1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
IranIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections
TravelUzbekistan

Discover Uzbekistan - Traveling the Silk Road by Train

August 25, 2022

Uzbekistan stretches between the Gissar Mountains and the Aral Sea. The country is characterized by seemingly endless sandy deserts and oases, and was once one of the most important powers in the region.

https://p.dw.com/p/4FbQm
Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH
Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH

For thousands of years, here on the Silk Road, there was only one means of transportation: the camel. That changed after Russia annexed the territory of what is now Uzbekistan, building a railroad network there. Today, the Silk Road Express is still the main transport route between the green east of Uzbekistan and the dry deserts of the west. 

Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH

Uzbekistan has been an independent republic since 1991. In Samarkand, much has been done in recent years to attract tourists. There’s even a tourist police force in the city. Its most famous policewomen are twins Fatima and Zukhra, who were English teachers before they joined the force. Their beat is the famous Registan Square, and going on patrol among the tourists also means dealing with constant requests for photos.

Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH

The Gissar Mountains are actually the westernmost foothills of the Himalayas. Here, over millions of years, the deepest caves in the world have formed. Two speleologists have come here to investigate a legend: The conqueror Timur Lenk is said to have hidden his army in the so-called Timur Cave in the 15th century, before subjugating all of Central Asia. The two researchers want to find out if the legend could be true.

Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH


Uzbekistan consists largely of deserts that stretch through the country from Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan. One river, the Amu Darya, has fed the Aral Sea for millions of years. But the cotton that is planted here requires huge amounts of water. As a result, the Aral Sea is nearly dry today.

Thumbnail zur Doku "Usbekistan - Mit dem Zug entlang der Seidenstraße"
Image: Studio HH



Now, the area around the lake is known as the Aralkum Desert. Sand erosion is the region’s main problem, but a few years ago, a major project was launched to plant the desert with vegetation.



Broadcasting Hours: 

DW English

WED 05.10.2022 – 01:15 UTC
WED 05.10.2022 – 04:15 UTC
WED 05.10.2022 – 18.15 UTC 
THU 06.10.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 08.10.2022 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 09.10.2022 – 08:15 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 I Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4

DW Deutsch+

THU 06.10.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 09.10.2022 – 08:15 UTC 

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3