Lifestyle
Whispers of Silk Road: Discovering soul of Uzbekistan in Khiva
Rich in energy resources, strategically located and distinguished by its deep-rooted history, Central Asia has been a ground of rivalry for great powers for centuries. At the heart of this struggle lies Uzbekistan, a nation whose story is key to discovering the soul of the region. Today, Uzbekistan has stood out as one of Central Asia’s most dynamic countries, shaped by political reforms, economic diversification and a revived cultural life since independence. With a young population exceeding 34 million, rich underground resources and the legacy it has bestowed upon the Turkish-Islamic civilization, these lands are at the center of both the past and the future.
The best way to experience Uzbekistan is by wandering through its historic cities. A journey from the walls of Khiva to the spirituality of Bukhara, from the splendor of Samarkand to the modern streets of Tashkent, offers the key to understanding the nation’s story. The moment you step into Uzbekistan, it is as if an invisible voice whispers in your ear, “Welcome to the land of your ancestors.” For centuries, these lands have been the very heart of the Silk Road, where caravans, travelers and scholars once crossed paths. To understand Central Asia’s story, there is no better place to begin than Khiva.
City where time stands still
Khiva, located in the Khwarezm region south of the Oxus River, served as the capital of the Khiva Khanate from 1512 to 1924. Though relatively small in size, it flourished for centuries as a center of trade, culture and politics. Today, walking through its narrow streets allows visitors to trace the legacy of the Khans and uncover stories etched into humanity’s collective memory.
Arriving at Urgench Airport and passing through Ata Darvaza, the northern gate of the old city, you step into Itchan Kala – a walled inner town that now stands as a living open-air museum. Here, history breathes through every stone. Just beyond the gate rises the Kalta Minor Minaret, shimmering with turquoise tiles, the first enchanting sight Khiva offers. Within the walls lie hundreds of mosques, madrassas, minarets and mausoleums – each whispering its own story across the centuries.
Khan palaces, caravanserais and bathhouses recall the vibrant days of the Silk Road, while the State Puppet Theater and Avesta Museum highlight the city’s cultural wealth. With its near-desert climate, Khiva sees hot, windy summers and cold winters; spring and autumn remain the best seasons to explore its timeless beauty. Often left in the shadow of Bukhara’s spirituality and Samarkand’s grandeur, Khiva distinguishes itself with serenity and authenticity. Walking through its narrow lanes, you encounter not just the memory of a city, but traces of humanity’s collective past.
Unfinished dream
Kalta Minor is Khiva’s most recognizable symbol and the city’s most striking structure. Construction began in the 19th century with the ambition of making it the tallest minaret in Central Asia, but it was left unfinished after the death of Khiva Khan Muhammad Emin Khan in 1855. Yet, even at 29 meters, the minaret dazzles with its grandeur. As the only minaret entirely covered in tiles and majolica, it is unique. The shades of turquoise and green shift with the sunlight, their shimmering hues turning the scene into something out of a fairy tale. In Uzbekistan, erecting grand and imposing minarets was as much a display of political power as it was an architectural achievement. The spirit of Khiva still breathes within this unfinished yet magnificent minaret.
Palace of the Khans of Khiva
Köhne Ark, the first palace of the Khiva Khanate, rises right next to the madrassa. Completed in 1688, this magnificent structure was the political and administrative center of Khiva for centuries. It houses winter and summer mosques, a harem, a mint, a dungeon, stables and rooms for the khan’s private life. The palace was a center where the Khiva khans conducted state affairs, received ambassadors and held ceremonies.
One of the most striking details is that the inns had two reception halls. The first was a simple tent in the garden; foreign guests were first welcomed here and then ushered into the magnificent reception hall inside the palace, showcasing the power and prestige of the Khiva Khan. This arrangement reflected both respect for the guest and the tradition of gradually imbuing the Khiva Palace with its grandeur.
The gate of the Old Ark is as striking as the palace itself. Both wings of the gate are adorned with floral ornaments, and Persian couplets are embedded within these decorations. The poems praise the ruler’s justice and the perpetuity of his reign, while also emphasizing the gate’s beauty: “May this beautifully ornamented gate be perpetuated by justice; may our ruler live long on his throne. I inscribed it with his blessed name, may justice increase in his domain. This gate is adorned with precious ornaments; if a Chinese miniaturist saw it, he would surely be astonished.” These couplets are among the unique examples that show how art and politics are intertwined in the Khiva palace architecture.
