A country · 111 places · 8 regions

Uzbekistan, all of it.

111 curated places across 8 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Registan · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Samarqand Region, Karakalpakstan, Surxondaryo Region and Tashkent Region — read below as chapters, with 4 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Samarqand Region · 14 places

Samarqand Region

The Registan is the ceremonial heart of ancient Samarkand, framed by three madrasas whose facades are sheathed in intricate mosaic tilework in deep cobalt and turquoise. Early morning light illuminates the geometric patterns with particular clarity before crowds arrive. The ensemble dates primarily from the 15th through 17th centuries under the Timurid and Shaybanid dynasties, making it one of the finest concentrations of Islamic architecture in Central Asia.

Registan

Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan

✦ April to June, September to October · $

Shah-i-Zinda

Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan

✦ April to June, September to October · $

Ulugh Beg Observatory

Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan

✦ April to June, September to October · $

All 14 places in Samarqand Region →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Karakalpakstan · 13 places

Karakalpakstan

A museum in Nukus holding one of the world's largest collections of Soviet avant-garde art, much of it rescued from suppression. Its remote desert setting near the Aral Sea makes the trove all the more unexpected.

✦ April to October

Meet Savitsky Museum All 13 places in Karakalpakstan →

Chapter III · Surxondaryo Region · 10 places

Surxondaryo Region

On a bluff above the Amu Darya in southern Uzbekistan lie the ruins of this ancient fortified town, sometimes identified with a settlement founded in the age of Alexander the Great and later a thriving centre under the Kushan empire. Excavations have revealed mud-brick walls, streets, houses and a fortress overlooking a former river crossing on the road toward Bactria. Coins, pottery and Buddhist and Hellenistic finds attest to its role on trade and military routes.

Kampyr-Tepe

Surxondaryo Region, Uzbekistan

✦ April–May, September–October · $

Termez

Surxondaryo Region, Uzbekistan

✦ March to May, September to November

Fayaz-Tepe

Surxondaryo Region, Uzbekistan

✦ March to May, September to November

All 10 places in Surxondaryo Region →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Tashkent Region · 8 places

Tashkent Region

Chimgan is a mountain resort area in the western Tian Shan roughly 80 kilometres northeast of Tashkent, centred on a valley at about 1500 metres elevation. The surrounding peaks rise above 3300 metres and are accessible via chairlift in both summer and winter. In summer the meadows are carpeted with wildflowers and serve as the starting point for hikes toward the Beldersay ridgeline, while winter brings reliable snow cover for ski runs.

✦ June to September (hiking), December to February (skiing) · $

Meet Chimgan All 8 places in Tashkent Region →