Close Menu
Global News HQ
    What's Hot

    I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot

    July 28, 2025

    Client Challenge

    July 28, 2025

    How leaders can be transparent about their belief systems without alienating anyone

    July 28, 2025
    Recent Posts
    • I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot
    • Client Challenge
    • How leaders can be transparent about their belief systems without alienating anyone
    • Prince William and Princess Charlotte Share a Sweet Moment Cheering on England’s Lionesses to Euros Victory
    • Get AMD’s 7800X3D gaming CPU, plus a white Gigabyte B650E Aorus Elite motherboard for $449 at Newegg
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok
    Trending
    • I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot
    • Client Challenge
    • How leaders can be transparent about their belief systems without alienating anyone
    • Prince William and Princess Charlotte Share a Sweet Moment Cheering on England’s Lionesses to Euros Victory
    • Get AMD’s 7800X3D gaming CPU, plus a white Gigabyte B650E Aorus Elite motherboard for $449 at Newegg
    • 5 Quick Decluttering Tasks Minimalists Do Every Morning to Maintain a Tidy Home
    • Year of the stablecoin: The GENIUS Act, Wall Street, and the dollar’s digital leap
    • Why Small Business Must Adopt AI
    Global News HQ
    • Technology & Gadgets
    • Travel & Tourism (Luxury)
    • Health & Wellness (Specialized)
    • Home Improvement & Remodeling
    • Luxury Goods & Services
    • Home
    • Finance & Investment
    • Insurance
    • Legal
    • Real Estate
    • More
      • Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
      • E-commerce & Retail
      • Business & Entrepreneurship
      • Automotive (Car Deals & Maintenance)
    Global News HQ
    Home - Travel & Tourism (Luxury) - Finding “Peace, If Not Paradise” Along the Silk Road, Aboard the Golden Eagle
    Travel & Tourism (Luxury)

    Finding “Peace, If Not Paradise” Along the Silk Road, Aboard the Golden Eagle

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp VKontakte Email
    Finding “Peace, If Not Paradise” Along the Silk Road, Aboard the Golden Eagle
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email


    Our first stop in Uzbekistan was Shahrisabz, the 14th-century birthplace of Emir Timur, the nomadic conqueror and national hero also known as Tamerlane. He founded the Timurid Empire and, over a period of 32 years, invaded an area now divided into 25 countries. At Timur’s Ak-Saray Palace, we craned our necks first at the towering blue-tiled ruins of the entrance portal (125 feet high, though centuries ago such edifices were twice that) and then up at a colossal bronze statue of Timur himself, who died of pneumonia in 1405 on his way to invade China. Under that blazing sun in Shahrisabz, with the flat landscape sloping away unbounded over the horizon, I could imagine how an ambitious and ruthless ruler might believe the whole world lay open to him there.

    The exterior of Almaty’s Ascension Cathedral

    Angelo Zinna

    And, to be fair, Timur did in fact usher in a period of rebirth after 150 years of Mongol rule. Samarkand, which we reached two days later, was the center of this Timurid renaissance. At least 2,500 years old, with a current population of 600,000, Samarkand is one of the most iconic cities of the Silk Road, and its most iconic site is Registan Square, where the awe that had eluded me at the Navruz Palace hit with full force. Three spectacular madrasas dating from the 15th and 17th centuries loomed over a vast plaza like a vision from One Thousand and One Nights. “Registan is our heart, our blood, and our soul,” said our local guide, Armida Nazaryan.

    While I would not describe anywhere we went as a beaten track, the way in which Golden Eagle conducted its tours had plenty of hallmarks of conventional tourism. When our train arrived somewhere, a bus would be waiting, and we would zip from site to site, following a flag-toting local guide who spoke to us through earpieces connected to receivers we wore around our necks. This model might not suit the most rugged individualists, but I will say it helped us see a lot of stuff, particularly in a region where overland travel between countries is logistically challenging. Traveling this way can be hard work. You are always on the go, listening and looking and trying to synthesize a deluge of new information. At 41, I was a couple decades younger than the average passenger, but at the end of every day, while my elders were still carousing in the bar car, I was happy to collapse into bed.

    Image may contain Dining Table Furniture Table Architecture Building Dining Room Indoors Room Cup and Tabletop

    One of the two opulent restaurant cars on board

    Golden Eagle Luxury Trains

    Image may contain Food Food Presentation Cutlery Fork Plate Egg and Cup

    Seared scallops and salmon roe served on the Golden Eagle

    Golden Eagle Luxury Trains

    By the time we got to Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, I’d begun to get a better handle on some of the region’s history, which mostly boils down to centuries-long cycles of a formidable conqueror being succeeded by rivalrous successors, whose conflicts bring about a fragmenting of territory and a decline of empire, followed by the eventual rise of a new strongman. One day we dipped into the radiant Kosmonavtlar stop of the Tashkent Metro. Trains came and went, disgorging people, and in their faces I thought I could see traces of the waves of ancestors that washed across this country’s deserts and steppes from all points of the compass. Then: back on the bus, back on the train.



    Source link

    editorial features rail travel trips & traveling
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
    Previous ArticleWalmart’s Transformative Ways Spark a 100,000% Stock Return
    Next Article Tamme Tokyo Fall 2025 Collection

    Related Posts

    I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot

    July 28, 2025

    9 Best Travel Hair Dryers to Pack in Your Carry-On

    July 27, 2025

    Citi Rewards+ Card rebrands as Citi Strata Card – The Points Guy

    July 27, 2025

    I’m a Solo Traveler, and I’m Eyeing These 13 Amazon Deals on Personal Safety Devices—From $9

    July 27, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    ads
    Don't Miss
    Travel & Tourism (Luxury)
    9 Mins Read

    I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot

    For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like…

    Client Challenge

    July 28, 2025

    How leaders can be transparent about their belief systems without alienating anyone

    July 28, 2025

    Prince William and Princess Charlotte Share a Sweet Moment Cheering on England’s Lionesses to Euros Victory

    July 28, 2025
    Top
    Travel & Tourism (Luxury)
    9 Mins Read

    I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot

    For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like…

    Client Challenge

    July 28, 2025

    How leaders can be transparent about their belief systems without alienating anyone

    July 28, 2025
    Our Picks
    Travel & Tourism (Luxury)
    9 Mins Read

    I Was Born Without Arms, but That Didn’t Stop Me From Becoming the World’s First Licensed Armless Pilot

    For Travel + Leisure’s column Traveling As, we’re talking to travelers about what it’s like…

    Finance & Investment
    1 Min Read

    Client Challenge

    Client Challenge JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Please enable JavaScript to proceed. A required…

    Pages
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Disclaimer
    • Homepage
    • Privacy Policy
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube TikTok
    • Home
    © 2025 Global News HQ .

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Go to mobile version