Turkmenistan
This museum is housed in a sparkling white-marble palace across the river from the centre of town. The enormous premises is home to a collection of…
Must-see attractions in Central Asia
Kabul
Called the 'Mosque of the King of Two Swords', the Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque on Kabul river must be one of the most unusual in Islam. Built in the 1920s…
Afghanistan
The Mausoleum of Gowhar Shad sits in a small park, currently undergoing extensive replanting. It’s a textbook example of Timurid architecture, with its…
Afghanistan
Spread across a hill 5km north of Herat, Takht-e Safar is a popular place for picnics. Built as a pleasure garden for Sultan Baiqara in the 14th century,…
Afghanistan
A cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammed is housed in the Mosque of the Sacred Cloak, by far the city’s most valued treasure. The mosque is situated opposite…
Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex
Ashgabat
Unveiled in 2014, this vast complex features three memorials honouring those that died in the 1948 earthquake, soldiers who perished in WWII and those…
Afghanistan
Two shrines sit on the main road just south of the Musalla Complex. Built in the late 15th century, they contain the tombs of two princes, Abdullah and…
Turkmenistan
Across the road from the Turabeg Khanym Complex, a path through a modern cemetery and the 19th-century Sayid Ahmed Mausoleum leads to this minaret, built…
Turkmenistan
Instantly recognisable by its conical turquoise dome, the Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum is one of Konye Urgench's most beautiful monuments. Tekesh was the 12th…
Kabul
Also called Teppe Bemaru, the low Bibi Mahru Hill overlooks Wazir Akbar Khan. It's popular with some expats living in the district for walking, and has…
Kabul
The National Gallery contains a mix of historic pictures and paintings by modern Afghan artists. Like Kabul’s other cultural institutions, it didn’t…
Afghanistan
One kilometre west of Dand Chowk nestled in a rocky outcrop above the city are The Forty Steps, which are visible from most of Shah-e-Nau. The steps will…
Ashgabat
At the centre of Ashgabat is the enormous Independence Square, on which sits the golden-domed Palace of Turkmenbashi (the place of work of the former…
Afghanistan
Sitting on the banks of the Arghandab River is the Baba Wali Shrine, also known as Baba Sahib by Kandaharis. Gul Agha Sherzai, the twice-former Governor…
Kabul
Timur Shah was the first to make Kabul the capital of a unified kingdom. He died in 1793, but it was another 23 years before his mausoleum was built,…
Ashgabat
Once the centrepiece of Niyazov's Ashgabat, the Arch of Neutrality was erected to celebrate the Turkmen people's unsurprisingly unanimous endorsement of…
Turkmenistan
Nejameddin Kubra (1145–1221) was a famous Khorezm Muslim teacher and poet who founded the Sufic Kubra order, with followers throughout the Islamic world…
Turkmenistan
A respected Sufi teacher in the early 14th century, Gozli Ata had a large following until his untimely death at the hands of Mongol invaders. His…
Turkmenistan
The simple Konye-Urgench Museum is housed in the early-20th-century Dash Medressa, just before the main mausoleum complex. It includes some ancient Arabic…
Ashgabat
While there’s a limit to the number of rugs the average visitor can stand, the central exhibit, the world’s largest handwoven rug, really is something to…
Turkmenistan
South of the Il-Arslan Mausoleum lies the base of the Mamun II Minaret, which was built in 1011. It was reduced to a stump by the Mongols, rebuilt in the…
Afghanistan
One of the largest mosques in Afghanistan, Kandahar's Eid Gah Mosque stands at nearly 25m adjacent to the dilapidated Kandahar University. The mosque and…
Afghanistan
This fine old 22-arched bridge is a few kilometres south of the city, visible from the road when driving from the airport. Believed to have been…
Mausoleum of Abdur Rahman Khan
Kabul
The tomb of the 'Iron Amir' sits in Zarnegar Park. Originally a palace, the building has a bulbous red dome atop a whitewashed drum, and fussy decorative…
Afghanistan
The Seraj-ul Emorat Gardens are named for the palace of King Habibullah (‘Building of Light’), built in the confines of the garden in 1910. The palace was…
Turkmenistan
Turkmenabat's ridiculously ornate museum could double as Liberace's house (check out those chandeliers!), but it also houses a solid collection of…
Turkmenistan
The stunning remains of ancient Urgench (Ürgenç), capital of Khorezm, part of the Achaemenid Empire, are one of Turkmenistan's drawcard sights and one of…
Turkmenistan
This crumbling 7th-century koshk (fortress) outside the walls of Merv is interesting for its ‘petrified stockade’ walls. Constructed by the Sassanians in…
Afghanistan
The Zarnegar Khana was built during Sultan Baiqara's time, it is a retreat for the shrine's Sufi adherents, who hold their zikr rituals inside. The…
Ashgabat
The Museum of Fine Arts is located in an impressive building with a big rotunda, two tiers and lots of gold. The collection contains some great Soviet…
Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet
Afghanistan
Although a little harder to find than the cloak, make sure you make the trip to Mosque of the Hair of the Prophet near Chowk-e Charso in the Old City to…
Kabul
The old Royal Palace Of Darulaman sits opposite the Kabul Museum. Built by Amanullah in the 1920s, in grand European style, the palace is now little more…
Turkmenistan
One of the most important pilgrimage sites in Turkmenistan are the mausoleums built for two Islamic askhab (companions of the Prophet), Al-Hakim ibn Amr…
Turkmenistan
The Il-Arslan Mausoleum is Konye-Urgench’s oldest standing monument. The conical dome, with a curious zigzag brick pattern, is the first of its kind and…
Mausoleum of Mohammed ibn Zeid
Turkmenistan
Like the other Sufi shrines (Gozli-Ata and Kubra), the 12th-century Mausoleum of Mohammed ibn Zeid is an important site for Sufi pilgrims.There’s…
Afghanistan
Between Seraj-ul Emorat and the Kabul river is the peaceful KawkabGarden, planted with roses. A new garden, Bagh-e Abdul Haq, is also being laid out here…
Turkmenistan
In the southeastern corner of Giaur Kala, a distinct mound marks the site of a Buddhist stupa and monastery, which was still functioning in the early…
Ashgabat
The Altyn Asyr Shopping Centre is the curious pyramidal shopping centre at the northern end of Independence Park. The Monument to the Independence of…
Turkmenistan
Pokrovskaya Church, a handsome red-brick affair, was built in 1900. The church is surrounded by pleasant parkland and its interior is crammed with…
Afghanistan
The five lakes of Band-e-Amir (Dam of the King) are hidden in the Koh-e-Baba at an altitude of 2900m (9512ft). The deep-blue waters glitter like jewels,…
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