The Uzbek government’s tourism campaign is aiming to attract visitors to the ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. These places, embodying Central Asia’s rich shared Persian and Turkic heritage, have been given extensive infrastructural and hospitality investments. Today, a stroll through Samarkand features a display of its luxury hotels and brick-paved shopping alleys boasting assortments of vintage ware and mass-produced souvenirs. Bukhara, also transformed by upgrades and restorations, is now host to the trendy Biennial, marketing the city as a new hub for ‘creatives, thinkers and visitors from all over the world’, in line with its legacy as the historical intellectual center of Central Asia. Finally, Khiva’s clay walls have been leveraged to turn the Itchan Kala into an attraction-cum-shopping-town where its distinct floral ornamentation is eclipsed by the fluorescent parade of cheap goods along and around historic monuments.

While tourists who limit themselves to this triad will no doubt find heritage between the cracks of the consumerist-package wrapping, they risk missing out on the stuff that makes Central Asia so lovable – its people, nature, and quiet reverence for culture. That is why, for the more adventurous travelers, I recommend going off-piste, deep into the Gilon Valley two hours east of Shahrisabz: to the green little Tajik village of Sarchashma.

Image: Madina Gazieva

The picturesque way leading to Sarchashma starts at the Hisorak hydroelectric dam, 30km east of Shakhrisabz, itself a site of historic importance as the birthplace of the famous conqueror Amir Temur. Lasting approximately an hour and a half, the drive from Hisorak to Sarchashma feels like something out of a Kiarostami film: a winding earthen road, towered by the foothills of the Hissor mountain range, bordered by the azure Aksu River that culminates in the Hisorak reserve downstream. One can pause on top of the dam, or at any point, to appreciate the dramatic landscape created by the serpentine Aksu, interrupted by mountains rising from the valley floor. Closer to Sarchashma, two prominent, rounded, equilateral mountains emerge upstream of the river; this is where Sarchashma is cozily nestled amid a sprawling green patch of poplar and walnut trees. As the village’s elders explain, the settlement used to be called ‘Kizilimchak’, denoting ‘red-chested girl’ – the locals’ way of honoring the eminence of their topography.

Sarchashma Museum; image: Madina Gazieva

A cultural legacy, unadulterated nature, and welcoming people are what make Sarchashma worth visiting. The village is host to a small but packed museum, comprising three rooms in an old mosque, founded by Kundal artist and schoolteacher Aki Furqat. Furqat, who speaks Russian, spent years collecting scattered archaeological items such as pottery, sewing and farming tools found near what the inhabitants say was an ancient settlement called ‘Ochtepa’, now farmland, a few kilometers from Sarchashma. While formal excavations have yet to be carried out, the temporal range of artefacts points to a rich legacy: more recent items include Persian philosophical texts, Soviet-era photographs, and contemporary books written by local authors. A separate room is dedicated to paintings produced by resident and visiting artists, depicting portraits of inhabitants and variations of the local landscape. Aki Furqat explained that Sarchashma is a destination for young painters who come to the village in autumn to be inspired by its seasonal colors. His kundal art can be admired at the local Soviet-era chaykhona, whose ceiling he designed decades ago when it was being built. At the chaykhona, travelers can stay overnight on kurpachas, and food is cooked by the owner or his wife, for a fee paid at the end.

Chaykhona; image: Madina Gazieva

After a visit to the museum, one can hike about two hours up the Sepoya Mountain to appreciate the view of the valley. The mountain is patched with small potato farms surrounded by small irrigation ditches. Lucky hikers will be invited by one of the farmers for a modest tea – a floral drink brewed with water from the streams flowing from the springs of Sepoya. In the afternoon’s milder sun, all this makes for an enchanting view.

Geographic isolation partly accounts for the village’s slow development. Indeed, a visit to Sarchashma falls short of the comfort afforded by the more populous destinations. However, its inhabitants are keen to attract more visitors and draw attention to its unique heritage, not least because the valley is going through an uncertain time. The government intends to build a ski complex consisting of three hotels, two restaurants, villas, a zipline, and parks on a part of its territory. The news is met with apprehension by many, while the locals anticipate a rise in jobs, the sheer scale of the plans can bring irreversible changes that are hard to predict. Such projects risk selling nature while marginalizing the locals. Therefore, travelers looking to make the effort to engage with Sarchashma and its inhabitants are very likely to be met with a warm welcome.