Tosh-Hovli Palace
Tosh-Hovli Palace, built between 1830 and 1838 on the orders of Allakuli Khan, remains one of Khiva’s most remarkable landmarks. As its name suggests, the “Stone Courtyard Palace” is distinguished by its wide, stone-paved courtyards. Originally designed as a royal residence, it soon became both the daily home and the administrative center of the Khiva khans. Over time, reception halls were added, where ambassadors and guests were welcomed with the grandeur befitting the khan’s court.
One of the palace’s most striking features is its special harem section and its elaborately decorated rooms. The rooms surrounding the courtyards are adorned with turquoise tiles, plasterwork and wood carvings. These decorations, crafted by renowned Khiva masters, reflect the artistic sensibility of the period.
Today, shops selling items unique to Khiva culture are located in some sections of the palace. These include traditional Khiva kalpaks, handcrafted carpets and local headdresses called “Turkestan doppas.” Visitors have the opportunity to both explore history and experience the culture as part of daily life. Turkestan music is occasionally performed in the palace courtyards, offering visitors a visual and an auditory journey through history.
Khiva’s wooden marvel
The Friday Mosque in Khiva stands out as one of the city’s most distinctive works of art. Built in the late 18th century, the mosque is supported by 212 wooden columns, seven of which date back to much earlier periods. Each column is uniquely carved, as if crafted by a different master: one bears motifs in the Seljuk style, while another reflects the elegance of later centuries. This diversity makes the mosque a place where eras intersect. While it may appear plain from the outside, its interior is dazzling with a forest of carved columns and a serene atmosphere. Today, the mosque officially serves as a museum, but its floors remain carpeted and prayers continue within its walls, a reminder of Khiva’s vibrant history, steeped in faith and tradition.
Although Khiva is often overlooked in today’s Uzbekistan tours, it holds the distinction of being the country’s most authentic city. Amid the spirituality of Bukhara and the grandeur of Samarkand, Khiva stands out for its tranquility and preserved texture. Here, you’ll discover traces of humanity’s collective memory in every street you walk through.
A 190-year-old Greek Orthodox church in Kayseri, central Türkiye, whose restoration was completed last year, stands out for its striking wall paintings and is set to become part of the Cappadocia tourism circuit.
Built in 1836, the Church of St. Eustathios is an important historical and cultural landmark in Kayseri’s Incesu district and features numerous paintings and other remnants on its interior walls.
The three-aisled, vaulted church underwent restoration by the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality in 2021. Its load-bearing walls and historic fabric were reinforced using materials and techniques compatible with the original structure.
The stonework and frescoes, or wall paintings, inside the church were preserved, while Karamanlı inscriptions – Turkish written in the Greek alphabet – depicting various scenes, as well as charitable endowment records, reliefs and carvings on the walls, were conserved and brought to light.
Restoration of the church was completed last year using archival photographs and documents as references to ensure the building remained faithful to its original appearance. The site, known for its distinctive wall paintings, will serve as the Incesu City Museum.
More than 80% of the exhibition and interior arrangement work has been completed. The church is also being prepared for inclusion in the Cappadocia tourism circuit, with nearby destinations such as Avanos, Ürgüp and Göreme located 45 to 50 kilometers (28 to 31 miles) from Incesu.
Tayfun Talaslı, head of the municipality’s Historical Buildings and Museums Branch Directorate, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the three-aisled, vaulted church, built on a rectangular plan, is an example of classical Greek Orthodox architecture in Anatolia.
Talaslı said the building served as a place of worship until the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Türkiye, after which it was used for various purposes, including as a military warehouse, archive, theater and vocational school.
He said restoration work began toward the end of 2021 under a protocol signed between the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality and Incesu Municipality and was completed last year.
Talaslı emphasized that the main principle guiding the largely completed exhibition and interior arrangement work was to avoid causing any damage to the historic structure and said preserving the building’s original character was a top priority throughout the restoration.
“We used old photographs of the church as references during the restoration. We also based the project on art history reports that took into account the oral histories of people who once lived here,” he said.
He said the remaining work is expected to be completed soon, after which the museum will open to visitors.
“We are creating a museum on the ground floor of the building, which we have repurposed as the Incesu City Museum, focusing on the city’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage,” Talaslı said.
“Visitors will be able to trace Incesu’s history, learn about notable figures who were born here or left their mark on the city and explore its architectural heritage,” he said. “We will highlight a wide range of local treasures, from the Kara Mustafa Pasha Complex to the Roman-era milestone that has become one of the symbols of Incesu.”
