I traveled the ancient Silk Road from Uzbekistan🇺🇿 to Kyrgyzstan🇰🇬 | central asia diaries

Good morning from Uzbekistan! We just flew across the world from Paris all the way to Uzbekistan because we are fascinated by the Silk Road and we're gonna attempt to travel along it for the next 10 days. That's insane. That is crazy. We are in Uzbekistan on a mission. Partially we just saw it on a map and we were like, I have never thought once of traveling there. Has anybody been to Uzbekistan? No, most of my friends don't even know where it is on a map so like this is probably the place for us to go, right? We're also history buffs. I got my master's in Middle Eastern Studies. We are here to kind of explore the idea of like East meeting West right here in Central Asia. And we're starting off in Bukhara which is one of the major trading hubs back on the peak of the Silk Road. It was like the perfect place to start. We did a little exploring yesterday but today we're doing like a proper grand tour and really trying to get into like the history of each area. So stay tuned for the next 10 days as we travel along the Silk Road. We're starting Bukhara and then we're taking a train tonight to Samarkand and I believe we train to Tashkent where we then fly to Kyrgyzstan. So let's go start the tour and learn about Bukhara. Sounds good. Let's do it. Bye. So many years back in the day, Bukhara was the capital of this region. Along the road over there is where the trading caravans would come and then they'd end up in the middle here. This is kind of like the center place of the trading. And I just love how you can really feel the spirit of trade here and you can see the craftsmanship in these vibrant bazaars where there are still hand-woven silks and rugs with techniques dating back centuries. The Silk Road wasn't a singular road at all actually. It was a vast network of trade routes stretching from China to Europe and Central Asia was at the heart of it all. It began around the second century BC when the Han dynasty in China opened trade with the west. For over 1500 years, goods, ideas, and people flowed through these routes. Cities like Samarkand and Bukhara became these powerful hubs of commerce and melting pots of people where Persian, Arab, Turkic, Mongol, and Chinese influences all came together. A major turning point came in the 1200s when Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire conquered much of Central Asia, created a unified empire, and made the Silk Road safer and smoother than ever. Despite its name, the Silk Road was way more than just silk. Gold, spices, even ideas like Buddhism and Islam traveled these routes and over time transformed the world. Algebra made its way from the Islamic world to Europe. Tea flowed from China to Britain. These exchanges even helped spark the European Renaissance by bringing in new knowledge and none of this would have worked without local people. Uzbek and Kyrgyz nomads were essential guides and protectors of caravans. In rugged terrain where camels struggled, local horsemen would lead the way and kept the road moving. It was around the 15th century that the Silk Road began to decline when the Mongol Empire fractured, but today its legacy lives on. It's evident in Central Asia's vibrant mix of cultures and traditions and echo worldwide. Hello! Classy, honestly. If there's not AC in this train station, I'm suing. I also recommend booking in advance because there are different classes and trains and if you're not like extreme budget traveling, like pay extra and get the first class or second class. It's ten dollars. It's like ten dollars. Nothing quite hits like a Coca-Cola. It just feels like I'm on the train trip. This is Mexico. This is Mexico. I'm traversing, traversing, traversing. Thank you! Are you kidding me? I'm obsessed with this. This man came out of nowhere with a ton of cold ice cream for like 50 cents. I said no and then I said actually I second thought. We just took the train from Bukhara to Samarkand. It was actually so easy. That's not what I was expecting when it comes to mass transit in Uzbekistan. Like, look at how beautiful this train station is. Guess how much our taxi is to the hotel? 