Dushanbe, Tajikstan

 Place: Dushanbe, Tajikstan

Weather: Sunny, 75/108F.

Route: From Bukhara 534 km ESE on A-380.

Population: 863,400

Places to visit: Rudaki Park, Statue of Ismoil Somoni, National Museum of Tajikistan, National Library of Tajikistan, National Museum of Antiquities, Haji Yaqub Mosque, Ismaili Centre, Green Bazaar, Gurminj Museum of Music Instruments, Palace of the Nation, Botanical Garden and Zoo.

Images:

The capital city with mountains behind (from silkroadexplore.com)

Statue of Persian poet Rudaki in the park named for him (from backpackadventures.org)

Bukhara, Uzbekistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Weather: Sunny, 84/116F.

Route: From Samarkand 271 km west on M-37.

Population: 280,187

Places to visit: Great Minaret of the Kalan, Samanid Mausoleum, Mir-i-Arab Madrasa, Chor-Minor, Ark of Bukhara, Lyab-i-Hauz, Nadir Devon Begi Madrasah, Chor-Bakr necropolis, Zindan, Chasma Ayub Mausoleum, Art Museum Komoliddin Behzod, Fayzulla Khujayev House.

Images:

Poi Kalan Ensemble (from whc.unesco.org)

Detail of Nadir Devon Madrasah (from whc.unesco.org)

Samarkand, Uzbekistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Weather: Sunny, 76/105F.

Route: From Shakhrisabz, Uzbekistan 85 km north on M-39.

Population: 513,572

Significance: Founded in the 8th or 7th centuries BC, it was part of the territory taken by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. It's current architecture is mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries when it was the capital of the Timurid empire. Timur is buried here.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

Registan - the main square of Samarkand (from whc.unesco.org)

Timur's shrine (from whc.unesco.org)

Shakhrisyabz, Uzbekistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Shakhrisyabz, Uzbekistan

Weather: Sunny, 76/104F.

Route: From Takht-i-Bahi 1,064 km NW on A-76.

Population: 140,500

Places to visit: The Palace Complex of Ak-Saray, Statue of Amir Timur, Crypt of Tamerian, Dor Us-Siyodat.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Statue of Timur with Palace of Ak-Saray in the background (from whc.unesco.org)

Kok-Gumbaz Mosque (from whc.unesco.org)

Takht-i-Bahi, Pakistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Takht-i-Bahi, Pakistan

Weather: Sunny skies, 81/106F.

Route: From Islamabad 158 km NW on AH1/M-1.

Significance: Remains of a Buddhist monastery that was active from the 1st century to the 7th century AD.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The remote location of Takht-i-Bahi has allowed it to be relatively well preserved (from atlasobscura.com)

Remains of sculptures of Buddha (from atlasobscura.com)

Islamabad, Pakistan - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Islamabad, Pakistan

Weather: Mainly sunny sky, 79/101F.

Route: From Lahore 378 km NNW on Lahore-Islamabad motorway.

Population: 1,014,825

Places to visit: Faisal Mosque, Daman-e-Koh, Pakistan Monument Museum, Margalla Hills, Lok Virsa Museum, Pakistan Railways Heritage Museum, Bari Imam Shrine, Pakistan Museum of Natural History.

Image:

Faisal Mosque (from researchgate.net)

Lahore, Pakistan

 Place: Lahore, Pakistan

Weather: Sunny, 80/99F.

Route: From Nanda Devi National Park 530 km west.

Population: 11,126,285

Places to visit: Wagah Border, Badshahi Mosque, Army Museum, Fort and Shalamar Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Masjid Wazir Khan, Lahore Museum, Jilani Park, Wazir Khan Hammam, Jehangir's tomb and Kamran's Baradari Pavilion, Al-Hammra Art Centre, Fakir Khana Museum, Grand Jamia Mosque, Delhi Gate.

Images:

Badshahi Mosque (from thediaryofanomad.com)

Jamia Mosque (from zameen.com)

Nanda Devi and Valley of the Flowers National Parks, India - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Nanda Devi and Valley of the Flowers National Parks, India

Weather: Sunny, 75/95F.

Route: From Lumbini 838 km NW on E-W highway and AH2.

Significance: Nanda Devi is a mountain in the Himalaya Mountains that is thought to be the home of a goddess. The snow that melts here washes down the mountains to eventually form the Ganges. Animals in the area include bear and snow leopards. In the valley there are many flowers that are used in Hindu rituals.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Image:

The mountain of Nanda Devi (from tribuneindia.com)

Lumbini, Nepal - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Lumbini, Nepal

Weather: Partly cloudy, 79/98F.

Route: From Kathmandu 288 km west on E-W Highway/AH2.

Significance: Lumbini is supposedly the birthplace of the Gautama the Buddha in 623 BC. It has long been a place of pilgrimage, the Emperor Asoka left a large stone pillar at his visit in 249 BC.  There are many remains of monasteries and temples dating all the way back to the beginning of Buddhism.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Maya devi Temple (from whc.unesco.org)

The World Peace Pagoda (from whc.unesco.org)

Kathmandu, Nepal

 Place: Kathmandu, Nepal

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 67/79F.

Route: From Darjeeling 526 km NW on E-W highway and B.P. highway.

