A Guide’s Life in a Changing Uzbekistan: Turning Central Asia’s History Into Human Stories
How did you decide to become a guide?
In many ways, becoming a guide always felt as a completely natural decision to me. I grew up in Bukhara, one of the great Silk Road cities, surrounded by layers of history and some of the finest examples of Islamic medieval architecture. My mother worked as a guide, and later my younger brother joined the profession as well, so guiding was always part of the atmosphere at home.
From an early age, I was fascinated not only by the city’s past but also by the idea of turning history into engaging stories. That interest led me to study history at university, and while I was still a student, at the age of 19, I began giving tours in my home town. My mother helped me find my first contacts and tour companies, and the positive feedback I received encouraged me to take guiding more seriously. Not surprisingly, after graduating, I continued full-time.
I genuinely enjoy meeting travellers from all over the world, hearing their personal stories, learning about their countries, and seeing Central Asia through their eyes. In a way, it often feels like I am travelling the world without ever leaving the region. I also love being on the move myself, exploring new places across Central Asia. Sometimes, I think that the nomadic side of my ancestry explains why I feel most at home when I am travelling.
What does your family think about you being always on the road?
Being away from home is, of course, one of the hardest parts of this job. I have two children: a seventeen-year-old son and a ten-year-old daughter, and I love spending time with them and my wife. As I get older, family and home feel increasingly central to my life, and leaving them for extended periods is never simple.
At the same time, my family knows how much I enjoy guiding. They understand that it isn’t just work for me, it’s something I care about deeply and feel genuinely passionate about. And because guiding is seasonal, I do get long stretches in summer and winter to be with them. Now that my son is studying in Tashkent, guiding even creates unexpected opportunities: when my tours pass through the city, I get to see him every couple of weeks.
I think that sometimes knowing that another tour is coming up often makes me more intentional about the time we have together. My daughter often prepares a long “to-do” list of things that she wants us to do when I am at home: places to visit and activities to try. And, it is exactly in these little moments of joy, when you are trying out something new together and having fun, when I feel the true meaning of family.
Don’t you get tired telling the same stories hundreds of times?
I hear this question a lot from my travelers, and my honest answer is no – I don’t get tired of it. The stories that I tell are never truly the same. Every group or an individual traveler brings different interests and questions. Some travellers want more historical detail, others respond to emotional stories or legends, some want to understand art and architecture, how things are done and work, while others simply enjoy the moment and the overall atmosphere. I always adjust to the particular interests of the group, so the story reshapes itself each time.
Over the years, I’ve come to think of guiding a little bit like building a structure. All the knowledge you carry as a guide, on history, art, literature, culture, politics, personal experiences, is like a collection of building materials. The more materials you have, the more options you have when creating your tour. But just as an architect chooses specific materials for a specific design, a tour guide chooses which stories to use based on the travellers in front of them. In other words, every group requires its own structure, its own “design.” So each tour becomes something unique, tailored to the interests and curiosity of the people experiencing it.
Another reason is that over time my stories and style also change because I change. It is not static. I read a lot, fiction, non-fiction, art history, and whatever I’m reflecting on at the moment often finds its way into my tours. Lately, I’ve been especially interested in the aesthetics of Islamic art: what makes it unique, how it relates to other artistic traditions, and how the tastes of patrons and master craftsmen shaped the buildings we see today. Guiding becomes a way of sharing not only history, but also my current thoughts. It also encourages me to stay curious and continue learning.
And finally, I never stop noticing things. I’m a keen observer, and even after so many years, each visit to a familiar site reveals something new, I hadn’t paid attention to before. These small discoveries keep the experience fresh, both for me and for the people I guide.
Guiding is a seasonal job and what do you do off season?
The off-season is when life slows down a little. I can shift my attention to the things that matter outside of guiding. First and foremost, as I already said, I spend time with my family and friends. During the guiding months I’m often on the road, so these quieter periods give me the chance to reconnect and socialize.
