Product Description

From the blue-tiled splendour of Tamerlane's Samarkand to the holy city of Bukhara, and beyond to the desert-girdled khanate of Khiva, Uzbekistan lays claim to a breathtaking architectural legacy. Bound by sand and snow, fed by meltwater from the Roof of the World, these fertile oases have attracted travellers and conquerors along the fragile threads of the Silk Road throughout history. This groundbreaking guide focuses on the wealth of sites and colourful legends along Central Asia's golden road.It provides informative insights into the history, religion and culture of Uzbekistan. The special topics include the disappearance of the Aral Sea, and the life and death of Tamerlane the Great. It offers up-to-date practical information for the traveller, covering visas, customs and travel agencies. It includes hints for business visitors. It covers environmental issues. It features useful maps, together with detailed plans of principal sites.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35951 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
"The best guidebook to bring is the Uzbekistan volume in the Odyssey series... It is one of those rare travel guides that is a joy to read whether or not you are planning a trip." - New York Times - "...a quintessential...glorious guidebook..." - Houston Chronicle - "

About the Author
Calum Macleod and Bradley Maybew graduated in Oriental Studies (Chinese) from Wadham College, Oxford University. Macleod has travelled extensively through Russian and Chinese Central Asia. He contributes regularly to a range of publications. Mayhew has travelled and trekked across Chinese and Russian Central Asia, Tibet, Iran and Ladakh. He has led adventure tours along the Silk Road and is the author-coauthor of numerous Lonely Planet guides, including Pakistan & the Karakoram Highway, Tibet, the Indian Himalaya and Southwest China. MacLeod is the China correspondent for USA Today, co-author of China Remembers (OUP), and a Beijing resident. Mayhew lives in Montana, USA when not "on the road".

Customer Reviews

A Must Have!!!!!!!!
It is perfect for expatriots and tourists and far better than any of its competitors. This book is so good that my cousin who had been living/working there for over 5 years would not give it back to us when we visited. I had to order the new version for myself:)

The best book for travel to Uzbeckistan
Don't bother with Lonely Planet unless you need to travel across the whole region; this is the book you need in Uzbeckistan. It is comprehensive, entertaining and the pictures are amazing. There is plenty of detail about what is worth seeing, and lots of background information about local culture and history. I didn't try the hotel recommendations, so no comment about them. Only downside is this book is quite heavy, twice as heavy as the Lonely Planet, but then I thought it was more than twice as good. And the pictures mean it is great on the coffee table when you get home. Can I also use this opportunity to recommend you to go to Uzbeckistan? The welcome is wonderful!

A guide book that is a pleasure to read
The introduction starts with the quotation, "Once you have become the companion of the road, it calls you and calls you again...." This guide book does not just help you understand Uzbekistan, with its detailed information, maps and photographs, it calls you to visit the Silk Road cities of the desert West and the fertile East. It is full of wonderful descriptions written in beautiful language. It is a lovely book to read even if you never manage to get to Uzbekistan. There is a perfection in the quality in its prose that many novelists would envy.