Uzbekistan is the country of an immensely rich heritage in terms of tourism. As the cultural and historic heart of Central Asia, the country has more than 4,000 historic sites and architectural treasures. The ancient “Silk Road” cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva lying between Europe and East Asia have been famous as the centers of commerce and trade. Every year several thousands of tourists visit the famous tile-clad mosques, madrases and ancient monuments in these cities.
Uzbekistan, one of the five Central Asian republics, and pearl of the ancient Great Silk Road, is home to over six thousand architectural monuments leaving a paragon of uniqueness spiraling through the vortex of the time. Cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva and Tashkent have long time been a trademark of Uzbekistan’s historical heritage. Moreover, Uzbekistan numerous natural attractions such as mountain peaks and rivers, mineral springs and well-known resorts, along with an authentic culture and wide array of applied arts magnetize a growing stream of foreign tourists.
Mountainous regions of Uzbekistan can also be rated as one of the most beautiful landscapes in Central Asia. This picturesque place is worth seeing for those who want to feel the harmony of merging with nature, to withdraw from reality and think of one's own place in life. Forests interchange with alpine meadows, which in turn give place to snow peaked summits with mighty tongues of glaciers. Western Tian-Shan mountaintops glitter under the blue sky, alpine pastures, savage gorges and river rapids that are difficult to access and for years have been an attraction for tourists. Summer time tourism activities include biking, hiking, trekking, rafting, canoeing, mountaineering, horse riding and leisure accommodation in new built mountain resorts. Winter in the mountains is as well full of opportunities for heliboarding, heliskiing, snowboarding and paragliding. Professional instructors provide high quality services and realization of all your real desires.
In addition to beautiful landscapes and great history, Uzbekistan is also the world's fourth-largest cotton nation, world's seventh-largest gold producer and harbors significant reserves of oil and natural gas, as well as uranium, silver, copper, zinc, coal and lead. Other mainstays of Uzbek economy include fruit and vegetables, animal husbandry and textiles, but it is the republic's mineral wealth that most excites foreign investors.
Most visitors arrive in summer to bake in a dry country aptly termed ‘the sunny republic', as every year brings over 300 days of sunshine and 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rainfall. Travel is most pleasant from the brief spring that dusts the desert with floral color until early June and from September to early November. The burning heat of summer is offset by low humidity, relatively cool evenings and bazaar stalls crowded with fresh fruit, and winter too is dry and sunny.
Becides, famous traditions of Uzbek hospitality, which are so deeply rooted within people, specific local customs and tasteful national cuisine make Uzbekistan a very attractive tourism destination for travelers from all over the world. History of Uzbekistan Geographical situation and climatic conditions of the Central Asian territory lying between 2 rivers played a decisive role in inhabiting these lands by people at early period. Taking into consideration of the above on the territory where now Uzbekistan is situated the settled agriculture came into existence and started developing in ancient times and towns sprang up all over the country and very in a short time they became handicraft and trade centers.
Archaeological investigations showed that the process of inhabiting of the territory of Uzbekistan dates back to the Stone Age. It is to be noted that archaeologists have found and studied monuments of various epochs in Uzbekistan: ancient, early and late middle Ages.
The period of 3000 - 1000 years B.C. is described as Bronze Age. People began to manufacture metal instruments and tools. Excavations of a typical settlement of cattle - breeders Zaman - Bada showed us, that the human society was distinctively divided into two large groups: cattle - breeders and those who cultivated arable lands.
The most ancient information about the nationalities is written in "Avesta" - the code of holy hymns of Zoroastrians. Many investigators consider Central Asia as the native land of that religion. According to the original sources Soghdians, Bactries and other nationalities inhabited these lands. In 6 - 4 centuries B.C. a great part of the Central Asian lands were included under the power of Persian dynasty Akhemenids. The above-mentioned nationalities are described in Persian original sources. Greek writers mentioned the existence of Marokanda city (Nowadays Samarkand) and Kiropol in Fergana. The archaeologists studied many other towns of that period situated in North Bactria, Khorezm and Margilan.
In 4 - 3 centuries B.C. Central Asia was conquered by Macedonians and then by Selevkids. Conquest of Alexander the Great made a great effect on economic and cultural development of peoples of the East, West and Central Asia.
In the middle of the 3rd century B.C. conquered regions became independent and local dynasties came to power. Bactria, which included southern part of Uzbekistan and local Tajikistan, became the kernel of the Greek - Bactrian Empire and later came into the Kushan Empire, which was as considerable empire as other great states of antiquity: Rome, Khan Empire of China, Parthia. In 7 - 8 centuries Arab Khalifat conquered the Central Asia. In the 10th century the Arabs were forced to withdraw their troops because of Samanid's coming to power.
In 1st -10th centuries Turk conquerors came to power in the Central Asia. During this period such ancient towns as Bukhara, Samarkand and Termez began to develop, new settlements along caravan routes sprang up.
By 1221 Genghis Khan domains spread from China to the Caspian and the grand cities of Central Asia lay in ruin (only 50000 out of 100000 population survived in Samarkand). His successors pushed even further, simultaneously challenging the Japanese and the Germans from the greatest land empire the world has ever seen.
In the middle of the 14th century a local ruler known in Europe as Timurlane (Temour Lang) twice in rapid succession defeated the Mongol Army led by Tokhnamish. As a result his state became gained independence and rapidly increased as he started his successful marshes.
Finally, his Empire became one of the greatest states that had ever existed in Central Asia and his capital Samarkand became the most beautiful city in the region.
In the 14th century Uzbek nomands, invaded from the North, conquered the small feudal states of Timurids and formed their own state afterwards called Uzbekistan. |
