This Stunning Silk Road Country Should Be on Your Travel ListUzbekistan was once at the heart of the ancient network of trading routes known famously as the Silk Road that began in China and touched parts of India before reaching central Asia on its way to European provinces such as Rome and Venice. The country’s ancient silk road history comes enriched with decades of Russian influence, as it was a part of the USSR in more recent times. What exists now is the residual mishmash of centuries of cultural osmosis from the Chinese, Russians, Persians, Turkish and Arabs, and it’s visible in every aspect of this fascinating society, including food, language, faith, art and architecture. The highlights of this friendly country (which are found practically everywhere) are what you can think about as the four Ms from the Islamic faith — mosque, minaret, madrasah and mausoleum. And for when monument fatigue strikes, you can always go camping in the Kyzylkum desert or hiking in the Chimgan mountains. Each of the silk road towns of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand is peppered with dazzling monuments decorated with tiles of a dozen shades of blue. But here’s what to do with limited time and, let’s face it, limited capacity for admiring cerulean tiles. The Afrosiyob bullet train is a quick and convenient way to travel between cities. | 