T R AV E L
Cultural Crossroad
One of the oldest cities in Central Asia with a
rich history stretching back close to 3,000 years,
Uzbekistan’s Samarkand has been home to many
civilisations and cultures, leading to it being
dubbed the Crossroad of Cultures by UNESCO.
It has been home to Greeks when it was conquered
in 329BC by Alexander the Great and then Persian
Sassanians around 290AD. It has played host to
Turks and then to Arabs who brought in the spread
of Islam to that region. The area also underwent
rules under a Mongol era, the Timurid Empire as
well as Soviet rule.
Surrealist Fantasy Land
Look-up popular destinations in Mexico and it will
take a while before you run across San Luis Potosí,
as it gives way to places like Mexico City, Cancun,
and Tulum. Unbeknownst to many though, the
state of San Luis Potosí is a wonderful location due
to its rich history as a major gold and silver mining
hub from the 16th to 19th centuries.
But history isn’t all this place has to offer. The
southern region of the state houses the village
Xilitla, home to fertile mountains and springs,
offering up background-worthy vistas begging to
become a post on your Instagram feed.
Among these panoramas lies Las Pozas (The Pools),
a surreal group of structures created by the late
English p oet Edward James. The monuments are
spread over eighty acres of land, standing 2,000ft
above sea level, and carry names such as The House
with a Roof like a Whale, The House on Three
Floors Which Will in Fact Have Five or Four or
Six, and The Staircase to Heaven which, ironically,
leads nowhere.
Built over the span of nearly four decades, the scores
of concrete sculptures are accompanied by many
trails in situ composed of steps, ramps, bridges as
well as narrow, winding walkways. Construction
of this Dalí-esque escape cost more than Dh18m
though fortunately, a trip there won’t even amount
to a drop in the millions of dirhams bucket.
These days, however, the city is noted for being an
Islamic centre for scholarly research as is evident
in its abundance of mosques and mausoleums.
Prominent landmarks include Registan, Bibi-
Khanym Mosque, Gur-e-Amir, Afrasiab Museum
of Samarkand, and Shah-i-Zinda, to name just five.