Shakhrisabz and Termez - Uzbekistan

The town of Shakhrisabz. Timurin (from the reign of Tamerlane) city boasts a number of important historic monuments including the ruins of the Ak Saray Palace, the Doruttilyavat Ensemble, the Kok Gumbaz Mosque and others mostly dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Sadly, the city’s historic centre is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger.

After exploring Shakhrisabz’s sites we continue south heading towards the Silk Road city of Termez, about 5hrs away. Termez is a city in the southernmost part of Uzbekistan near the Hairatan border crossing of Afghanistan. It is the hottest point of Uzbekistan. It has a population of 140,404, and is the capital of Surxondaryo Region. The ancient town of Termez, a little to the north, flourished in the 1st century BCE and was finally destroyed at the end of the 17th century CE. The present city originated as a Russian fort built in 1897 beside the small settlement of Pattagissar.