Population: 845,676

Places to visit: Boudhanath Stupa, Swayambhunath Temple, Pashupatinath Temple, Chandragiri Hills, Kapan Monastery, Garden of Dreams, Namo Buddha, Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Kailashnath Mahadev, Dakshinkali Temple, Budhanilkantha, Kumari Chowk, Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Budhanilkantha Temple, Pullahari Monastery, National Botanical Gardens.

Images:

Patan Durbar Square (from steppestravel.com)

Bouda Stupa (from nomadasaurus.com)

Darjeeling, India

 Place: Darjeeling, India

Weather: Thunderstorms, 61/68F.

Route: From Lhasa 404 km SW.

Population: 120,414

Places to visit: Kanchenjunga Mountain, Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Japanese Peace Pagoda, Batasia Loop, Mahakal Temple, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Barbotey Rock Garden, Happy Valley Tea Estate, Lava, Samsing, Ghoom Monastery, Dali Monastery, Himalayan Tibet Museum, Salugara Monastery, Lloyd Botanical Garden.

Images:

Main shopping district of Darjeeling (from tripsavvy.com)

Darjeeling tea estate (from masterteas.com)

Lhasa, Tibet, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Lhasa, Tibet, China

Weather: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, 52/71F.

Route: From Lijiang 1,767 km NW on G214 and G318.

Population: 464,736

Places to visit: Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Ganden Monastery, Drak Yerpa, Norbulingka, Ani Tsankhung Nunnery, Ramoche Monastery, Tibet Museum, Lhalu Wetland, Pabongka Hermitage, Canggu Temple, Yak Museum of Tibet, Great Mosque, Nechung Monastery and Temple.

Images:

The dramatically situated Potala Palace (from whc.unesco.org)

Jokhang Temple (from whc.unesco.org)

Lijiang, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Lijiang, China

Weather: Mostly cloudy skies, 54/74F.

Route: From Chengdu 782 km SW on G5 and G348.

Population: 288,878

Significance: An important stop on the Silk Road the city has preserved its Qing Dynasty era architecture. There is also an ancient, complex waterways in the town to allow inhabitants to have access to clean water at the top of the system and get rid of wastes at that bottom of the system.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

Temple in the old town with mountains in the background (from whc.unesco.org)

The waterway system makes fresh water available to the residents of old town (from whc.unesco.org)

Chengdu, China

 Place: Chengdu, China

Weather: Mainly cloudy, 72/87F.

Route: From Lushan Giant Buddha 154 km north on GO512.

Population: 15,419,455

Places to visit: Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, Wenshu Yuan Monastery, Mount Qingcheng, Du Fu Cottage, Jinsha Site Museum, Wuhou Memorial Temple, Chengdu Renmin Park, Qingyang Palace, Chengdu Museum, Wangjianglou Park, Sichuan Museum, Chengdu Culture Park, Daci Temple, Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, Baoguang Temple of Chengdu, Chengdu Botanical Garden.

Images:

Chengdu skyline (from whc.unesco.org)

Chengdu historical area (from businessdestinations.com)

Mount Emei - Leshan Giant Buddha, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Mount Emei - Leshan Giant Buddha, China

Weather: Rain showers early with overcast skies later, 71/83F.

Route: From Dazu Rock Carvings 248 km west on S66.

Significance: There are many Buddhist sites in the Mount Emei scenic area - the first was built in the 1st century AD. The most famous site is the largest Buddha in the world - a 71m high Buddha carved into a rock face beside a river. It was carved in the 9th century and took 90 years to create.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

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Images:

Leshan Giant Buddha (from whc.unesco.org)

Wanfoding (from whc.unesco.org)

Dazu Rock Carvings, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Dazu Rock Carvings, China

Weather: Cloudy, 72/89F.

Route: From Chongqing 106 km west on G5013.

Significance: These rock carvings were created from the 9th to 13th centuries. They include religious carvings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. There are carvings of everyday life as well.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

The largest carving if of this reclining Buddha (from whc.unesco.org)

Masterpiece carving from 12th century (from whc.unesco.org)

Chongqing, China

Place: Chongqing, China

Weather: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, 71/89F.

Route: From Fanjingshan 444 km NW on G56 and G69.

Population: 22,251,500

Places to visit: Three Gorges Museum, Jiefangbei Square, Ghost City of Fengdu, Chongqing People's Square, Huayan Temple of Chongqing, Chongqing Huguang Assembly Hall, Nanshan Botanical Garden, Chongqing Luohan Temple.

Images:

Chongqing skyline along the Yangtze River (from thoughtco.com)

People's Assembly Hall (from m.visitourchina.com)

Fanjingshan, China - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Fanjingshan, China

Weather: Occasional rain, 64/76F.

Route: From Wuhan 837 km WSW from Wuhan on G56.

Significance: Fanjingshan is a dramatic peak in the Wuling Mountains. It is a sacred place for Buddhists. There are a large number of endemic flora and fauna in the area. The streams and rivers of Wuling Mountains eventually form the Yangtze River.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The dramatic Fanjingshan with Buddhist Temple in the foreground (from whc.unesco.org)

There are many endemic species in the area, including the snub-nosed monkey (from whc.unesco.org)