I also read and write a lot. Recently I’ve been diving deep into Russian classical literature, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in particular. This kind of reading always inspires my own work and makes me reflect on things.
And, of course, I use this time to prepare for the next season. I take care of my health, do my regular medical checks, and participate in training sessions organized by Kalpak. It’s a period of reflection and renewal before the busy months ahead.
Where do your travelers come from and how old are they?
My travellers come from all over the world, but most are from English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In recent years, I’ve also guided more visitors from India. It is really great to have the opportunity of meeting people from different parts of the world.
Most of the people I guide are over the age of 60 and are often retired, which means they have time and resources to travel to Central Asia. Having said that, I guide a wide range of age groups. Earlier this year, for example, I led a group of American high-school students, which brought a completely different kind of energy and set of questions. One thing I especially enjoy about guiding Kalpak Travel groups is the diversity of my travelers: different nationalities, cultural and professional backgrounds, and age groups all within the same tour. That really creates a more dynamic atmosphere and makes the whole experience richer for everyone, including myself.
What is important when guiding 60+ year old travelers?
They are usually very experienced travelers who have visited many parts of the world before. They also have more life experience, know themselves and their interests better and are good at communicating it.
It’s also important to understand their energy fluctuations throughout the day and the tour. Some days require more walking, others less, so I always try to adjust the rhythm of the tour accordingly. Allowing enough time to rest and simply enjoy the atmosphere is essential. Offering breaks when needed, and choosing the right balance between activity and rest are helpful tactics.
How is guiding a private tour different from guiding a group tour?
From my personal experience, private tours require a much higher level of flexibility. You adjust the pace and various elements of the tour to match the travellers’ particular interests, which makes the experience more personal and focused on what matters to them. It also helps when the guide’s own strengths and passions align with what the travellers are looking for.
Group tours, even when they are small, call for a slightly different approach. There is still room to adapt, but the main task becomes balancing the interests and expectations of different people. Some travellers may not be very interested in history, while others may dive deeply into questions about specific rulers or periods. Of course, you can always adjust and if you feel that someone wants to spend their day sitting at the café and watching the local people and their daily life, more than visiting the sites, you should absolutely give them that opportunity. There are nuances and limitations, of course, especially on days when you have a transfer or included meals, but it is always important to remember that every person in the group has his or her own specific interests and whenever the possibility presents itself, you as a guide should always facilitate it. In my opinion, the guide plays a main role in making sure everyone feels included and satisfied, while also keeping the needs of the group as a whole in mind.
How do you make sure people get along well with each other on Kalpak Travel tours?
I try to set a positive and respectful tone from the very first day. It helps to establish a few simple principles at the start: being considerate toward one another and toward the places we visit and the people we meet. I also make it clear that they can always talk to me, so they feel comfortable coming to me if anything comes up. Small things, like rotating seats on the bus or sitting with different people at meals, also encourage interaction and help the group feel more connected.
It’s equally important to stay attentive to the group dynamic throughout the tour. I make time to speak with each traveller individually, which helps me sense how everyone is feeling. If something isn’t working or a concern comes up, I prefer to address it early and openly rather than pretend nothing is happening. That usually prevents small issues from turning into bigger ones and keeps the group atmosphere relaxed and enjoyable.
What surprises people most about Central Asia?
One of the first things that surprises travellers is how modern and developed our region is. I often hear from my travelers that they were coming with an expectation of seeing something far more remote and underdeveloped. But, instead, they find clean, well organised modern cities and villages. People also get surprised by how well our major cities are connected through a high-speed railway, which makes traveling between them very comfortable.
Of course, people are also struck by the warmth and hospitality here. Locals are genuinely welcoming, and travelers often tell me how quickly they sense that when they interact with them in the bazaars or on the streets. And then there is the food: the portions and the amount of meat surprise a lot of my travelers. Finally, many are surprised by the depth of the region’s history. They come here having heard the magic name of the Silk Road, but then realize there is more to it than that. I think, standing in front of a 600-year-old madrasa in Bukhara or walking through a 2,700-year-old settlement in Samarkand brings that history to life in a way they did not expect.
