Great Cities of Central Asia

Lecturer: Sue Rollin

In Transoxiana, at the hub of the Great Silk Road, are some of the loveliest historic cities of Central Asia. Bukhara, the ‘Dome of Islam’, was for centuries a leading centre for artists and scholars. Its emirs resided in the austere Ark Fortress, as old as the city itself. Samarkand was the glorious capital of the ruthless conqueror Tamerlaine, who is buried in a stunningly beautiful mausoleum, beneath a brilliant blue fluted dome. Khiva, which grew rich in the 19C, boasts one of the most homogeneous collections of Islamic architecture, a museum city, frozen in time.

Sue Rollin

Works as a tour guide and lecturer in India and the Middle East, and as a freelance interpreter for the European Union, United Nations and other international organisations. Formerly staff interpreter at the European Commission, Brussels, and tutor and lecturer in Assyriology and Ancient History at the Universities of London and Cambridge. Has worked as an archaeologist. Publications: Blue Guide: Jordan and Istanbul: A Traveller’s Guide.