Samarkand, Uzbekistan Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Samarkand marked the frontier of the Islamic world in Central Asia. Although Muslims could be found beyond, it was for many years the most remote great Islamic city in the east. Situated at the geographical heart of the Silk Route between China and the Middle East, it was consistently ranked among the world’s most … [Read more...]
HAZRAT ALI MOSQUE (MASJID HAZRAT ALI)
Mazar E Sharif, Afghanistan In the Islamic tradition, even in the early years, the tombs of prominent Muslims were generally well known and easily located. The greatest exception to this rule is that of the burial site of Ali, the 4th Caliph and 1st Imam, who is believed to be buried in a number of different places. The most generally accepted location of his tomb is in the … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF ITCHAN KALA
Khiva, Uzbekistan Itchan Kala is the largest intact walled city in Central Asia, and among the most magnificent surviving walled cities on the continent. Its picture-perfect, sandy-colored crenelated walls and domed towers look as though it has been built as a movie set. Thanks to its isolated location, distant from Tashkent, Bokhara and Samarkhand, Itchen Kala in Khiva is … [Read more...]
DERAWAR FORT
Derawar, Pakistan Derawar Fort in Central Pakistan is one of the oldest and largest intact fortresses in Southern Asia. Once a part-time residence of the rulers of Jaisalmer, it is now the part-time residence of the old royal family of Bahawalpur. Located in the middle of the Cholistan Desert, maintained in excellent condition, not easily accessible by roads, and still … [Read more...]
SANTA CLAUS MOUNTAIN
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan It is a well known fact that Santa Claus lives and works at the North Pole, or at least somewhere nearby. But where does jolly old St. Nick begin his annual Christmas Eve journey around the world? In Central Asia, according to the Kyrgyzstan national tourism bureau. This relatively recent development, loosely based on an idea by a Swedish company, … [Read more...]
