Uzbekistan

 Uzbekistan is the ‘land of the Uzbeks', forms the very centre of ex-Soviet Central Asia, For it alone boarders each of the new republics - Kazakhstan to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east and southeast, Turkmenistan to the southwest, as well as Afghanistan to the south. The Uzbeks remain a clear majority in their republic, accounting for over 80 per cent of the total population of 25 million. Most of its territory of 447,400 square kilometres (roughly the size of Sweden) lies between the two major rivers of Central Asia, the Syr Darya (Jaxartes) and the Amu Darya (Oxus).

Uzbekistan's blend of desert, steppe, oasis and river valley place it at the heart of the complex interaction of nomadic culture and oasis settlement that patterns the history of Central Asia.

Steppe and desert plains account for two thirds of Uzbekistan, with the remainder of the country rising into the foothills and mountains of the western Tian Shan and Gissaro-Alay ranges in the east and southeast, where peaks along the borders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reach to 4,500 metres (14,750 feet). Its location between two major rivers has always ensured commercial and cultural prominence.The rich architectural inheritance of Uzbekistan is endowed with some of the most audacious buildings in the Islamic world.

They are the legacy of a series of Central Asian rulers from the Turkic holders to Tamerlane to the Khivan khans , who created breathtaking monuments to their own immortality in an attempt to leave enduring mark on restless nomadic lands. The heavy swell of a melon dome, the graceful arch of a madrassah portal and the bold silhouette of a towering minaret form some of the most evocative images a traveller will carry away with him and sound the clearest echoes of past splendour.

Rich archaeological remains in the area preserve an intriguing mix of Hellenistic, Buddhist and Scythian influences in the laconic desert castles of Khorezm and Bactria and trace a development to the rich Sogdian palaces and wall paintings of Varakhsha and Afrosiyab. But it was the arrival of Islam in the eighth century and its alien synthesis of styles that transformed the face of Central Asia as much as its soul.

In addition to beautiful landscapes and great history, Uzbekistan is also the world's fourth-largest cotton nation, world's seventh-largest gold producer and harbours significant reserves of oil and natural gas, as well as uranium, silver, copper, zinc, coal and lead. Other mainstays of uzbek economy include fruit and vegetables, animal husbandry and textiles, but it is the republic's mineral wealth that most excites foreign investors.

Most visitors arrive in summer to bake in a dry country aptly termed ‘the sunny republic', as every year brings over 300 days of sunshine and 300 millimeters (12 inches) of rainfall. Travel in Uzbekistan is most pleasant from the brief spring that dusts the desert with floral color until early June and from September to early November. The burning heat of summer is offset by low humidity, relatively cool evenings and bazaar stalls crowded with fresh fruit, and winter too is dry and sunny.