In the foothills of the Tian Shan, about an hour north-east of Tashkent, there is a building that looks as if it belongs in a science fiction film: a huge curved mirror, made of thousands of smaller mirrors, facing a field of tracking mirrors that follow the sun and focus its light onto a single point. This is the Big Solar Furnace near Parkent, built in the Soviet era in the 1980s, and still used for research into materials that can withstand extremely high temperatures.
The facility was designed to study how materials behave at temperatures of several thousand degrees, with applications in the space programme and industry. Its site was chosen for its many sunny days and clean air. Today, it is run by the Uzbek Academy of Sciences and can be visited on guided tours, which explain how the mirrors work and let you walk around the vast concave reflector. It is one of the strangest and most impressive sights in the region.
The road from Tashkent passes through the town of Parkent and climbs into the foothills, with views of the mountains of the Chatkal range ahead. The roads in this area range from decent to badly broken, and traffic in and around Tashkent is heavy and chaotic. In the mountains, the roads are quieter but expect potholes, gravel and livestock. Further on, the road toward Chimgan and the Charvak reservoir is a popular weekend getaway for Tashkent residents, with ski slopes in winter and lakes in summer.
Parkent, about six kilometres away, has basic services, and Chirchiq, a larger industrial town, is a little further. Fuel in Uzbekistan can be tricky: many vehicles run on gas, petrol may be low-octane or in short supply, so fill up wherever good fuel is available. Check the rules for bringing your own motorcycle into the country. Food in Uzbekistan centres on plov, shashlik and fresh bread; the markets are full of fruit in summer, especially melons and grapes. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, with mild weather and clear views.