All You Need is Plov in Uzbekistan
Our adventures continue in Uzbekistan, a beautiful country in Central Asia famous for its Silk Road cities that once linked Europe and Asia through trade and culture. We’re only here for four days, starting in Bukhara, a small, historic city with tons of history and culture, and ending in Samarkand, the former imperial capital of the Timurid Empire. Fun fact: Uzbekistan is one of only two double-landlocked countries in the world, meaning you have to cross at least two other countries to reach the coastline (the other country that shares the distinction is Liechtenstein).
I’ll be completely honest - when Hanqing first added Uzbekistan to our itinerary, I was skeptical. I know he’s obsessed with plov, the national dish of rice cooked with lamb or beef, carrots, onions, and spices, but did we really need to fly all the way here just to eat it? We already have a great go-to plov spot back in Arlington (shoutout Rus Uz), and he’s even gotten pretty good at making it himself. But then he showed me photos of the stunning architecture - towering monuments and mosques covered in intricate, colorful mosaic tilework - and I was convinced. After just a few days here, I’ve found plenty more reasons to fall in love with this country.
Of course, we had to kick off our visit with a plate of plov. If it were up to Hanqing, we would’ve eaten it for every meal. But as we learned, plov is traditionally a lunch dish, so we had to settle for just once a day (probably better for our cholesterol anyway). The best place to try it is at a plov center - a large communal hall where master chefs prepare the dish in giant kazan pots that can feed hundreds. Each place had its own twist - sometimes with raisins, chickpeas, or quail eggs - but every plate was delicious. Outside of plov, we also enjoyed manti (steamed dumplings filled with minced meat and onions), samsa (flaky pastries baked in a tandoor), lagman (hand-pulled noodles in a flavorful broth), and shashlik (grilled meat skewers with raw onions). Safe to say, we haven’t gone hungry in Uzbekistan.
Between meals, we spent most of our time exploring the cities on foot. In Bukhara, we joined a walking tour to learn more about its architecture, culture, and history. One of Central Asia’s oldest cities, Bukhara has over 2,500 years of history and once stood at the crossroads of the Silk Road. It thrived as the capital of the Samanid Empire in the 9th–10th centuries and later became a hub of Islamic learning under the Timurids and Bukhara Khanate.
Among its most fascinating architectural features are the madrasas - historic Islamic schools where students lived and studied theology, law, astronomy, math, and literature. It was kind of like a boarding school, except students didn’t leave the grounds until they completed their studies. Architecturally, the madrasas all follow a similar design: an ornately tiled entrance leading to a central courtyard, arched halls on each side, student rooms and classrooms around the perimeter, and a mosque within the complex.
One of my favorite moments from our walking tour was wandering through Bukhara’s bazaars, where artisans quietly practiced centuries-old crafts - weaving vibrant fabrics, painting delicate watercolors, and hammering intricate designs into metal trays. We ducked into a rug shop tucked down a narrow alley, where we learned it can take over a year to weave a single handmade carpet. At an embroidery stall, a local woman showed us how to tell real silk from fake by lighting a thread with a match (real silk won’t melt!).
After a short train ride from Bukhara, we spent our final day in Samarkand. The weather turned cold and rainy, but after warming up with yet another plate of plov, we set out once the skies began to clear. Situated at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, Samarkand reached its golden age under Timur (Tamerlane) in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its monuments reflect that imperial grandeur - vast in scale, covered in dazzling mosaics, and crowned with turquoise domes. The highlight was Registan Square, the heart of the old city, where public ceremonies and royal proclamations once took place. Framed by three magnificent madrasas, it’s one of the most breathtaking architectural displays I’ve ever seen. We wrapped up our time in Samarkand at the Siyod Bazaar, a lively, colorful market where vendors sell fresh produce and juice, nuts and spices, and souvenirs. We meandered through the aisles with a cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice in hand - the perfect sweet, tart sendoff to our time in Uzbekistan.
That’s all for now, thanks for following along!
Talk soon,
Tanya