Talaslı said visitors will also be able to see ceramics and other archaeological finds unearthed in Örenşehir, while the museum will offer a broader look at Incesu’s heritage, from its cuisine and population to the 1923 population exchange and the city’s historical development.
“We will cover everything from who the building was commissioned for to the area’s flora and fauna, geological structure, agriculture and grape production,” he said.
The Karaelmas Touristic Express, which operates between Ankara and Zonguldak, will return to the rails on Oct. 2, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced, offering travelers a chance to explore the region’s natural, historical and cultural treasures by train.
In a written statement, Uraloğlu said the tourist train, launched by TCDD Transportation in cooperation with the Western Black Sea Development Agency (BAKKA) and the Zonguldak Provincial Special Administration, contributes to tourism-focused rail travel between Ankara and Zonguldak.
The train will begin this year’s service Oct. 2, Uraloğlu said.
The Ankara-Zonguldak service will depart on Oct. 2, 16 and 30 and Nov. 13, while trains traveling from Zonguldak to Ankara will depart on Oct. 3, 17 and 31 and Nov. 14.
Trains from Ankara to Zonguldak will leave at 11 p.m. on Fridays, while return services will depart Zonguldak at 11 p.m. on Saturdays. The train will have a total of seven carriages, including six sleeper cars and one dining car, with a capacity of 120 passengers.
The Karaelmas Express first operated as a tourist service in 2025, completing four outbound and four return journeys along the Ankara-Zonguldak-Ankara route, for a total of eight trips.
Since its inaugural journey, the train has offered passengers a different way to discover the Western Black Sea’s natural, cultural and industrial heritage, Uraloğlu said.
“For the 2026 schedule, passengers traveling from Ankara to Zonguldak will make sightseeing stops in Yenice, while those on the return journey will stop in Çankırı and Kalecik,” Uraloğlu said. “This journey, stretching from Yenice’s natural beauty and Zonguldak’s history to Çankırı’s cultural heritage and Kalecik’s local treasures, will bring rail travel and tourism together.”
Venice is looking at expanding its tourist entry fee, applying it for a longer period of the year and raising the daily charge to as much as €30 ($34), a senior official in the city government has said.
Budget and taxation councilor Michele Zuin said the current fee of €5 to €10 ($5.7 to $11.5 ) was too low to safeguard against overtourism, but said the new price for 2027 would have to be discussed and agreed with the government.
“The current €5-10 charge is affordable for virtually everyone; the risk is that it no longer has the deterrent effect that this measure is supposed to have,” Zuin told the Sunday edition of regional daily Il Gazzettino.
In remarks that were widely picked up by national media on Monday, the councillor said there was “even talk of (going up to) €50 ($57),” but added that authorities could settle for a maximum charge of €30.
The tourist fee, applicable only to day-trippers, was introduced in 2024, in a world first. Early bookers get to pay the lower rate and there are several exemptions, including for children under 14.
In 2026, it was operational on selected days from April 3 to July 26, from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and brought into city coffers more than €5.2 million ($5.9 million) from the sale of just under 680,000 entry tickets.
In a city that has long suffered from overtourism and depopulation, local officials say the scheme is meant to encourage visitors to avoid the most crowded periods of the year, such as the May Day public holiday.
Tokyo tourist hot spot Shinjuku will impose a ban on more than half of its holiday rentals, including homes on Airbnb, an official said Monday, after a surge in complaints about visitors.
Known for its buzzing commercial and entertainment district, the ward hosts nearly 10% of Japan’s 42,000 short-term rentals.
But it also has a large residential population, who have become increasingly exasperated with tourists who fail to properly dispose of rubbish, smoke where they’re not supposed to, and make too much noise.
A Shinjuku official supervising holiday rentals told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the district was “planning to revise the current ordinance … to ban private lodging” in residential zones and areas near schools.
“As the number of private lodging businesses has risen, complaints and troubles around them have increased,” the official said on customary condition of anonymity.
More than 50% of short-term rentals in Shinjuku face a ban under the new rules, he said, adding that the plan would formally be announced by the Shinjuku mayor on Tuesday.
Shinjuku’s policy will apply to existing properties, he added.
The move comes as other cities around the world attempt to crack down on private lodgings available on Airbnb and other platforms, including New York City and Barcelona.
Like elsewhere, overtourism has emerged as a major issue in Japan.
Residents of Kyoto and other hot spots have expressed annoyance at selfie-taking crowds as well as traffic congestion and soaring land prices.
