There are few places in the world with the cultural richness of Uzbekistan. The great conquerers Alexander, Timur, and Genghis Khan swept through its valleys and plains. Its dazzling cities, including Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, were centers of the Silk Road. If we're being honest, it's at the top of our list for countries to visit when things open back up. Which is why the latest selection for our series on gorgeous coffee table books, Just Booked, is the absolutely spectacular Uzbekistan: The Road to Samarkand from Assouline.
With text by Yaffa Assouline and eye-popping photography from Laziz Hamani, it's one of the more intoxicating books we've covered lately. The journey starts with the cover, a dazzling display of the tiled grandeur for which this region is famous. Inside, Assouline takes readers on a personal journey around this country which she describes as "a story of love at first sight."
While the book is full of the sorts of photos you'd expect—fabulous tile work, sumptuous interiors like that of the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum—the book is also a love letter to the land of Uzbekistan, from its deserts on through its overlooked lush valleys.
