Uzbekistan • Surkhandarya Region

Termez

Where Buddhism Met the Silk Road

A remote southern city on the Afghan border with a rich Buddhist and Silk Road heritage, including ancient stupas and the ruins of old Termez.

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UNESCO World Heritage

Ancient Buddhist heritage

Recommended Stay

1-2 days

Best Time to Visit

Oct-Apr (hot summers)

Getting There

Flight from Tashkent

Must-See Places

Discover the Treasures of Termez

Fayaz-Tepa

A 1st-century Buddhist monastery complex with a stupa and the remains of a seated Buddha statue.

Sultan Saodat Complex

A dynastic necropolis of brick mausoleums built over centuries for Termez's religious and political elite.

Termez Archaeological Museum

One of the richest archaeological collections in Central Asia, with Buddhist, Kushan and Silk Road artifacts.

History & Culture

A Forgotten Crossroads of Faiths

Long before it became a quiet border city, Termez was a thriving Buddhist center and key Silk Road crossing point on the Amu Darya river, linking Central Asia with the Indian subcontinent under the Kushan Empire. Its scattered ruins -- monasteries, stupas and fortresses -- tell a story of religious exchange rarely found elsewhere in Uzbekistan.

Buddhist Heritage

Rare Buddhist sites in Central Asia

Kushan Empire Legacy

A crossroads linking India and Central Asia

Off the Beaten Path

One of Uzbekistan's least-visited regions

Local Food & Experiences

Taste the Traditions of Uzbekistan

Surkhandarya Dimlama

A slow-cooked layered stew of meat and seasonal vegetables, a regional staple in southern Uzbekistan.

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The Story of Termez

Uzbekistan's southernmost city sits directly on the Afghan border and holds a history very different from the country's better-known Silk Road towns: for over a thousand years before Islam arrived, Termez was a major center of Buddhism. The ruins of the Fayaz Tepa monastery and the Kara Tepa cave complex, carved into a hillside overlooking the Amu Darya River, are among the most significant Buddhist archaeological sites in Central Asia. The city also preserves later Islamic monuments, including the Kirk Kiz fortress and the mausoleum of the 9th-century scholar Hakim al-Termizi. Long a closed military garrison town during the Soviet era, Termez remains one of the least-visited corners of Uzbekistan, rewarding travelers willing to venture off the main tourist route with a genuinely different side of the country's history.

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