Explore Central Asia’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor

Covering a distance of 866km, stretching across three countries, and including no fewer than 34 monuments, Silk Roads: Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor might well be the largest UNESCO World Heritage Site yet. A key section of the Silk Road in Central Asia, this well-trodden route through mountains, valleys, and deserts has linked peoples and cultures for millennia, and has consequently been a melting point of ideas and ethnic groups. The international borders dividing Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan date only from their independence in 1992; travel between them predates written history.

The nine sites within Tajikistan are concentrated in the Zarafshan Valley to the north of the capital, Dushanbe, and close to Sarazm, the 5,000-year-old archaeological site which became the country’s first UNESCO site in 2010. The Mount Mugh and Tali Khamtuda Fortresses attest to the strategic importance of the valley, but this area wasn’t some remote military outpost. In fact, the Toksankoriz irrigation system (a network of underground water pipes built from the 6th to 12th centuries), the multiple settlements, and the mausoleum of Khoja Muhammad Bashoro, all of which are included in the new UNESCO listing, remind us that a thousand years ago this was a well-populated area with sophisticated, interconnected communities.

The undeniable centrepiece of Tajikistan’s sites, however, is the town of Ancient Penjikent, which should arguably have been granted World Heritage Site status a decade ago. Excavations of this Sogdian city state have taught us more about life on the Silk Road than anywhere else. Magnificent murals now in museums in Penjikent, Dushanbe, and Saint Petersburg depict Sogdian and Turkic rulers and diplomats, festivals, battles, and religious scenes. Archaeologists have also found coins here from Rome and China, and a statue which shows the Hindu god Shiva riding a bull. Penjikent’s geographical and cultural connections were vast.  

From Penkikent, Silk Road travellers would have continued west to nearby Samarkand, now in Uzbekistan. The lion’s share of sites included in the new UNESCO listing are in Uzbekistan, spread across the oases of Samarkand, Navoi, and Bukhara, the first and last of which have pre-existing World Heritage Sites. Here, there are temples and minarets, mausoleums and necropolises, but also Rabati Malik and Sardoba Malik, a pair of monuments which any Silk Road merchant would have been delighted to see. Straddling the main highway through the Kyzylkum (Red Desert), they are a caravanserai and a reservoir, domed with baked bricks to stop the precious water evaporating.  

In Bukhara, Muslims still flock to the Bahauddin Naqshband Architectural Complex. Yes, the shrine is visually impressive, but the main reason for their pilgrimage is that this is the burial place of Bahauddin Naqshband, founder of the Naqshbandi order of Sufism. Sitting here at prayer time is emotive, even for non-believers. Along with the Kosim Sheikh Architectural Complex and the Deggaron Mosque, both of which are in Navoi Region, the Naqshband Complex stands out from other sites in the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor group because it is not only intact but still in daily use, for its original purpose. Entering the shrine, crossing the courtyard, saying a prayer in the mosque, or wandering in the gardens, you’ll have much the same experience as someone who visited 500 years ago. 

The inclusion of nine sites in Turkmenistan, at the western end of the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor, is a sombre reminder that although the country has cut itself off from the rest of the world, it wasn’t always an isolated place. The multiple caravanserais would have functioned as a chain of ancient motels for Silk Road traders crossing the desert, their impressive facades a sign of both the amount of money they made and the need to compete for business. If you are fortunate enough to get a visa to visit Turkmenistan, the scale of these archaeological sites is remarkable, as is the way that the ruins seem to be growing organically from the surrounding sands. The reality, however, is that the movement is in the other direction: the desert is steadily reclaiming the monuments, brick by brick.

Need to know 

Location: Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan are neighbouring republics in Central Asia.

Getting there: Uzbekistan Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Tashkent, Uzbekistan with connections to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. You can also fly to Dushanbe, Tashkent, and Ashgabat, Turkmenistan with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. UK passport holders can enter Uzbekistan visa-free but require an e-visa for Tajikistan and a visa for Turkmenistan.

Getting around: In Uzbekistan, use the high-speed Afrosiyob train to reach Samarkand, Navoi, and Bukhara, the cities closest to the new UNESCO sites. For sites in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, you’ll need a car and driver, which you can hire from Indy Guide.

When to go: Spring and autumn have the best weather.

Accommodation: Use Penjikent as your base in Tajikistan, staying at Umariyon. Move on to Hotel Bibikhanum in Samarkand, Grand M Hotel in Navoi, and Komil Boutique Hotel in Bukhara in Uzbekistan, then book into Hotel Mary for sites in Merv, Turkmenistan.

Further information: Tajikistan (Bradt Travel Guides; 2020) and Uzbekistan (Bradt Travel Guides; 2019).

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