Few destinations touch the Muslim traveler's heart like Uzbekistan: here rests Imam al-Bukhari, here Bukhara and Samarkand radiated proverb-grade learning and architecture — and today the country opens its finest touristic era. Samarkand's 10 (the Registan wonder, Shah-i-Zinda, Timur's tomb, the Imam's shrine nearby) and Bukhara's 10 (the Kalyan minaret that awed history, the Ark, the Samanid dome, Naqshband's shrine). Visa-free 30 days for Saudis; ~4.5h direct from Jeddah; an old Muslim nation whose plov-samsa-shashlik cuisine startles with familiarity; April-June and September-October are gold.