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This is a collection of pictures from Uzbekistan, the result of a trip in 2014 around the country to ancient cities on the Silk Road. If you look up...
Everything from North, Central and East Asia
This category contains all Sandalsand’s articles from countries in north, central and east Asia. You will find an introduction to this region under the Destinations menu.
Use this search field to find more interesting content on Sandalsand.
The fertile Fergana Valley
The Fergana valley is one of the world's most fertile valleys and always has been. In addition Stalin drew a map making it one of the most complex...
The magnificent oasis of Khiva
Squeezed in between the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts we find Khiva, or Itchan Kala as it was known when slaves were traded and silk passed by on...
World Heritage #0543 – Itchan Kala
Let us us all go back to the old caravan routes of the Silk Roads, and to Itchan Kala in the oasis of Khiva. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes...
The Emir of Bukhara and the lost camels
The man on the image from 1911 was the last Emir of Bukhara. Join me for a look into days long lost, and read what happened to him and his...
World Heritage #0602 – Bukhara
The madrassas and mosques in the Historic Centre of Bukhara are impressive. They provide a sense of what the days of the Silk Road were like. The...
World Heritage #0885 – Shakhrisyabz
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz is the birthplace of the Great Tamerlane, the king and conqueror of a vast empire in Central Asia in the 14th...
Shakhrisabz and the birth of a nation
A nation was born in Shakhrisabz. This is rule number 1 in nation building: Go back in history and find an epic figure, mythical or real, and gather...
World Heritage #0603 – Samarkand
Samarkand was at the centre of the famous Silk Road. It passed through present-day Uzbekistan and was of vital importance to the trade between east...
The road to Samarkand
Three of history's greatest warlords found reason to conquer and ravage the city of Samarkand. Time and again the city rose from the ashes to regain...
The monumentalism of Tashkent
Being the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia, Tashkent has every reason to show off, and it does. This is clearly evident in...
VIDEO – Uzbekistan – Tashkent
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is the largest city of Central Asia. This video brings you the sights of Old Tashkent, as well as squares and...
In search of the ancient Silk Road
This is about a trip on the Silk Road in the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Marco Polo was here before me. The article is...
Defensive Structures (1) The huge ones
There are some historically significant and physically huge defensive structures around the world. They built them to protect entire countries...
Iron Wheels (1) Exciting train journeys
This is an introduction to exciting train journeys. I have registered my travels on a world map and the distance travelled on trains has been...
Ultimate highlights of Beijing
On a long day it is possible to discover many of the ultimate highlights of Beijing. This was also the end of a very long journey. This is article...
World Heritage #0881 – Temple of Heaven
Watch your step in the Temple of Heaven park, nothing is arbitrary, everything has a meaning. To those who understand. The UNESCO World Heritage...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (11) Forbidden City
This video takes you on a walk through the Imperial City (Walled City) and Forbidden City of Beijing. It goes from Tiananmen Square to Jingshan...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (10) Silk production process
This video about silk production is from a guided tour of a Beijing silk store showing the full production process. It includes the six larva...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (9) Temple of Heaven
This video is from a visit to the Temple of Heaven and the park. It is no. 881 on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The official name of the site is:...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (8) Temple of Heaven Park
Watch a video from an early morning workout in the Temple of Heaven Park in central Beijing. It has a number of very popular public exercise...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (7) Summer Palace
This is a short video from the Summer Palace in Beijing, the former summer residence of the Chinese emperors. "Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (6) Qianhai Lake
This video is from a walk along the pleasant Qianhai Lake in central Beijing, and the nearby area. According to Wikipedia Shichahai is a historic...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (5) Hutong
This video is from a redeveloped hutong neighbourhood in Beijing. Although quite new, they have the atmosphere of how people used to live in ancient...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (4) Great Wall at Mutianyu
This is a video from the Great Wall at Mutianyu. It is a restored section and very popular on a day trip from Beijing. According to Wikipedia,...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (3) Cloisonne factory
Here is a video from a cloisonné factory and store outside of Beijing. This is a technique for decorating metalwork objects with coloured materiel....
Beijing and the Great Wall
Read about some early impressions from Beijing, and then about a visit to the Great Wall. I had flashbacks to the last time I was in Beijing, more...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (2) Yonghe Lama Temple
This is a video from the Yonghe Lama Temple in central Beijing with its temple buildings, incense urns and worshippers. According to Wikipedia the...
On the train from Mongolia to Beijing
We were on a train from Mongolia to Beijing. After a very long stop at the border for passport checks and a change of wheels, we could finally leave...
VIDEO – China – Beijing (1) Ritan Park
This is a video from the peaceful Ritan Park in Beijing, on an early morning visit along Tai Chi Chuan practitioners. According to Wikipedia the...
