What to Photograph in Uzbekistan
By Nasim Mansurov 73 Comments
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What to Photograph in Uzbekistan
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Hi Nasim, A Big Thanks ! I’m planning to visit Uzbekistan in April, 2020.
Daniel, that’s awesome to hear! Welcome, and hope you enjoy my beautiful homeland!
Are you visiting as part of a group, or on your own?
My plan is join a group tour for one week to get to know the country and then stay behind on my own for two weeks to explore different area or go back to the interesting places.
Sounds good Daniel! I would recommend to hire a good guide who can take you to different places. There is a lot of history in this region.
What an assignment! Well done, looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you Bill, appreciate the feedback!
Amazing post, thank you! I had a plan to visit Tashkent and Samarkand on a business trip a few years ago, but then it didn’t work out. But this country is on my bucket list for sure. Your photos are wonderful.
Thank you sir! I am working on the last three regions now, should have that up in the next few days.
Thank you for sharing this. My mother (@80+ years) visited several years ago with a group visiting artisans, and she said it was a wonderful trip. I wish I had the free time to do so myself.
Alex, glad you’ve enjoyed the article! Uzbekistan is definitely worth a visit from photography standpoint. I would recommend to do it before it gets overwhelmed by tourism…
I’ve been waiting for this Nasim.
Fantastic work. I would really, really love to visit and photograph Uzbekistan. I recently finished reading a biography of Amir Timur and that motivated me even more to do this.
God willing, one day soon.
Thank you Talha, appreciate the feedback!
Amir Timur was truly a truly fascinating conqueror, an undefeated general. He has a pretty crazy history, and it was quite interesting to hear about the curse of Timur that started the invasion of the Soviet Union. Some creepy stuff there!
Wonderful post and photos!
I’m rationing myself to just one site per day, to make it last longer. I’d love to visit, hopefully someday soon.
Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it! I will be wrapping up the post this weekend, so stay tuned for more!
Thank you sir for the wonderful article and photos. Fatastic work.Waiting for the rest of it..👍
Alin, thank you for your feedback! Just finished the Bukhara section – will work on Khiva and Karakalpakistan tomorrow :)
I saw it, been there!
Uzbekistan is a wonderful country, I envy you for having such an exciting assignment. I admit I had some different assignment there back in 2006- a business trip to acquire a mobile operator for my (then) company, which lead us to visit many places, including climbing high buildings to inspect mobile installations :). Our team included members from France, Spain, Germany, Canada and even Mauritius! It was interesting for me to see their reaction towards the country: all were amazed, and their first impression was “it is different” from anything they’ve ever seen, even without having the opportunity to see historic treasures. As for me I am biased- my wife is Uzbek and we visit the country regularly after the new government eased the visa regime- before that it was a nightmare to obtain a visa even for an ex-Uzbek.
Most exciting experience for me is to visit the Bazars, and enjoy usbek food especially Osh! People are extremely nice and helpful, not intrusive and even little timid, so you won’t see the familiar attack on tourists to reach their cash, at least as far as I’ve experienced.
I have taken tons of photos of Uzbekistan, yet I look forward to see more from the Master.
Thank you Nazim
Rashad, wow, looks like you are a part of our Uzbek family now :) Thank you for sharing your experience. Which is your favorite Osh? My personal favorite is the Samarkand Osh, which is very different from the others, as they put the delicious carrots on top, rather than mixing them.
I appreciate your feedback – please share your photos from Uzbekistan!
I need to figure out how to share photos and will do definitely. My favorite Osh is the Tashkent one as my wife is from Tashkent so cannot deviate much ;), but I tried most flavors and Samarkand’s is truly awesome. It is not only the taste- the spirit of the place, the aroma, the cooking process all contribute to the experience. Interestingly, Uzbek men are the best cooks! women do not even argue with that.
Thanks again, I am excited to learn more about places to visit next time
Rashad, good for you – my wife is from Tashkent as well :) She does not mind me loving Samarkand osh though, and she recently learned how to make one!
I agree, Uzbek men are amazing cooks – they make all the top dishes in restaurants, as well as big events like weddings. Sadly, I am not one of them! I can’t compete with my wife’s cooking, and she is really really good :)
Wow, just WOW! The photos are great as always and the depth and quality of information is incredible! I can only vaguely imagine what an emotional experience that was for you. Thanks so much for sharing.
