Uzbekistan Odyssey - A Travel Video

Two millennia ago, Uzbekistan was once the cradle of culture and trade right at the center of the ancient Silk Road. Nowadays, it is well-known for its well-preserved ancient cities and Islamic architecture that will spark your curiosity and awaken the historian within you. When I was in Central Asia, I spent a week and a half traveling from Tashkent to Samarkand to Bukhara and then ended my trip in Khiva.

Traveling through these old ancient cities almost felt like I was traveling back in time. One could only imagine how beautiful it must have been during the golden age of the Silk Road.

Central Asia is almost an unknown region for many. "Is that where all the Stan countries are?" people would often say about Central Asia. It took me a while as well to wrap my head around it, and I have come up with an easier way to remember each country.

Kyrgyzstan is all about the mountains, Tajikistan is home to the Pamir Highway, Turkmenistan is home to the Gateway of Hell, and if I have to describe Uzbekistan in simple terms, it must be the country with the culture.

Ancient cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva hold some of the most well-preserved Islamic architecture in the world. These cities are basically open-air museum cities. There is no better country to learn about the Silk Road than Uzbekistan.

For this video, I tried a different approach. Usually, in my travel videos, I would go with modern music and visuals showing the modern ways of life of the people in different countries. But for this one, I decided to go for a more traditional route with music and visuals that reflect more of what Uzbekistan represents—the ancient culture.

I also had a chance to meet Lily (featured prominently in the video), a half-Tajik, half-Persian artist whom I met when I was backpacking through Bukhara. We and her family became fast friends, and she was happy to show me around her hometown. It was a random but wonderful moment that shows how friendly the people are in Uzbekistan.

I hope you enjoy this Uzbekistan video! If you are into history or you just want to see the Silk Road cities at their finest, Uzbekistan is the place to be.

Location: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva

Camera Gear: Sony a6500 + 16mm - 70mm Zeiss lens

Music: Samarkhand Pulse by Onyx Music (Licensed through Artlist.io)

For a complete travel guide to Uzbekistan: 2 Weeks Backpacking Itinerary For Uzbekistan