hansboroughliam's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Abu Sahiy

The heartbeat of modern Uzbekistan’s thriving market culture.
Changikhisarak, Uzbekistan

Physics of the Sun

More than 10,000 small mirrors cover the curved surface of the world's second-largest solar oven, located in a remote village in Uzbekistan.
Margilan, Uzbekistan

Yodgorlik Silk Factory

Witness traditional silk production in the Uzbek city that's been a hub of sericulture for over a thousand years.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis

The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Tomb of Daniel at Samarkand

An 18-meter-long sarcophagus of a constantly growing dead prophet.
Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan

Ak Saray Palace

Home to what was once considered the largest gate in central Asia.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Kalyan Minaret

This "tower of death" has acted as an observatory, a religious hub, and an executioner's lair.
Bukhara, Uzbekistan

"The Bug Pit" at Zindon Prison

Where Stoddart and Connolly suffered in the infamous Bug Pit.
Xiva, Uzbekistan

Walls of Itchan Kala

Ancient barriers wrap around what was once an important stop along the Silk Road.
Beruni, Uzbekistan

Elliq-Qala

These "50 Fortresses" have been unearthed in the ancient oasis of Khwarezm.
Nukus, Uzbekistan

Chilpik Tower of Silence

The ruins of an ancient Zoroastrian Tower of Silence believed to be the earliest example of the traditional funerary practice.
Muynak District, Uzbekistan

Moynaq

Once a bustling fishing port, this semi-ghost town is now more than 90 miles away from the shore.
Kantubek, Uzbekistan

Vozrozhdeniye Island

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.
Baikonur, Kazakhstan

Baikonur Cosmodrome

World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site.
Baikonur, Kazakhstan

Cosmonaut Grove

Avenue of trees planted by cosmonauts before their space departures.
Aralsk, Kazakhstan

Aral Sea

Rusting ships sit in a desert where a sea used to be.
Shetpe, Kazakhstan

Valley of Balls

Mysterious spherical rocks in the semi-desert of western Kazakhstan.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Ascension Cathedral

In Kazakhstan, a colorful cathedral with many lives once survived the most powerful earthquake in the region.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

The Last Wild Apple Forests

Granny Smiths and Fujis can both be traced back to Kazakhstan, where apples still grow wild.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Big Almaty Lake

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.
Enbekshikazakh District, Kazakhstan

Issyk Lake

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.
Saty, Kazakhstan

Kaindy Lake

Submerged trees jut ghost-like out of an idyllic turquoise mountain lake.
Raiymbek District, Kazakhstan

Charyn Canyon

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.
Zharkent, Kazakhstan

Zharkent Mosque

This unique wooden mosque resembling a Chinese pagoda was said to be built without the use of nails.