Dan, thank you for your feedback. Post-processing all the images and putting all the info together took me many days, but I don’t regret it, as it was a trip of a lifetime and surely a big emotional experience for me personally. I hope that once I am fully done, it will be a good photo essay about my homeland, which will hopefully help others in finding out more about Uzbekistan.
Salam Nasim! Thank U for beautiful pictures,always looking forward to see and hear news about Uzbekistan,my home-land ! Hormang
Ва Алейкум Ассалом Оля, спасибо за тёплые слова! Я вырос в Фергане, но провёл студенческие годы в Ташкенте перед отбытием в США, где проживаю последние 20 лет. Узбекистан очень сильно изменился за это время – если у Вас будет возможность увидеть Родину снова, обязательно это сделайте, Вы не пожалеете!
Дай Бог завтра поставлю фотки из Хивы и Каракалпакистана…
Nasim, thank you for the varied collection of beautiful images from this interesting place! I am mostly partial to landscape photos, but enjoyed the entire set. The details of geometric patterns are particularly lovely as well. Looking forward to the rest!
Greg, thank you for your feedback, and I am happy that you’ve enjoyed the images. I have just completed the Bukhara section – will work on Khiva and Karakalpakistan tomorrow :)
Excellent shots, Nasim. I’ve been following your blog for a while and I would say while there are certainly many excellent photographers out there, you have something more, which is your own voice in photography. You have a distinctive style that separates you from many otherwise great shots, and I believe the government of Uzbekistan made the right choice in selecting your for this project.
Can’t wait to see the rest!
Jason, thank you so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it. I have just uploaded the Bukhara section. Will work on Khiva and Karakalpakistan tomorrow.
Lovely Pictures. Visited Tashkent from Delhi last winter, as a part of our hospital delegation. Very friendly people and absolute strangers wishing us with a ‘Namaste’. We also went to Qarshi on the Bullet Train. The Railway Station at Qarshi looks straight out of a fairy tale. Looking forward to more pictures.
Thank you Dr Alok! Looks like there is a lot more to explore for you in Uzbekistan! I highly recommend visiting Bukhara, Khiva and Samarkand – those three are the three gems of Central Asia.
Wow. Amazing pictures,and quite an honor to do this job. Also good to see what the GFX 50R is capable of… in the hands of a master! Look forward to the rest. Nice work, Nasim.
Roel, thank you for your kind words and the compliment, but I am far from being a master :)
I have just finished the Bukhara section – will hopefully complete Khiva and Karakalpakistan tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the rest of the article!
Nasim
Lovely pictures; Beautiful country; Fabulous hosts. I look forward to seeing your images in the Tourist publicity.
No people this time? – there were some fabulous images earlier when you posted.
I was there April 2019 ahead of our group for a few days and we then followed the normal Silk Road trip; We all really wanted to see the Fergana Valley as well but missed that – so anyone reading this make sure you get it included in your itinerary.
The light is fabulous.
Its also one of the homes of tulips as well, so the public parks and displays in Tashkent (and the wild versions in the mountains) in spring are impressive.
Like any of the “stans” or the Caucasus – they are all worth a visit. I’m working my way round them!
Oops – just seen the people images in the Ferghana Valley section; Apologies!
Thank you William! I am still working on the article and I apologize if I made it look like there aren’t any images of people based on the first page. This article has many sections (just completed Bukhara), so there will be many more portraits of people from Uzbekistan.
It is amazing that you have been able to visit Uzbekistan and other countries along the Silk Road. There is definitely a lot to see in our region!
Nasim, this is magnificent work, showing a country I knew nothing about beyond its name.
The art and architecture are (literally) of a unique style and quality–stunning to think of the time and labor that went into it. Your excellent work opened up a place I would not otherwise have appreciated–Thank you for doing it.
that new Fuji 50 equipment was up to the task too; the State ministry can show off large prints of your images.
Art, thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it! I am very happy that you’ve enjoyed the images and got to know about Uzbekistan through this photo essay – it took me some time to post-process them, especially in high-resolution. The images from the GFX 50 are truly amazing and the gear worked out really well – the ministry of tourism is quite happy with the results! :)
I have been thinking for a while to visit the birthplace of Imam Bukhari and see all these beautiful architecture, and your post has just strengthened my desire. Hope to visit it some day, in-Sha-Allah. Thank you so much for sharing this post. Waiting for the rest of the sections :)
Enayet, glad you’ve enjoyed the images. The tomb of Imam Bukhari is located in Samarkand, and I have not had a chance to update that section with some images (will try to add tomorrow). Unfortunately, it was very busy when we got there (there were thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, including from Saudi Arabia). Come and visit Uzbekistan, there is a lot to see there. InshaAllah, I will be there again next year, perhaps with another assignment!
