of…
Kyrgyzstan
This memorial complex, the name of which means 'Grave of Our Fathers' in Kyrgyz, commemorates a mass grave in which the bodies of 137 local intelligentsia…
National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan
Dushanbe
Looking almost as aged as some of the exhibits it houses, this dusty old museum, with its threadbare carpets and uneven floors, has a certain charm about…
Kyrgyzstan
Koshoy Korgan (Koshoy's fortress) is a 250m square of muddy wall remnants from what is thought to have been a powerful 12th-century Karakhanid citadel,…
Kabul
Called the 'Mosque of the King of Two Swords', the Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque on Kabul river must be one of the most unusual in Islam. Built in the 1920s…
Mausoleum of Al-Hakim al-Termizi
Uzbekistan
Termiz's holiest sight is dedicated to a 9th-century Sufi philosopher, known locally as Al-Hakim, the city’s patron saint. In a triumph for…
Bukhara
The student rooms at the 16th-century Abdul Aziz Khan Medressa are occupied, rather typically, by souvenir shops. This is an unrestored gem, built by its…
Uzbekistan
The town of Urgut, 40km south of Samarkand, is best known for its bazaar. This is one of the best places in the country to buy jewellery, suzani and…
Almaty
This large, two-level market has a true flavour of Central Asia, and is worth putting on your itinerary even if you're not really food shopping. It's been…
Sheikhantaur Mausoleum Complex
Tashkent
Just north of Navoi boulevard are three 15th-century mausoleums. The biggest, on the grounds of the Tashkent Islamic University, bears the name of Yunus…
Afghanistan
The Mausoleum of Gowhar Shad sits in a small park, currently undergoing extensive replanting. It’s a textbook example of Timurid architecture, with its…
Ploshchad Poyushchykh Fontanov
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
The eastern half of Nurzhol bulvar starts with this plaza, which springs to life with music-and-water shows at 9pm on summer evenings. Further east stand…
Kyrgyzstan
From Tash Rabat, roughly six hours on foot or by plodding horse should get you to a broad ridge overlooking massive °ä³ó²¹³Ù²â°ù-°Ã¶±ô (Чатыр-көл) – 23km long and…
Afghanistan
Spread across a hill 5km north of Herat, Takht-e Safar is a popular place for picnics. Built as a pleasure garden for Sultan Baiqara in the 14th century,…
Afghanistan
A cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammed is housed in the Mosque of the Sacred Cloak, by far the city’s most valued treasure. The mosque is situated opposite…
Kyrgyzstan
A string of souvenir stalls leads to this 23m waterfall. Though the falls themselves are only worth a quick look, you can escape the summer crowds by…
Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex
Ashgabat
Unveiled in 2014, this vast complex features three memorials honouring those that died in the 1948 earthquake, soldiers who perished in WWII and those…
Bukhara
This wealthy merchant's house, built in 1892, was once home to one of Bukhara’s many infamous personalities, the man who plotted with the Bolsheviks to…
Afghanistan
Two shrines sit on the main road just south of the Musalla Complex. Built in the late 15th century, they contain the tombs of two princes, Abdullah and…