Do you keep in touch with previous travelers?
Absolutely. I’ve stayed in touch with some travelers for more than ten years now. Modern technology certainly makes it easier, but the real reason is that genuine friendships sometimes grow out of these interactions. When I went through kidney failure and later received a transplant, I was deeply moved by the amount of support I received from people I had guided over the years.
I also meet former travellers when I visit their countries, and some even return to Central Asia specifically to travel with me again. Many write with updates or questions about new trips. It’s wonderful to see how the region stays with people long after they return home.
Having lived in Germany, what is the cultural difference between Europe and Central Asia?
That’s a very good question. It’s almost funny to start with this, but one of the biggest differences, in my experience, is our attitude toward time. In Central Asia, time feels more like a social construct: being late isn’t viewed as a dramatic offence. In Germany, on the other hand, time is almost a form of discipline. Being punctual is taken very seriously.
There are, of course, other differences. Central Asia feels more communal and spontaneous. People drop by, invite you in, sit for tea without pre-planning. In Germany, life is more structured. You usually need an appointment, whether it’s for meeting a friend or visiting a doctor. Everything runs according to a system, which has its advantages: it’s organized and predictable. Also, Germans do wait for the green light when crossing the street even if there are no cars around.
But despite these contrasts, I think the similarities matter more. People in both places are warm and welcoming: they simply express it in different ways. They care about their family, their loved ones, about relationships, and about living a good and meaningful life. And once you get past the surface-level differences, you see that the values at the centre are actually quite close.
How has tourism in Uzbekistan changed since you started guiding?
The simple answer is that it has changed enormously. I’m not even sure where to begin. I started guiding about twenty years ago, and back then tourism infrastructure was very simple and quite limited. There were only a handful of hotels, and most offered very basic amenities. Almost all foreign visitors needed visas, which could be quite difficult to obtain. Vegetarian travellers had almost no options: a tomato salad or a bowl of French fries were usually the safest choice. And travelling between cities often meant long bus rides or shared taxis.
Today the picture is completely different. Since 2017, the government has made a major effort to develop tourism, and the results are obvious everywhere. There is now a wide range of hotels in all categories; visa procedures have become far easier. Most of the people from Europe and North America and some parts of Asia no longer need visas or can get it easily online. Restaurants serve everything from modern interpretations of Uzbek dishes to international cuisine, including a fair number of vegetarian options. High-speed trains connect the major cities, and the general atmosphere is much more welcoming to tourism. Even small details, like clear signage in English, make a big difference.
Where do you feel the Silk Road atmosphere the most?
My biased answer will always be Bukhara. But before you dismiss that, hear me out. More than in any other place, you can still walk through medieval covered markets and caravanserais here. And see the old infrastructure of the Silk Road: hammams and mosques, all within a compact historic centre. Bukhara is still an international city; the only real difference is that the foreign merchants of the past have been replaced by travelers from every corner of the world.
That said, the Silk Road experience is deeply personal. For some people, it’s wandering through the inner city of Khiva early in the morning, when the streets are quiet and the light turns the mudbrick walls golden. For others, it’s driving across the deserts of Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan on long, bumpy roads. As I often tell my travelers, that is perhaps the closest you can get today to the feeling of crossing vast distances like the traders once did. And for many, it’s the picturesque mountain roads of Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan, where the landscape itself tells the story of movement and exchange.
In the end, the Silk Road is not just a place. It’s a mood or that moment you catch, sometimes without expecting it.
What is your advice for people looking to book a trip to Central Asia?
Come with curiosity and an open mind. The region will exceed your expectations. Central Asia is full of surprises, and the more open you are, the richer your experience will be.
I also tell travellers to be prepared for a lot of food. Portions here are generous, and people take great pride in feeding their guests well. There is plenty of meat, especially red meat, though vegetarian options are becoming more available.
And perhaps one more piece of advice: give yourself enough time. Distances can be long, and the history is deep, so don’t try to rush through the region. Slowing down a little allows you to enjoy the atmosphere.
