Things to see and do Qashqadaryo & Surxondaryo Areas

The mosque was built by Ulugh Begh opposite the Shamsheddin Koulial Mausoleum in 1435. Before renovation, only the interior dome remained, 22 m high; today it is 36 m high. She gave her name to the mosque: Kok Goumbaz means "blue dome". The acoustics are perfect. The walls and the inner dome are entirely covered with fine polychrome geometric patterns. Notice the glazed bricks of the outside gate, you can clearly distinguish between old and new bricks.

Ak means "white", but was understood as "noble", because white was by no means the colour of Tamerlan's palace, whose walls were covered with azure and dark blue majolica. The first contact with this huge square was disappointing. Indeed, not much remains of the sumptuous palace that Clavijo's story allows us to imagine. The ruins of the portal are immense - 30 m - and still covered with majolica tiles, but the 22 m high vault did not resist the earthly attraction. The depredations are ancient, since it was the Emir of Bukhara who had the building destroyed in the 16th century: the palace, whose construction lasted more than a quarter of a century, cast a shadow over it. There is of course a legend about the architect of this palace : in the first version, once the palace was finished, Tamerlan asked the architect if he was capable of building an even more beautiful palace, the boaster answered yes, and was immediately thrown from the top of the walls; in the second version, the architect was supposed to inscribe at the foot of the arch, the following sentence: "The Sultan is the shadow of Allah" but, on one of the sides, he ran out of room, which gave: "The Sultan is the shadow"! In each tower, a spiral staircase climbs to the top from where there is a splendid view of the city and the snow-covered peaks to the south. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to climb the palace gates to enjoy the beautiful panorama of the city and its surroundings.

The grave that Tamerlan reserved for himself near his sons remained forgotten for a very long time and was rediscovered by chance in the 1940s. Its extreme sobriety is the opposite of the mausoleum in which he finally rests, the Gur Emir of Samarkand, and was more suited to his desires: just a tombstone engraved with prayers in a small, cool and silent crypt, the walls of which also bear inscriptions engraved in stone. It is one of the most interesting places to visit in Sharisabz, having been spared by the reconstruction.

This madrasa was transformed into a museum devoted to Timur's history. Educative, but not particularly interesting. Avoid unless you know nothing about the conqueror.

At the entrance of the necropolis dedicated to a local branch of the Sayyid dynasty is an impressive sardoba (water reservoir) whose huge vault is still preserved. The mausoleum of Seyd Amir Samsidin was built in the 16th century, but the marble tombstone dates from 1491. The summer mosque and the domed mosque were built between the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the minaret for which bricks from the ancient city of Kasba were used.

In the middle of a cemetery, this complex of mausoleums and mosques was built between the 9th and 16th centuries. Its origin is the wise Azrat Khussan Ata, who died there. Born in the city of Turkestan (now in Kazakhstan), in the ninth century according to the imam of the mosque, in the eleventh according to Soviet scholars, he would have gone as far as Mecca and returned here, in Poudina, to teach the Koran near an old tree near a basin he would have built. It is also here that, a few centuries later, Baha Al-Din Naqchband, the founder of the Sufi order in Central Asia, whose mausoleum is a few kilometres from Bukhara, is said to have come to learn here. Around the tomb of Khussan Ata, votive cloth and a ponytail bear witness to his high degree of wisdom. The main mausoleum houses the remains of the holy man and his daughter. The other three, again according to the Imam, contain those of Khussan Ata's brother and his sons, then those of the second brother and his wife, and finally those of the first brother's daughters. On the side of the Soviet researchers, one would rather consider that these are the tombs of nobles of the region. Whichever version you subscribe to, this site seduces by its timeless character and by the different aspects of its architecture, which spans some ten centuries. Moreover, the crossing of the village of Poudina and the reception of the old turbaned imams would be enough in themselves to justify the displacement.

The Kampir-Tepe fortress lies on a terrace on the right bank of the Amu Darya River, 30 km west of the city of Termez. Built in the 3rd century BC at the crossroads of trade routes near the border areas, it is part of the settlements of the Kushan Empire. Alexander the Great passed through it when he crossed the Amud Daria. The present site was excavated in 1972 and archaeological work was carried out in the 1990s. Traces of Buddhism have been discovered there, making Kampir Tepe an essential reference. The site is magnificent.

A hundred kilometres south of Shahrisabz, near the village of Tashkurgan, treks were organized a few years ago to visit the Tamerlane caves and search for traces of dinosaurs lost in the mountains. The area is now inaccessible.

