Uzbekistan’s Silk Road Samarkand, billed as the largest tourism complex in central Asia, is nearing completion. The $580 million resort is preparing to welcome its first visitors.
Silk Road Samarkand covers an area of more than 260 hectares. It is home to cultural, dining, retail and wellness facilities.
“Three years on from the commencement of works, with trepidation and pride, we are now on the threshold of the opening of the Silk Road Samarkand tourist centre,” says Silk Road Samarkand’s general director Artyom Yegikyan.
“I am sure this unique tourist complex will become a model of world-class hospitality for the entire central Asia. The opening of Silk Road Samarkand is a significant event not only for the people involved in its creation, but also for the country in general.”
Culture, dining, retail and wellness
The resort features eight hotels with approximately 1,200 rooms, green areas with 30,000 trees and more than 238,000 shrubs, shopping facilities, wellness areas, and an eco village.
As well as roses, trees and shrubs from Germany, Belgium, Italy and Holland, visitors will enjoy 10,000 local plants. These include plum, peach and apricot trees.
The project’s centrepiece is the 17-hectare Eternal City, created by Uzbek artist Bobur Ismoilov. This offers art galleries and workshops that “explore a combination of Hellenistic and Islamic cultures”, according to a release.
“The construction of the Samarkand tourist centre is a major milestone for our company,” adds Ulugbek Usmanov, general director of Enter Engineering, the project’s general contractor.
“I am sure that today, looking at all this splendour, for the thousands of builders who worked on the construction of the complex, their hearts are filled with pride.”
Images: Silk Road Samarkand
