Kashkadarya

Amir Timur's home ground: Shahrisabz with the ruins of his White Palace, the old trading city of Karshi, and the Hisar mountains with juniper forests and quiet villages.

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Guide to Kashkadarya

Overview

Kashkadarya lies south of Samarkand, between the Hisar range in the east and the steppe that runs towards Turkmenistan in the west. The Kashkadarya river gives the region its name and waters the oases around Shahrisabz and Karshi.

Most visitors come for Shahrisabz, whose historic centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It works well as a day trip from Samarkand, but an overnight stay lets you see the monuments in the evening light and add Karshi or a mountain village to the route.

History

Shahrisabz, known in older sources as Kesh, was a Sogdian town long before the Arab conquest. Amir Timur was born nearby in 1336, and after he came to power he turned his home town into a showcase with a palace, family tombs and mosques. His descendant Ulugbek added buildings in the 15th century.

Karshi grew on the site of ancient Nakhshab, later called Nasaf; the ruins of the early city survive at Erkurgan outside the modern town. In the 16th century, under the Shaybanids, Karshi became an important stop between Bukhara and the south, and several of its mosques, madrasas and its brick bridge date from that time.

Getting there

From Samarkand, the shortest road to Shahrisabz crosses the Hisar foothills over the Takhtakaracha pass. The views are good, but the road is winding and can close after heavy snow in winter, when drivers take the longer route through the lowlands instead. Shared taxis and private drivers leave from Samarkand every day.

Karshi has an airport with flights from Tashkent and lies on the main railway to the south, including high-speed Afrosiyob trains from Tashkent via Samarkand. Shahrisabz also has a railway station, but services are fewer, so many travellers reach it by road.

Getting around

The monuments of Shahrisabz sit along one long pedestrian axis, from Ak-Saray in the north to Dorut Tilavat and Dorus Saodat in the south, so you can see them all on foot in half a day. Small electric carts sometimes run along the park for those who prefer not to walk.

Between towns, use shared taxis, which leave from bus stations when full, or hire a driver for the day. For the mountains around Kitab, Langar or the Hisar reserve, a driver with a car suited to rough roads is the practical choice.

When to go

Spring, from late March to May, is the best season: the oases are green, the mountain slopes are covered in grass and flowers, and daytime temperatures are pleasant for walking. Autumn, from September to early November, is also good and brings the fruit harvest.

Summer in Karshi and the lowlands is very hot, so plan sightseeing for early morning and evening. Winter is mild in the valleys, but the Takhtakaracha road and mountain villages can be cold and snowy.

Food

The food is close to that of Samarkand: plov, shurpa soup, meat baked in a clay tandir oven and round bread from the same ovens. In Shahrisabz, look for small cafes near the bazaar that serve lunch dishes cooked in large pots until they run out.

Mountain villages around Kitab and Langar keep sheep and goats, so dairy products such as qatiq (a thin yoghurt) and suzma (strained curd) are common. In late summer and autumn, the bazaars fill with grapes, melons and dried apricots from local orchards.

Crafts

Shahrisabz is known for fine embroidery. Local needlewomen work suzani hangings and smaller pieces in dense stitching, and you can find them in workshops and stalls near the monuments.

Villages across the region weave carpets and flat-woven rugs from sheep's wool. When buying, ask who made the piece and where; many sellers are happy to explain the patterns and dyes.

Good to know

Several monuments in Shahrisabz are working places of worship, so cover shoulders and knees, and women should carry a scarf. Ask before photographing people at prayer.

If you cross the Takhtakaracha pass, stop at the roadside viewpoints on the way, but check the weather first in winter and early spring. Cash is still useful in villages and small cafes; ATMs are easier to find in Karshi and Shahrisabz.

Must-see in Kashkadarya

All 30 places in Kashkadarya

Ensembles
ShahrisabzUNESCO World Heritage
Ak-Saray Palace
The remains of Amir Timur's summer palace in his home town: two huge fragments of the entrance arch, still covered in blue, white and gold tilework.
Ensembles
ShahrisabzUNESCO World Heritage
Dorut Tilavat Complex
A quiet religious quarter in Shahrisabz with Ulugbek's Kok Gumbaz mosque, the tomb of the Sufi teacher Shamsiddin Kulol and the Gumbazi Seyidan mausoleum.
Mausoleums
ShahrisabzUNESCO World Heritage
Dorus Saodat Complex
The family burial ground Timur planned for himself and his sons; today the tall mausoleum of his eldest son Jahangir is its main surviving building.
© OpenStreetMap
Mausoleums
ShahrisabzUNESCO World Heritage
Crypt of Amir Timur
A small underground chamber with a single stone sarcophagus that Timur had prepared for himself in Shahrisabz, though he was buried in Samarkand.
Ensembles
Shahrisabz, Dorut TilavatUNESCO World Heritage
Kok Gumbaz Mosque, Shahrisabz
The blue-domed Friday mosque of Shahrisabz, finished in 1435 on the orders of Ulugh Beg and the main building of the Dorut Tilavat complex.
Mausoleums
Shahrisabz, Dorut TilavatUNESCO World Heritage
Shamsuddin Kulol Mausoleum
The brick tomb in Shahrisabz's Dorut Tilavat complex traditionally linked to Timur's teacher Shamsuddin Kulol and his father Amir Taragay.