What is your favorite time of the year to travel Central Asia?
I would say that spring and autumn are generally the best seasons to visit the region. Summer tends to be very hot, and winter can get quite cold. Of course, it depends on what you want to see as well. There are certain mountain lakes in Kyrgyzstan, for example, that are accessible only during the summer months. Winter can also be quite interesting in parts of Central Asia, if you are looking for that experience.
For me personally, autumn or fall is my favourite. I love watching the landscape change, the colours shift, the leaves fall. There’s a certain atmosphere to this time of year that I really enjoy. And to be honest, I think November is an excellent month to travel. With climate change, the temperatures often remain mild, and another advantage is that there are far fewer tourists around. You can experience the sites at a slower, quieter pace.
What is your favorite dish?
Oh, that is the most difficult question. It is genuinely hard to choose. Of course, I love plov, especially the Bukhara version, where the ingredients are cooked separately at first and only combined at the very end. Plov here is almost like a national sport. It’s also a kind of cult. People adore it, and we even have special places dedicated only to plov: the famous plov centers. It follows you throughout your entire life: it’s served to celebrate a birth, to mark a wedding, and even at funerals. It’s far more than just a dish; it’s a cultural symbol.
There is even a story that when the civil war in Tajikistan ended, the peace agreement in some places was celebrated with a “peace plov.” Whether every detail of that story is historically precise or not, it captures something true: in our region, plov is tied to community and reconciliation.
Having said all of this, I have a confession to make: I also love pasta. A lot. Sometimes I even feel a bit guilty admitting it. But good food is good food, and I hope my countrymen won’t excommunicate me for this small betrayal. If anything, I think plov and pasta can coexist peacefully — perhaps that’s my personal version of a “peace plov.”
What is your favorite book about Central Asia?
These days there are many books about Central Asia available in English, and the “best” one really depends on what you want to dive into. For history, I would still point to the works of Vasily Barthold. Even after more than a hundred years, his research remains foundational. For more focused topics, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk, The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, and Adeeb Khalid’s Making Uzbekistan: Nation, Empire, and Revolution in the Early USSR are excellent choices.
There are also many travelogues written by people who spent time in the region. My favourite is Christopher Aslan’s A Carpet Ride to Khiva. It’s written in simple, engaging language and, unlike many books in this genre, it doesn’t patronize. Instead, it tells the story of Uzbekistan through the author’s personal encounters. He also manages to present the country through the eyes of the simple man and woman in Khiva, which I really like.
If you want fiction, my personal favourites are Jamila and The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aytmatov. Both have been translated into English and remain powerful introductions to the emotional and cultural landscape of Central Asia. I would also recommend Abdulla Qodiriy’s Bygone Days, one of the great classics of Uzbek literature.
What do you recommend buying as a souvenir?
The best souvenir, in my opinion, is to bring home good memories from the trip. But if you’d like something tangible, there is no shortage of beautiful options.
Handicrafts are an integral part of Central Asian culture. Khiva, for example, is known for its carved wooden bookstands and other finely crafted wooden items. In Samarkand and Bukhara, you can find intricate suzani embroidery, wool and silk carpets, metal bird-shaped scissors, and many other traditional crafts.
One item I personally enjoy recommending is the so-called miniature painting. They often illustrate a story or a scene from local history or literature, and they make wonderful pieces to frame and hang at home.
Is it safe to travel to Central Asia?
Yes, I would say that Central Asia is very safe for travellers. The region is known for its hospitality, people that my travelers meet are warm, welcoming, and genuinely curious about them. Crime rates are low, and most travelers feel comfortable walking around even during the darker hours of the day.
Many of my guests tell me that they feel safer here than in many other parts of the world. They are often surprised by how clean and orderly the cities look, and how helpful people are when they need directions or assistance. Safety is one of the aspects where Central Asia consistently exceeds expectations.
Of course, like anywhere, it helps to travel responsibly, but overall, Central Asia offers a very secure and friendly environment for traveling.
