Meeting Uzbekistan

Understand the country's history

Uzbekistan's history is tinged with wars, conflicts, power struggles and cultural influence. Here are some works for optimum understanding of Uzbekistan's specificities during your trip.

These works are not novels but scientific and documented works.

• Luce Boulnois, Silk Road : Monks, Warriors & Merchants., W W Norton & Co Inc, 2012.
• Jean-Paul Roux, History of the Civilizations of Central Asia, Fayard, 1997
• Romain Yakemtchouk, Uzbekistan, emerging power in central Asia, L’Harmattan, 2003.
• Boris Eisenbaum, Guerres en Asie centrale, luttes d’influence pétrole et mafias, 1850-2004, Grasset, 2005

Going to meet Uzbekistan, is, above all, going to meet great travellers. Here are a few travel stories to put in your bag:

• Ella Maillard, Des monts célestes aux sables rouges, Payot, 1991.
• Durieux et Fauvelle, Samarcande, Magellan et Cie, Heureux qui comme, 2010
• Ruy Gonzalves de Clavijo, La route de Samrakand au temps de Tamerlan, Imprimerie nationale, Paris, 1990.

The book to appear next might turn out to be particularly interesting. A work by the doctor Marc Bonnel, Uzbekistan expert and enthusiast, it's a matter of his own experience, a record.

For those who are not deterred by reading in English, there are recent publications recounting the daily life and contemporary reality of this country:

• Craig Murray, Murder in Samarkand, published in 2007 recounts the years of war on terror.
• Tom Fleming, Taxi to Tashkent, published in 2007 evokes a soldier's memories before the Andijan massacre.
• Christopher Aslan Alexander, A carpet ride to Khiva, published in 2007 is unquestionably the reference book to understand the Uzbek traditions, beliefs and culture.
  

  ©

  manu/manuela

Films about Uzbekistan

The Uzbek cinema has, for a long time, been immobilised and subjected to Soviet control, even propaganda. However, certain directors tackle these substantive matters with subtlety and offer a journey through authentic Uzbekistan. These films are the best approach to Uzbek culture and history and enable you to come up to your trip to Uzbekisand with a more watchful eye. For example, LeSauvage by Kamara Kamalova, Abdullajon by Zulfikar Musakov et Qui es tu ? by Djahongir Faiziev.