About Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Samarkand is described as a fairy tale city by Swedish Media
28 July 2023
Uzbekistan’s Samarkand is described as a fairy tale city by Swedish Media

As Uzbekistan keeps promoting its tourism opportunities among foreign audiences, the Swedish news agency Cawa Media continued publishing on the historical cities of Uzbekistan in addition to the previous publications about our country.

In the new publication, the authors of which were the director of the publication Peter Johansson and his photographer Larisa Johansson, who participated in the presidential elections in Uzbekistan as international observers, describe in detail the Mausoleum of St. Daniyar (Daniel) in Samarkand.

“It is located on the high hill of Afrosiab, on the outskirts of Samarkand along the banks of the Siab River,” the article says. - Muslims call him the prophet Khodja Daniyar, the Jews call him the prophet Daniel, and in Christianity, he is known as the prophet Daniel. In the Jewish religion, the prophet Daniel was an associate of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar for his achievements in science, art and the wise interpretation of dreams, which brought him fame. In his old age, the prophet moved to the ancient city of Susa, where he died and was buried in the royal mausoleum.

As the authors note, in the mausoleum there is a long tombstone (dakhma), in which the prophet is buried. On the territory of the complex, there is a spring, which is considered healing and holy. “Many pilgrims drink water from the spring in the hope of curing their illnesses. A complex of aivans for prayers was built on the site. In 1996, during his visit to Uzbekistan, the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II visited Samarkand, in particular the mausoleum of Khoja Doniyar. Near the crypt there was a withered pistachio tree, which the patriarch decided to consecrate, and after a while the tree came to life and bloomed again,” the agency reports.

The article emphasizes that in 2001 the city of Samarkand and its historical architectural and archaeological monuments, including the mausoleum and the Khodja Doniyar complex, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Samarkand - the crossroads of cultures".

The authors introduce readers to other interesting and iconic places that can be visited in Samarkand, in particular, the Meros paper workshop and others.

Publishing such informative articles about Uzbekistan and its tourist cities will definitely increase interest among European tourists to visit Uzbekistan, as well as travel to Samarkand for its unique attraction among travelers. 

More news about Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan Airways launches direct flights to Japan for winter season

Until now, Uzbekistan Airways was operating the Tashkent–Tokyo–Tashkent flights route only in the period of April–October each year.

17 December 2023
Israeli media posts an article about tourism in Uzbekistan:

The article "Uzbekistan: the crossroads of civilizations" has been published on the page of the Israeli news portal about tourism "IAS". 

23 February 2023
Uzbekistan wins in two nominations at

The city of Samarkand became the winner of the "Islamic Heritage Destination of the year" award and the "Top Muslim-Friendly emerging festination of the year" at the summit. 

07 June 2022
Did you know?

Uzbekistan is one of only two countries in the world to be ‘double landlocked’ (landlocked and totally surrounded by other landlocked countries). Liechtenstein is double landlocked by 2 countries whilst Uzbekistan is surrounded by 5!

Did you know that Uzbekistan lies in the very heart of Eurasia, the coordinates for Uzbekistan are 41.0000° N, 69.0000°

Uzbekistan is home to the Muruntan gold mine, one of the largest open pit gold mines in the world! The country has 4th largest reserves of gold in the world after South Africa, USA and Russia

Uzbekistan is the world capital of melons. They have in excess of 150 different varieties, which form a staple part of the local diet, served fresh in the summer and eaten dried through the winter.

It is Uzbek tradition that the most respected guest be seated farthest from the house’s entrance.

Tashkent’s metro features chandeliers, marble pillars and ceilings, granite, and engraved metal. It has been called one of the most beautiful train stations in the world.

The Uzbek master chef is able to cook in just one caldron enough plov to serve a thousand men.

When you are a host to someone, it is your duty to fill their cups with for the whole time they are with you.  What you must not do, however, is to fill their cup more than half-full.  If you do that as a mistake, say it is a mistake immediately.  Doing it means you want them to leave.  Wow!  Amazing, right?

To Uzbeks, respect means a whole lot.  For this reason they love it if, even as foreigners, you endeavour to add the respectful suffix opa after a woman's name; and aka after a man's.  Example: Linda-opa and David-aka.  You could also use hon and jon respectively.

Having been an historic crossroads for centuries as part of various ancient empires, Uzbekistan’s food is very eclectic. It has its roots in Iranian, Arab, Indian, Russian and Chinese cuisine.

Though identified with the Persia, the Zoroastrism probably originated in Bactria or Sogdiana. Many distinguished scholars share an opinion that Zoroastrianism had originated in the ancient Khorezm. Indeed, today in the world there were found 63 Zoroastrian monuments, including those in Iran, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Thirty-eight of them are in Uzbekistan, whereas 17 of these monuments are located in Khorezm.

One of Islam's most sacred relics - the world's oldest Koran that was compiled in Medina by Othman, the third caliph or Muslim leader, is kept in Tashkent. It was completed in the year 651, only 19 years after Muhammad's death. 

Tashkent is the only megapolis in the world where public transport is totally comprised of Mercedes buses. And due to low urban air polution it is one of the few cities where one can still see the stars in the sky.

You would be surprised to know that modern TV was born in Tashkent. No joke! The picture of moving objects was transmitted by radio first time in the world in Tashkent on 26 of July 1928 by inventors B.P. Grabovsky and I.F. Belansky.

Uzbekistan is the only country in the world all of whose neighbours have their names ending in STAN. This is also the only country in Central Asia that borders all of the countries of this region

Uzbeks are the third populous Turkik ethnicity in the world after Turks and Azeris (leaving both in Azerbaijan and Iran)

Did you know that there was silk money in Khiva? Super interesting right? Of course, but the best part of having silk money was that it could be sewn into your clothing.

Famous Islamic physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna in the Latin world) who was born near Bukhara was the one of the first people to advocate using women’s hair as suture material – about 1400 years ago.

Uzbekistan has a long and bloody history. The most notorious leader of Uzbekistan was Timur (or Tamerlane) who claimed descent from Genghis Khan. His military campaigns have been credited for wiping out some 5% of the world’s population at the time.

If you have thought that some of the Islamic architecture in Uzbekistan resembles that from Northern India, then that is because Timur’s great great great Grandson, Babur Beg, was the founder of the Moghul Empire that ruled much of India for almost four centuries! Babur’s great great Grandson was Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

Uzbekistan was once a rum producig country. There is still a real arboretum in Denau (city near Termez on the border with Afghanistan), grown from a selection station that studied the prospects of plant growing in the unusual for the Soviet Union subtropical climate of Surkhandarya region: only here in the whole of the USSR sugar cane was grown and even rum was produced!

Uzbekistan has been ranked one of the safest countries in the world, according to a new global poll. The annual Gallup Global Law and Order asked if people felt safe walking at night and whether they had been victims of crime. The survey placed Uzbekistan 5th out of 135 countries, while the UK was 21st and the US 35th. Top five safest countries:

  • Singapore
  • Norway
  • Iceland
  • Finland
  • Uzbekistan
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