Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - An article “Unexplored treasures of the Silk Road of Uzbekistan - a journey led by architects, scientists, chefs and curators takes visitors beyond the usual route,” was published in the online version of the British publication “The Financial Times”.

The author, journalist and writer Sophie Roberts specializes in preparing essays on tourist attractions around the world for publications in the United Kingdom and the United States, including The Economist and The Financial Times. She in an article told about her impressions from visiting Uzbekistan, historical cities and cultural monuments of the country.

The journalist notes a wide network of direct flights between Uzbekistan and the outside world, high-speed trains running between the historic cities of the republic, an expanding visa-free regime, the presence of tourist police, the revival of handicraft traditions, and a high level of service.

The author connects these transformations with the “large-scale shift” in the country initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, primarily in the field of economic liberalization and tourism development. As noted in the article, the speed of change offers great opportunities for travelers.

According to the author, one of the trip’s tasks was “to go beyond the standard Silk Road scheme (Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva)”, to find alternative ways of learning through acquaintance with places that are visited with the help of local experts - from chefs to scientists.

Speaking about visiting Tashkent, the author points to its modern appearance, talks about visiting the Chorsu market, as well as the Cosmonauts station of the Tashkent metro, where 83-year-old station architect Sergo Sutyagin talked about the motives for creating the station’s appearance.

A visit to Samarkand - “a fairy tale captured in our fantasies by many references from Marco Polo to Robert Byron”, is described by a visit to the Registan, in particular the Sherdor Madrassah. At the same time, drawing the attention of his readers to animals placed on the facade of a historical building, which, as is supposed, used to live on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, the author addresses the problem of ecology and the environment. In particular, she mentions the disappearance of the "belt of trees from Constantinople to the Ferghana Valley, described by the traveler Arminius Vamberi", as well as the tragedy of the Aral Sea.

Sophie Roberts talks about the architectural monuments of Bukhara and separately dwells on his impressions of visiting a mosque during a prayer with the participation of about 700 people. As the author emphasizes, strolling among believers "I feel that they respect me, welcome me cordially, and I am safe."

“The incredible place” the author calls the city of Nukus, where the collection of the artist Igor Savitsky, who collected the masterpieces of the Russian avant-garde, is kept in a special museum. Former director of the institution Marinika Babanazarova spoke about the history of the museum and its rich archive.

The British journalist notes that Uzbekistan has become a real "holiday" place to visit, and its history of the Silk Road is evidence that easy and free travel is part of a dynamic cultural process.