In Shinjuku, the number of complaints over vacation rentals increased by around 40% in the fiscal year to March, the official said.
“Many complaints are about the violation of trash disposal rules while others include smoking and trespassing,” he said.
Shinjuku’s ban comes after the Japan Tourism Agency in July gave municipalities the right to regulate short-term lodgings if “a tranquil living and educational environment” is under threat or if they “hinder the maintenance of a permanent population and local community.”
Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto is also considering a ban on short-term lodging, but only for new rentals within residential and industrial areas.
Several Airbnb hosts contacted by AFP declined to comment.
Visitors to Hasankeyf, one of southeastern Türkiye’s major tourism destinations, are exploring the district’s historic and natural attractions through boat tours on the Ilısu Dam reservoir.
Located in Batman province, Hasankeyf is considered one of the world’s oldest settlements and continues to attract visitors with traces of civilizations that have shaped the region over centuries.
The district is known for historic landmarks including the Imam Abdullah Tomb, Zeynel Bey Tomb, Artuqid Bath, Hasankeyf Museum and Er-Rızk Mosque. The Ilısu Dam reservoir has also given the area a new character, offering visitors an opportunity to experience its landscape from the water.
Domestic and international tourists visiting Hasankeyf can tour its historic sites before taking boat trips across the reservoir to see its canyons and Hasankeyf Castle.
Before setting off, guides brief passengers on safety rules and provide information about the historic castles, caves and canyons along the route. The boat tours last about an hour, allowing visitors to take in the area’s natural and historic scenery.
‘The boat tour was excellent’
Mustafa Yıldız, who traveled from Manisa as part of a tour of the southeastern Anatolia region, said his group visited Hasankeyf after stopping in Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Mardin.
“I really liked Hasankeyf. The boat tour was especially excellent. We really enjoyed seeing the canyons and caves,” Yıldız told Anadolu Agency.
Ramazan Kızar, who traveled from Batman to visit the district, said Hasankeyf was an important destination for cultural and historical tourism.
Kızar said the boat tour gave him the chance to see the historic castle and canyons.
“Thanks to the boat tour I took with my daughter and wife, we are exploring Hasankeyf’s unique beauty,” he said.
52,000 visitors take boat tours
Şehmus Batıhan, a captain and member of the Hasankeyf Kale Tourism Cooperative, said the cooperative operates eight boats offering tours of the reservoir.
Hasankeyf becomes particularly busy with domestic and international visitors during the summer months, Batıhan said, adding that the boat tours have brought additional activity to the district alongside its historic sites.
Visitors are picked up at the harbor and taken on a tour covering the area where the old settlement once stood. The tours last approximately one hour, he said.
“About 52,000 guests have taken advantage of the boat tours in the past eight months,” Batıhan said. “We also provide our guests with information about Hasankeyf’s history during the tours.”
He added that many visitors from European countries join the boat trips.
“Visitors can see many important historical works here and they really enjoy the boat tours,” Batıhan said.
Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, is enjoying a robust summer season, with concerts, cultural events and its internationally renowned film festival drawing visitors from across Europe and beyond.
More than 100,000 tourists visited the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina in July, according to the Federal News Agency, as the city increasingly attracts travelers for its music, cinema, gastronomy and natural attractions alongside its historical heritage.
Three concerts by regional music star Dino Merlin at Kosevo Stadium in late July and early August attracted more than 200,000 people in total.
Visitors traveled from across the Balkans and other parts of Europe, putting hotels and private accommodation under significant pressure.
Sarajevo recorded nearly 78 million euros ($91 million) in fiscal turnover during the three concert days, with restaurants, cafes, shops and transportation companies benefiting from the influx.
The concerts were followed by a performance by British electronic music group The Prodigy on Aug. 13 and by the opening of the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) the following day.
Established in 1995 during the final year of the siege of Sarajevo, the festival has developed into one of southeastern Europe’s leading film events. This year’s guests included Woody Harrelson, Emily Watson, Pawel Pawlikowski, Diego Luna, Asghar Farhadi and Celine Sciamma.
In addition to these entertainment and cultural events, Sarajevo offers a blend of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture, along with landmarks linked to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and sites preserving the memory of the 1992-1995 siege.
Its proximity to the Olympic mountains of Trebevic, Bjelasnica, Igman and Jahorina also allows travelers to combine a city break with hiking, cycling and winter sports.
Major events are becoming increasingly important for Sarajevo’s tourism economy by attracting new visitors, extending stays and boosting spending across the city.
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