I went to Uz this summer. I had a good time. Very interesting culture and architecture. Looking forward to seeing the other half of the article! As you said, people in Fergana valley are very nice as well.
Sam, thank you for your feedback and glad you liked Uzbekistan! I’ve just updated the article with the rest of the regions – hope you enjoy!
I feel a bit vindicated as a hobbyist photographer that quite a bit of the images I captured (other than the old buildings everyone takes—but wow do those sunrise/sunset ones look great!) are similar to the ones you posted! Less obvious stuff like doors, sides of buildings etc… caught our attention.
I also have a B&W shot of the Pol Kolon mosque, but zoomed in, angled up, and just got the arches. Looks great in B&W. Was debating big time whether to have that or something closer to what you presented framed in my house, but I chose the more abstracty angles.
BTW, I really enjoyed the Nukus art museum. I didn’t get to the Aral sea, but saw the museum, and really enjoyed it. I only wish there were art galleries by the museum, as I really wanted to purchase some local art from someone.
I’m sure there are indeed wonderful people in Uzbekistan, and I’m sure there are many really wonderful places to photograph.
At the same time, you are painting a too rosy picture.
Uzbekistan is one of the most authoritarian and repressive countries, and religion is not as free as you seem to believe. Especially Christians and Shiite muslims face repressions.
That applies to all the “stans” – they have no truck with Islamic fundamentalism and their police and security policies reflect this. Its why the places are so safe too visit.
Turkmenistan is the only truly repressive regime in the old fashioned sense of the word.
Christoph, you are right, although I was mostly talking about photographic opportunities of the country, not its political situation, or its dark past. I personally did not see religious oppression towards Christians and Jews when visiting Uzbekistan, and I have never seen Shiite Muslims – I didn’t even know we had them. I was able to photograph an Orthodox Church in Samarkand, which was open to public and had quite a few people inside, who seemed to practice openly. On my plane to Tashkent, there were a few Bukharian Jews, who were there to visit their homeland and their relatives that were still remaining in the country. In Ferghana, we have a pretty healthy population of Koreans practicing Christianity – I have many friends among them and I grew up with some of them. I am sure abuse happens though, especially when people convert from one religion to another…
What a fascinating country. Looks unspoilt. Normally I don’t find people photos that interesting (purely landscapes) but you really make them interesting with the way you caught their expressions, colourful costumes & the tasks some were doing. Especially that knife maker. They look amazing. I bet you wouldn’t be able to take one of those on a plane back home! Looking on other sites I see there are some stunning alpine like mountains in the East. Do you think you’ll be heading there one day?
Thank you Stephen, I appreciate your feedback! I have just completed the article, so all the chapters should be visible – hope you enjoy the rest of the photo essay.
In regards to the mountains in the east, are you referring to the mountains in the east of Tashkent, or mountains of Kyrgyzstan? I have already shown some images from Tashkent mountains, but I have not yet had a chance to visit Kyrgyzstan, which has amazingly beautiful mountains.
How embarrassing Nasim! I didn’t fully scroll down the Tashkent page & somehow missed the Ugam-Chatkal National Park part. Yes, I meant those mountains. (perhaps I was seduced by the picture of Osh above & had to eat!) The mountains on the border look wild & remote (Mount Beshtor looks innaccessible) . I’ve also seen the photos of Kyrgyzstan by Albert Dros. Another stunning place for adventurous photographers. As you’re from the area you’re in an enviable position to bring back unique photos from these enigmatic countries..(enigmatic to the West that is). Maybe you could run photo tours there?…You won’t find any tripod holes!
Hello Nasim,
I have been on a trip to Usbekistan in September, visiting Tashkent, Samara, Bukhara, Khiva in a bus group tour, and flying back to Tashkent from Urgench. It was a wonderful experience, and I would have loved to see more from the landscape, not ‘only’ the historic places from the silk road. Of course, that is the main attraction, but your pictures from the wide areas tell me, what I have still missed…
I should go there again, I guess… ;-))
Rainer, it is awesome that you have been able to visit Uzbekistan! Looks like you hit all the hot spots, but there is still a lot more to see and photograph there. Hope you return one day!
I have just updated the article with the rest of the regions – hope you enjoy!
I enjoyed looking at your photographs. One question: why did you use such a narrow depth of field when photographing the Osh in Tashkent?
