Uzbekistan photo tour across history

Harry Fisch

Uzbekistan Photo Tour

A photographic trip through the Silk Road.-

On this extraordinary photo tour in Uzbeksitan we will be following the ancient Silk Road trade routes from Khiva in the west to Bukhara and finally Samarkand on an intense photographic trip across Uzbekistan. Begining with Turkmenistan and the infamous “Hell’s Gate” crossing. A photo tour full of mausoleums, minarets, and fortified enclosures for photographers.

More than three hundred years before Christ, Alexander the Great traveled through this area on his way to India. During our time there, we plan to photograph members of the community and document the unique atmosphere of this fascinating land with our cameras. There’s a whole world of fascinating photo opportunities in Uzbekistan, from the streets and villages to a number of fortnightly sessions reflecting the country’s cultural essence.

With visa restrictions being loosened only in 2019. Unknown to the majority of tourists, Uzbekistan is a treasure trove for adventurous globetrotters with a penchant for Central Asia. Prior to 2014, travel and foreign investment were severely restricted. Only 3% of the economy was made up of tourism prior to 2015.” Tashkent’s metro station’s photography was legalized in June 2018.

Uzbekistan is seeing an increase in foreign investment, and The Economist named it “country of the year” at the end of 2019.

The country has long been known for its rich cultural heritage, which dates all the way back to Alexander the Great and includes figures such as Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, as well as its international trade. There was a long period of time when the Silk Road was used as a highway not only for goods but also for culture as evidenced by the appearance of doctors like Avicenna at fairs and markets in Venice or Seville.

Piest in Uzbekistan while enjoying a Photo tour with Harry Fisch

An iconic photographic adventure.-

The circuit is punctuated by mausoleums, minarets, and walled enclosures, but there are also claims that will leave no one unimpressed. When visiting Tashkent, we’ll immortalize with our cameras the historic Chorsu Bazaar and the Kudeldash Madrasa next to the ultra-modern metro system, which boasts stations that would make Moscow proud.

There is a lot to see and do on this photographic trip in Uzbekistan, but –fortunately- it still lacks the theme park polish of a well-known destination, or the artifice that goes along with it. We never have to deal with a pushy restaurateur, a ticket tout, or a carpet salesman trying to upsell us. Even on what were once Silk Roads, we see a lot of donkey carts, bicycles, and rusted-out Kamaz trucks (Soviet vehicles that replaced camel caravans in the late 20th century), but few, if any, other tourists on busloads outside the cities.

Uzbekistan is unquestionably the region’s most eye-catching destination simply based on its sights. In addition to being an ancient Silk Road outpost, the country of Uzbekistan is also a former Soviet Republic and one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world. With more than two millennia of culture under its belt, Central Asia is home to some of the world’s most beautiful architecture and ancient cities, all of which are intertwined with the Silk Road’s rich history.