15 bucks. One dollar. I love it here. We love it here. Samarkand is about twice the size as Bukhara. We'll have a bit more exploring to do, which will be great. So we got a bit settled at our hotel and we had to run to the one place that is the most recommended to watch the sunset and that is Rajasthan Square. I am in awe. I have no words. Look at this. This is insane. I don't think I've seen anything ever this intricate at this scale. Like, it's huge. I feel like we're like being transported back to like the 1200s. It's crazy. When the mosque breaks out into a dance party, I don't mind if I do. Hello and good morning. Morning. We're very excited because this morning we're going to meet up with two local gals who are from Uzbekistan and are going to show us around Samarkand. The best way to visit a new country is when you have locals to show you around because it just takes it to that next level. As tourists, you can do a deep dive on the history, but having locals show you around can actually show you like what it's like to live here today, which I'm equally, if not more curious about. Exactly. So now we're going to go meet with them at this local mausoleum. Let's go. We've been following your content for such a long time. I know how fun to be in like Uzbekistan. I know. Born and raised in Uzbekistan. Parents are from Samarkand. Whenever we would visit Samarkand, you would come to places like this, madrasas, make a certain donation and then make a wish. It's believed that your wish is going to come true. They have like a very high spiritual power. And did it work for you guys? Yeah. Every single wish that actually came true. What am I going to wish? I don't know. I don't think you're really dedicated to our dreams coming true. You only donated 80 cents. It is very diverse and it comes from during the Soviet Union and after the war, Uzbekistan hosted a lot of refugees. So we're kind of known for being very hospitable. After the war with Ukraine and Russia, lots of expats started moving to Tashkent, Samarkand. Is there much like cultural tension? Maybe religious a little bit, but in terms of cultural acceptance, people are very open-minded. Why we moved is that still for the majority of women, your main responsibility in life is to get married and have kids and build a family. And it's like a very whole cultural concept. Where are we right now? We are in the biggest bazaar of Samarkand. It's called Kiyob Bazaar. It has fruits, vegetables, everything you need. It dates back to the Silk Road, right? Yes. This has been around for a very long time. Yeah. One of the oldest ones as well. You guys want to try? Yeah. Can we go in? Yeah. What melon is this? It's just a melon. Regular. It tastes like a cantaloupe, but like maybe a little bit sweeter. It's really good. Good? That hits the spot. It's so sweet, it's like filled with sugar. That is very sour. Does this one have a name? Kok Sultan? Yeah. Kok Sultan. We eat in Uzbekistan, but even like Russia exports them. It's called Yusupovsky Vitamitos. If you like cut it open, it's so red and so delicious. Oh wow. It's so good. Your turn. Yeah, never have I ever taken a bite out of a tomato. Oh my god. That's so good. Normally I don't like tomatoes. That's amazing. It's really good. Cherries, everything is good. This is so much better than American cherry tea. Yeah. Oh my god, it smells so good. It's called Zira. How do you say it in English? Cumin. Yeah. Cumin. And we put it in every meal we make. I picked up this mountain tea, and it's full of all these like local plants and herbs that they literally picked straight from the mountain. Dodana was saying, you know, there's no such word as like organic here because truly everything is so fresh and like straight off the farm, or in this case, off the mountain. Also, this is 20 cents. So wait, what is this? Spicy pickled vegetables. It's so good. It's a Korean culture. We have a lot of Korean food in Uzbekistan. We eat it as a salad. Fun fact. One of Uzbekistan's main exports is carrots, and those pickled carrots are absolutely incredible. I'm trying to figure out if you guys are single. No. This is the most common question we get, just being asked if you're married or not. Is she trying to get married off? You can take him back to America. You can take him back. They're asking why would you twist your eyebrows if you're not married. Because in Uzbekistan, by religion, you're not supposed to like twist your eyebrows if you're not married. I should be having a unibrow right now. Is this why all the ladies have such good eyebrows? You chewed at the gum. Are you eating it or you don't eat it? What's the vibe? Really, really sweet gum. And then slowly the texture becomes thicker like an actual gum. What have you thought so far? I'm overwhelmed with how, A, how yummy everything is. B, how fresh everything is. And there's just so much. This just goes on and on and on and on and on. I'm so grateful for her friends. They're teaching us so much. What is like the average age that someone would get married? 