Kenneth, I appreciate your feedback! For that particular photograph, I wanted to blur out the rest of the photo, so that it does not show the details of the ground, or the guy holding the dish…
What a great article Nasim! We were most impressed with Uzbekistan when we went there last year. Remarkable history, spectacular historical buildings, friendly people and as safe as Iceland.
We didn’t go to the Ferghana valley and I toyed with the idea of including Karakalpakstan but didn’t for financial and logistical reasons. We discovered Aksaray Mausoleum in Samarkand by accident (we were staying near there) and my favourite place was Khiva (murrayfoote.com/2018/10/16/khiva/).
I’ve just made a few temporary blog posts so far. It may take another year before I go through all my images and make final posts.
Thank you Murray! I am very happy to hear that you enjoyed visiting Uzbekistan.
I went through your galleries – that’s a beautiful set of photos, thanks for sharing! Khiva is a truly magical place, and I enjoyed it immensely! The Ferghana Valley and Karakalpakistan are also beautiful in their own ways, very different from what you see in other regions.
Nasim, as ever – a great article with superb images!
The “stans” are an area I have never been to and you have convinced me that Uzbekistan would be a great place to start – the infamous “bucket list” seems to keep on growing, instead of getting shorter….
Any thoughts on a PL trip there?
Don
Thank you Don, I appreciate your feedback!
A number of people have already emailed me about their interest in visiting Uzbekistan, so I am putting together a workshop plan there. Will need to decide on the length of the trip, along with all the locations. Not sure I want to include the Aral Sea, because it was a very tough place to get to, and the safety was questionable – not something I want any of my workshop participants to go through!
Great to hear Nasim and I would definitely be interested!
Don
Nasim – thanks for sharing all these wonderful photographs, and for a fascinating glimpse of a part of the world I knew nothing about! I particularly enjoyed your black and white archways shot. It looks like you relied mainly on your GFX system…could you speak to why you chose those cameras to do most of the “heavy lifting” and what advantages you felt they offered this assignment? Thanks again for sharing!
Clinton, thank you for the feedback!
I chose the GFX, because that’s what I rely on for serious commercial work. The edge to edge detail level is pretty astonishing with Fuji GF lenses. Lenses are big and heavy though – that’s the negative. You can read most of my thoughts on the GFX 50S in my review. It is not a system for everyone for sure…
This was truly fascinating. What an interesting and beautiful place! I had never thought of a trip to that part of the world but this article was very convincing.
I don’t know why I thought the people there would be more “Slavic” or “Russian” looking (for lack of a better description?) but they have a very unique look of their own and it was surprising to me to see a little bit of an “eastern Asia” shape to some of their faces. I clearly need to get better educated about this part of the world!
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Joshua, glad you’ve enjoyed the article!
We are definitely not Slavic, although we do have some Russian population still residing in the country. Depending on the region, Uzbekistan has many different kinds of people…
Why of why did you leave out the horse-milk? Pat , told me it was his new favorite youth elixir!
Will, because it is not an Uzbek drink :) Pat needs more of that stuff – the next trip should be to Kyrgyzstan…they have plenty of it there, very fresh :)))
Will, I thought it was a elixir that would enhance stamina. That way you could keep up with the colonel, that is why you should drink that fine beverage..
Pat, I could drink a whole barrel of Kyrgyzstan’s finest horse-milk and still couldn’t keep up with the Colonel!
Will, True, he is in a league of his own.
I was born in Ferghana.
wow. awesome.
Great article Nasim ! Thank you for inspiring me to travel to your homecountry in near future. You made me very curious;-). Have a merry christmas !
Thank you Nasim for this excellent post! Tashkent is my birthplace as well and I haven’t been there for 25 years! May be some day… Beautiful photos and nice choice of camera to cover it! (love my GFX50r ;-)
Merry Christmas and Happy New year!!! God bless!!!
Nasim, Thank you for sharing the beautiful images of Uzbekistan. I would love to travel in that region as tourism becomes accessible today. Have a wonderful holiday.
Love those images from GFX50r!
Thank you for your splendid images of Uzbekistan. I doubt I will ever be able to travel there, but Tashkent and Samarkand have always been cities I would like to see. Thanks to you, I have some idea of the beauty of these places.
I did a tourist trip to Uzbekistan last October 2019
Beautiful country, Khiva excited me.
During the trip I knew the limits of my old D5100 along with the 18-105 zoom only. I now own a D7500.
I saw your great photographs, it was like redoing the trip with memories. Thank you.