Central Asia’s new trains journey back in time. As early as the second century B.C., a significant network of commerce routes known as the Silk Road connected Europe and East Asia. Uzbekistan now has the region’s first high-speed railway system, making it easy to travel that section of the route. Italian photojournalist Francesco Lastrucci alternated between these new trains (which are comparable to France’s TGV or Portugal’s Alfa Pendular) and the slower Soviet-era trains. He journeyed from Tashkent, the capital, to Khiva, making stops in Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s second-largest city, and Bukhara. On board, Lastrucci met few tourists and even fewer English speakers.
Railway.uz sells rail tickets à la carte starting at $21, or you may join crafted Silk Road trips like this 17-day Silk Road Through the Caucasus package with tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. Lastrucci recalls his three days on the Silk Road, including his top recommendations for Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.
“When I arrived in Samarkand, a city in east Uzbekistan that served as a significant Silk Road stop, I went straight to Registan Square, undoubtedly the country’s most recognizable sight. It started pouring on my walk, so I went into Siyob Bazaar, a two-story covered market with sellers offering food, pottery, and spices. A woman was selling bread, which in Uzbekistan is round like a wheel—though the decorating varies by area. Registan Square contains three madrassas, or religious schools, including Tilla-Kari Madrassa, which is linked to an ornately constructed mosque. I then rode the fast train from Samarkand to Bukhara. Looking south, I could see mountains that bordered Turkmenistan. When we arrived at a station in Navoi, I looked out the door and saw just natives.”
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