Visit Khiva, Uzbekistan

Five hundred miles across the desert from Tashkent lies Khiva, a well-preserved and fascinating city, its azure-glazed tiles glinting in the midday sun.

The city was well known to the Victorians, who were shocked at tales of the barbarity of the local rulers, the Khans of Khorezm. Within the redoubtable city walls, however, a parallel history of scholarship and study, typified by the wondrous madrasas and mosques, with their intricate majolica patterns, is waiting to be discovered.

Around Khiva

Northwest of Khiva, at Nukus, visitors can witness the tragic remnants of the Aral Sea, where rusting trawlers are marooned far from the receding waters. A visit to this desolate region contrasts sharply with the pomp and majesty elsewhere in the country.