Uzbekistan

In recent years, Uzbekistan has embarked on an ambitious nationwide tourism boom transforming much of the country. But its beating heart is in a stunning and largely secluded valley.

The Uzbekistan government is on an ambitious tourism drive – but is sparring with heritage experts over how to protect its historical sites.

Uzbekistan's beloved national dish, plov, is widely believed to have aphrodisiac qualities and so it's traditionally eaten on Thursdays – a popular day for conceiving children.

Once an important oasis welcomed by weary travellers – and equally feared for its reputation for ruthless slave trading – Khiva is undeservedly overshadowed by Bukhara and Samarkand.

Samarkand was a major Silk Road trading hub for more than 2,500 years. Now, the Uzbek city has a major new tourism complex, which it hopes will reflect its former glories.

Little known and rarely visited, Karakalpakstan is the largest province in Uzbekistan, but much of it is occupied by barren and inhospitable desert.

In one of the world’s least-visited corners, thousands of ancient stone dwellings dot the landscape, baffling archaeologists.

While food is certainly a draw for Uzbekistan, an emerging destination on the historical Silk Road, a recent study gave its cuisine a new superlative: the world’s deadliest food.