Three names come up whenever people talk about old Uzbekistan: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Each grew rich on trade, each has kept a great deal of its historic fabric, and the old quarters of each can still be explored on foot. This guide explains what made them and what a visitor finds there today.

All three are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Samarkand is inscribed as a crossroads of cultures, Bukhara for its historic centre and Khiva for Ichan Kala, its walled inner town. They are not museum pieces alone: people live, trade and pray among the monuments.

Why the trade routes made them

For many centuries caravans carried goods overland between China, India, Persia and the Mediterranean. The network of roads they followed is now known as the Silk Road, though silk was only one of the things traded along it. Central Asia lay in the middle of that network.

Much of the land here is desert or dry steppe, so travellers moved from one oasis to the next. Towns that had water, food and safe lodging became natural stopping places. Merchants rested in caravanserais, sold part of their load in the bazaars and bought local goods for the road ahead.

Samarkand and Bukhara grew up on the waters of the Zeravshan river, and Khiva stands in the Khorezm oasis near the lower Amu Darya. Water made farming possible, and farming fed the markets. Wealth from trade helped to pay for the mosques, madrasas and bazaars that visitors come to see.

Samarkand: the Registan and beyond

The heart of Samarkand is the Registan, a wide square framed on three sides by madrasas, the colleges of Islamic learning. Its name means a sandy place. The tall portals, the domes and the walls are covered with glazed tiles, chiefly in shades of blue, with patterns and inscriptions worked into them.

It is worth coming twice, once in the morning light and once towards evening, because the colours change through the day. Elsewhere in the old city a visitor finds a large congregational mosque beside the main bazaar and a lane of tiled mausoleums climbing a hillside. The bazaar itself is a good place to try local bread and dried fruit.

Bukhara: a centre that kept its shape

Bukhara’s historic centre keeps its old street pattern, and many of its buildings are of plain baked brick laid in decorative patterns. The best-known ensemble is Poi Kalon, where a tall minaret stands beside a large mosque and a madrasa that face each other across a square. The minaret can be seen from much of the old town.

Near by are the covered trading domes, built over the crossings of the old market streets. Each was once the home of a particular trade, such as jewellers, cap sellers or money changers, and shops still fill them. Walking from dome to dome is the simplest way to understand how a bazaar city worked.

Khiva: a town inside its walls

Khiva is the most compact of the three. Its inner town, Ichan Kala, is enclosed by high walls of sun-dried brick and entered through gates. Inside, madrasas, mosques, minarets and former palaces stand close together along narrow lanes.

Two sights are easy to remember. One is Kalta Minor, a broad minaret sheathed in glazed tiles that was never raised to its planned height; the other is the Friday mosque, whose roof rests on rows of carved wooden columns. From a viewpoint on the walls or a minaret the whole town can be taken in at a glance, especially towards sunset.

Practical matters: seasons, trains, crafts and manners

Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons, with mild days suited to long walks. Summer is hot and dry, so sightseeing is best done early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Winter is cold but quiet, and the monuments are less crowded.

Rail is a convenient way to travel between the cities, and the journey usually begins in Tashkent. Fast daytime trains link the capital with Samarkand and go on to Bukhara. Khiva lies much further on, north-west of Bukhara, beyond the desert; trains run there too, but the journey is long and is often made overnight. Timetables change, so check them before fixing a plan.

Craft workshops are part of the visit. Potters make glazed ceramics painted with plant and geometric patterns, embroiderers stitch the large decorative cloths known as suzani, and woodcarvers decorate doors, columns and small boxes. Ask before photographing a craftsperson at work, and remember that handmade pieces take time, which is reflected in the price.

Many monuments are still places of worship or pilgrimage. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, take off your shoes where others do, and keep your voice low. Do not walk in front of people who are praying, and ask permission before taking pictures of worshippers.