Uzbekistan: Shahrisabz

Shakhrisabz is 80km south of Samarkand and doable as a day trip. The town is the birthplace of Timur (Tamerlane). While the ruins here are much less restored then in the more touristy Samarkand, you can almost explore everything alone – there are several Palaces, ruins of the Timur’s tomb (then was never used actually), and several ancient mosques. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.