Dushanbe
Opened in 2011 and constructed to resemble an open book, this US$40 million archive is reputed to be Central Asia's biggest library. It makes an…
Must-see attractions in Central Asia
Fergana Valley
Originally buried behind Modari Khan, Nodira was adopted by the Soviets as a model Uzbek woman and moved to a prominent place beneath a white stone tablet…
Tajikistan
Half-hidden behind Soviet apartment blocks at Lenin 100-102, the modern Hazrat-i-Shah Mosque is tucked behind a poets' garden full of scented roses…
Bukhara
This cemetry, just south of the Old Town, is perhaps the most impressive evidence of the previous size of the local Jewish community. It's a well…
Tajikistan
In the centre of Vershab, a wide footpath descending past the main shop leads to a mausoleum that looks recently built. Locals claim that it's the shrine…
Samarkand
Across from the Bibi-Khanym Mosque is Bibi-Khanym’s surprisingly plain 14th-century mausoleum, home to five tombs and some lovely interior painted…
Transport & Communications Ministry
Nur-Sultan (Astana)
The tall, gleaming, copper Transport & Communications Ministry, has been dubbed the ‘Lighter’ by irreverent locals. Ironically, there was a fire inside…
Bukhara
This medressa named after the Shaybanid ruler Abdulla Khan is part of an ensemble together with the Modari Khan Medressa. The medressa is empty but you…
Kyrgyzstan
The crystal-clear water in the small cave here is said to be holy based on proximity to the shrine of Kojokel-Ata, an 18th-century holy man buried in the…
Tashkent
Tashkent's main Juma (Friday) mosque was built in the 1990s on the site of a 16th-century mosque destroyed by the Soviets. On warm Friday mornings the…
Bishkek
The bright blue spires of this Russian Orthodox cathedral, opened in 1947, stand out along Jibek Jolu. The spartan interior, decorated with icons and…
Kyrgyzstan
On a hilltop behind the village school is the final resting place of the legend himself, while at the foot of the hill is a large silver Soviet-era plinth…
Tashkent
The shiny white edifice on the western side of the Independence Square is the Senate building. The president's office and most ministries take up the…
Kazakhstan
This is a modern reconstruction of the 9th- to-12th-century mosque in which Aulie-Ata, a revered Karakhanid potentate, is believed to have prayed, but you…
Tajikistan
Protected by a silver-domed, Plexiglass casing, Ayni's most treasured landmark is an eroded 10th-century mudbrick minaret. The mosque beside the Varz-i…
Tajikistan
Opening up behind a fanciful traditional archway at the corner of the bend in Rudaki, this bazaar is a perfect place to buy fruit (cherries, mulberries,…
Tashkent
Formerly the People’s Friendship Palace, this concert hall is one of several striking Soviet-era buildings in Navoi Park. It looks like a moon-landing…
Kazakhstan
The pretty, beautifully maintained central park makes for a pleasant stroll, and several of Ust-Kamenogorsk’s oldest buildings and some worthwhile museums…
Kyrgyzstan
This little museum has two attractively presented ethnological rooms but is more interesting for the 1960s photos of Naryn in its Soviet heyday...and for…
Mausoleum of Abu Mansur al-Moturudiy
Samarkand
Deep in the lanes of the Old Town is the surprisingly impressive new Mausoleum of Abu Mansur al-Moturudiy. The entry fee is over the top; you can see it…
Tashkent
Near the Oliy Majlis in Navoi Park is a vast promenade and this post-Soviet Monument to Alisher Navoi, 15th-century Turkic poet and Uzbekistan's newly…
Kazakhstan
Rising about 15m high, this circular, brick-built minaret likely dates from the 10th century. You can climb up inside to view the Aksu-Zhabagly mountains…
Tajikistan
The ruined Afghan citadel of Qala-e Panja, once the largest settlement in the Wakhan, is visible across the Pyanj River from near Zugband, some 10km west…
Kyrgyzstan
This large stone tomb, dedicated to the hero of an 1847 battle against Kazakh invaders, seems distinctly out of place in the north shore's Jamanechki…
Tashkent
The tightly guarded building southwest of the Friendship Palace is the Oliy Majlis parliament, which functions as a giant rubber stamp in its infrequent…
Bukhara
The Kukeldash Medressa, built in 1569 by Abdullah II, was at the time the biggest Islamic school in Central Asia. It now hosts the occasional evening…
Tajikistan
In the northwest corner of town is the one-room Mazar-i-Chor Gumbaz whose four tin cupolas conceal some of Tajikistan’s most impressive old painted…
Kazakhstan
The leafy Central Park stretches over 2km from north to south, with a large lake at its heart. Its main entrance is off the west side of mid–Bukhar Zhyrau.
Shymkent
The tall Altyn Shanyrak monument in the middle of Independence Park – a sort of tall, metallic funnel – represents the central roof opening of a yurt.
Bukhara
On the eastern side of Lyabi-Hauz is a statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a semi-mythical ‘wise fool’ who appears in Sufi teaching-tales around the world.
Samarkand
The gloriously faded Qoraboy Oqsoqol Mosque is hidden down an alley just off Abu Laiz Samarkandi ko'chasi in the old Jewish Quarter of the Old Town.
Samarkand
This restored Old Town gem is 100m east of the Registan. If it's locked ask the caretaker to let you in for a glimpse at the lush ceiling tilework.
Bishkek
Having once dominated Ala-Too Square, Vladimir Ilyich turned his back on the mountains in 2003 and now lurks behind the National Historical Museum.
Bukhara
The displays here on the history and manufacture of Bukhara's famous puppets are worth a quick visit, especially if you have kids in tow.
Tajikistan
Standing at the intersection of Lenin and the street that bears his name, the statue of Komil Khojandi commemorates the city's namesake.
Samarkand
This small neighbourhood mosque in the Old Jewish Quarter is part of a charming ensemble with a hauz (pool) and small minaret.
Kazakhstan
The statue of Ukrainian poet and exile Shevchenko stands on the boundary between Mikrorayons 4 and 5, looking mournfully out to sea.
Kyrgyzstan
Just off a relatively good road up the Chon-Kegeti Valley, these 20m falls are a popular picnic destination in the warmer months.
Fergana Valley
The unrestored Modari Khan Mausoleum, built in 1825 for Umar’s mother, features unusual red, green, yellow and blue tilework.
Bishkek
The peculiar architecture of the Kyrgyz Circus, in what looks like a 1950s UFO, stands out on the far edge of Victory Square.
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
