Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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12
13
Konye-Urgench
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Turkmenistan's pre-
Almaty
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Central Asia's most
High Roads
to China
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The mountain bor-
mier historical site
(p393) is a Unesco World
Heritage Site. Once the
capital of the Khorezm-
shahs and a centre of the
Muslim world in the 12th
century, the city was pul-
verised by both Chinggis
(Genghis) Khan and Timur
(Tamerlane). The enigmat-
ic remains include royal
mausolea, Sui shrines and
a 59m-tall, 14th-century
minaret. It's a short hop
across the Uzbekistan
border.
Gutlug Timur Minaret
(p395)
cosmopolitan and
hedonistic city (p56) is a
leafy mix of Russian and
Central Asian styles. In
a couple of days you can
visit the tsarist-era Zenkov
Cathedral, view a replica
of the famous Scythian-
era Golden Man suit, soak
in the Arasan Bathhouse
and enjoy the region's best
cafes, clubs and shops, all
fuelled by the country's
petrodollar boom. The
city is also a gateway to
mountain treks and winter
sports just south of town
and a springboard to Silk
Road bus and train routes
into China.
Interior of a
Russian orthodox cathedral
der crossings of the
Torugart and Irkeshtam
passes (p310) are without
doubt the most exciting
and scenic ways to enter or
leave Central Asia. The high
valleys of the Tian Shan
are splendid and there's
a satisfying continuity in
crossing from ex-Soviet
Central Asia into Chinese
Turkestan via the storied
Uyghur city of Kashgar.
The Irkeshtam Pass is
logistically easier but the
Torugart Pass ofers the
chance to stop overnight at
the atmospheric Tash Ra-
bat Caravanserai.
Tash Rabat
Caravanserai (p284)
