Uzbekistan is a premier cultural heritage destination sought out each year by more and more travellers wishing to immerse themselves in the magic of Central Asia’s Great Silk Road. How do you keep your bearings? Learn the unique stories behind the buildings. In each of Uzbekistan’s three Silk Road cities – Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand – a landmark minaret has a myth behind it, adding a touch of intrigue to the present-day wonder.

Buzkashi, which literally means ‘goat fetching,’ is a traditional horse game of the steppe nomads in Central Asia. It has been played since the epoch of Genghis Khan, the 12th-century ruler of the Mongol Empire, and variations of the game are popular in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, northern Pakistan and Kazakhstan, as well as in Uzbekistan, where, having first found followers in rural villages, it is today a celebrated national sport.