The distance we had to drive was 280 miles but it took us about seven hours because part of the road was pretty rough. It was not a very interesting ride because it was very flat and not very exciting. As we got closer to Khiva though it started to get more interesting. They provided… Read More From Bukhara to Khiva along the Silk Road and Through the Desert

Today was not quite as frantic as yesterday. Our first stop was the XIV century Bahouddin Naqshband Complex. Riding out to the complex, we saw a lots of greenhouses, solar panels on houses and orchards. Naqshband is one of the most well-known Saints in the Islamic world and the founder of the Naqshbandi Sufi order.… Read More Another Great Day in Bukhara

Today was incredibly full. Here is a picture of the room that we are having breakfast in. Remember that this hotel was a renovation of an old Jewish house. Our first stop was the Samani Mausoleum. Ismail Samani was the rule of the Samanid Empire during the end of the 9th century. He chose Bukhara… Read More 1st Day in Bukhara

The distance from Samarkand to Bukhara is approximately 170 miles. Here are some pictures of Samarkand as we drove out of town. As you can see, it’s fairly modern. It’s a Soviet style city. I was able to also get some shots as we drove through the countryside. So while on the bus, our guide… Read More From Samarkand to Bukhara

People in these countries don’t travel a lot. They seem to be quite content to live the life that they’re leading. Most are middle-class. Most own a home and a car. They have very traditional values. Marriage is important. Unfortunately that means gay people are not treated as equals. There is a strong emphasis on… Read More More thoughts on the Stans

Our first activity was to learn how silk paper is made. Mulberry trees are very common in the Stans. The Mulberry tree is also the home of the silkworm which eats the leaves of the tree and of course is where silk comes from. The small branches of the tree, however, are used to make… Read More Our Day in Samarkand

I really enjoyed visiting Tajikistan. Unfortunately we only had about 24 hours in that country. The city Khujand was exceptionally clean, the people were incredibly friendly. The bad news is they basically have an autocratic government. They do have a constitution. They have a bicameral legislature. Women certainly seem to enjoy equal rights. However, the… Read More Thoughts on Tajikistan and the Stans in general

Today we basically spent the day in the bus as we drove from Khujand, Tajikistan to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It took us eight hours, but we made many stops along the way. When I first looked at this day in the itinerary when I signed up for the trip, I was not happy. It turned out… Read More More of Tajikistan as we drive to Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Right after breakfast, we left for Tajikistan. Our guide gave us quite a bit of information on the way. I will try to share some of it with you. First, a very concise and brief history. 6th-3rd century BCE. Persian Empire Alexander the Great Greco-Bactrian. 4th century BCE 1st century BCE. Kushan Empire 4th century… Read More On the way to Khujand, Tajikistan