South of Shahrisabz, take the direction of Gouzar; in Kamachi, turn east towards the village of Langar where you must see the Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque), then climb to the mausoleum of the most famous Saint of the region, Mohamed Sadik who lived in the th century. With perseverance, you can go by bus, but it's much simpler by taxi. Ask for advice from Hotel Shahrisabz staff.

At the foot of the Zeravchan chains, the dakhma of Khodja Public Khan died in the late th century, facing a deserted khanaka. On the hill, twelve wells owe their origin to this saint who would have raised pure water by touching the land of his stick.

From the birthplace of Timur there is only a small cemetery where turtles and snakes try to make good cleaning. Beware of tall herbs. Following the track, you can go back to Shahrisabz.

Its foundation dates back to the beginning of the first millennium BC. The three sites of Padayatak tepe, Sangir tepe and Uzunkyr are the ancient city of Kish-Nautaka. You can walk through the ruins of the citadel and fortifications. This archaeological site has an important study potential due to its uninterrupted occupation of the iron age in the Hellenistic period.

Standing alone on its hillside, the Langar Ota Mausoleum is the funeral monument of the most famous saint of the region, Mohamed Sadik Sheikh who lived in the 16th century. You have to climb the path that crosses the cemetery to reach the gates of this monument surrounded by a lush garden. In passing, notice the engraved grave of a Langar resident with her cat: she lived 106 years, she was the village healer and herbalist. She is revered by the locals. Less so than Mohamed Sadik, however, who died in 1545 and was a local patron who offered the village its mosque.

The Friday Mosque of Langar dates from the 16th century. A gift from Mohamed Sadik to the village, it is absolutely magnificent. Not only have its architecture and decorations been preserved for almost five centuries, but its central role in local social and cultural life has remained unchanged. Still in operation, it gathers all the inhabitants on Fridays around 1pm for the Imam's preaching. They discuss the Koran and religious teachings, of course, but they also resolve disputes between neighbours, socialize...

A few kilometres after Djarkurgan, on the left side of the road by going to Denau. Alexander's bridge dates from the th century, but it runs along the road followed by the conquest by the Greek conqueror, hence its name. It was built to serve both bridge and water, and also served as a caravanserai. The bridge is now lower than the road, it is hardly discernible when you move to Denau. It is located a few metres before a modern bridge for the railway, which is easier to predict.

This museum has been funded by UNESCO to promote the crafts and culture of the Boysun region since it was inscribed on the list of intangible heritage. The building is charming and reproduces traditional adobe houses and techniques. Workshops are arranged around a central courtyard and exhibit the weaving and embroidery techniques of the region. In the rooms, you can discover the leather work, ceramics or specific Boysun weavings.

The spire of the monument to the dead of the Second World War and to the victims of fascism, erected in 1987, is impossible to miss. There are austere exterior frescoes and imposing interior stained glass windows, where a flame burns under the 120 t and 134 m metal spire. Uzbekistan boasts the third largest war memorial in the world, after those of Russia (in Volgograd) and Canada. Small museum with photographs of all veterans.

This small mosque dates from the end of the 16th century. It has two iwans supported by 7 posts, flanking a prayer room. The woodwork of the iwans is well damaged, but this is an opportunity to see paintings in their original state. The courtyard is pierced by a vast basin, and a minaret of 11 m, entirely rebuilt, dominates the whole. Under the basin would be buried Juma Masjit, a native of Samarkand, who preached Islam and came to Karchi to die. Next to it, two 16th-century tombs engraved with Arabic motifs add to the dilapidation of the site.

Close to the bazaar and the main square, and built on the same model as the other two madrasas in the neighborhood, the Bekmir Kozok madrasa was founded in 1906 and financed by a wealthy sheep breeder. Since 1991, it has housed a library for blind and visually impaired people, who learn to read Braille. In general, these blind people have suffered from chemical fertilizers and pesticides during the cotton harvest, which was done without protection. One can enter for a visit and a short discussion with the director.

Built at the beginning of the 20th century around an octagonal courtyard with a square basin, the small madrasah now serves as the premises of the Karchi Association for the Protection of Historic Monuments. Under the basin passes one of the secret passages built in the 18th century so that the population can take shelter in the basement in case of a nomadic raid. The passage connected the palace to the outside of the city, beyond the second line of walls. It has never been consolidated for the time being and therefore cannot be visited.