18. It's getting better now, especially in the city. So people actually do have like love marriages, but 10 years ago when we were leaving the country, almost like 90% of the country would do arranged marriages. Just like the lady trying to say, do you have a boyfriend? Yeah, Sajamus got married off. Our dad kept saying us from our young age that, oh, you guys need to get an education and whatever you want. And there is a huge split in the society. Like people like top 5-10% who are educated. Yeah. In what ways have you seen the country change? Positively surprised. Very open, very cultured, lots of opportunities for like small and mid-sized businesses. A lot of people started moving back. Like a lot of Uzbeks started moving back from the U.S. to Tashkent. Mastaba has lamb in it and a bunch of vegetables. Like everything we tried at the bazaar, the cumin, we put a lot of spices and they steam it for a long time. Oh, that's incredible. It's so like cozy and homey. Chicken noodle soup with the local version. Uzbek chicken noodle soup. And the journey continues. After a train ride or two and a short flight, which yes, I guess is kind of cheating, we're continuing our journey along the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan. Hello. Good morning from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. And we're about to leave on a five-day trek throughout the wilderness of Kyrgyzstan. Me too. I'm feeling very ready for some nature, for it not to be 100 degrees out. We have a tour guide for this. Let's go. They're so big for this horse. So we're resorting to the iPhone because it's a bit difficult to film on a horse. Let's go. What Sage and I were saying, it was amazing going to the cities where the Silk Road went through in Uzbekistan to see like, you know, the ancient bazaars and the different places where the caravans went. There's something about being on the trails out in the wilderness that like, it's just like allows your imagination to run wild. Kind of like put yourself in the shoes of like the merchants and the tradesmen and all the different people who traveled along the Silk Road. My horse keeps getting tired. Come on. Yalla. I can't believe how absolutely beautiful Kyrgyzstan is. I'm really happy to be here. Hello from our yurt along Tsongkho Lake in this beautiful vast expanse of fields and sloping hills. And you see these snowy mountains off in the distance. But thank goodness for it because we went up a lot in terms of elevation gain and have dinner. There are a few other travelers. We're only Americans we've met between here and Uzbekistan and I'm really grateful to be here. After taking the horses back down the mountain, we're heading on a multi-day road trip to see more of Kyrgyzstan, which there will be a more extensive YouTube video coming soon. And today we're driving about a four-hour drive to see one more historical Silk Road site. It's time for a little taste of the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan. And we're currently at a UNESCO World Heritage Site that says the World Heritage Site of the Ancient Settlement of Burana. Burana. I thought it was Burana at first and I was like, wow. Cheese. Bummer. This has probably lost all its funding. Sorry. U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation. Something tells me that didn't make the doge cut. In Kyrgyzstan, there was not a great city like in Uzbekistan. Mostly Howdy. From the great Burana Tower, aka Burana Tower. This tower, similar to Bukhara, was used as part of a mosque. There's also a watchtower, because of the high vantage point. So travelers coming from super, super far could see like fire at the top of the tower. They knew that was their sign that they were heading in the right direction. Okay, Elena left me, so I guess I'll just be the history teacher today. Here I am. I'm gonna pass off the mic to Sage because I was a little tired I took notes on everything that Amman told us. So along the Silk Road, we had goods such as wine, gunpowder, iron, going all the way from China sometimes to Rome, which is insane. That is a very long distance to cover. This area specifically, they didn't have that many goods to offer, like the Kyrgyz tribes, but they provided a safe passageway. They're basically like nomadic crossing guards. Kyrgyzstan doesn't have surviving ancient cities in the way that Uzbekistan does. Like Uzbekistan still has like Samarkand, Bukhara. Most of the ancient cities here haven't really survived the test of time, but also our guide made the really important point that most cities in this area were not even Kyrgyz. Kyrgyz people are truly nomads, and they didn't really congregate in cities until the USSR came in the last like 100, 150 years. The Kyrgyz people were up in the mountains, they were herding their sheep, their horses, their cows, and I think that just makes this area really distinctive and so interesting from a historical perspective. So Elena, I'm handing the mic back to you. Wow, look at that. We have a historian on our hand. Thank you. It's fascinating to see and kind of imagine all the different travelers who've crossed through these plains and through these different cities, and now here we are doing it in the modern day to see how we're all quite connected after all. Okay, what's next? I don't know. Let's go find out.