Dabusiya is an ancient settlement on the Zeravshan, the river that rises in the Tajik glaciers, flows past Samarkand and Bukhara, and then dwindles into the sands before reaching the sea. Of the old fortified town, there are now mounds, a few ruined walls and a clear sense of where the river used to run. In its prime, around the sixth century, it lay on the route between the two great oases, and it was famous in the early Islamic period; the geographers write of its markets and of a decisive battle that was fought in the area in the eighth century. The Kasim Sheikh complex in the label belongs to the same shrine tradition as many sites near Navoi: a saint's tomb, a mosque and a small cluster of domes and arches that turned a hill into a pilgrimage place.
It is worth saying what these places mean in Uzbekistan. A Sufi sheikh's grave is not a museum but a living site, where people come to pray, to ask for children or rain, or simply to sit on the shaded platform and talk. Visitors are welcome, but they should dress modestly, take off their shoes at the right place, and keep their voices down. A small donation to the custodian is always appreciated. The tiles of the complex, in faded blue and turquoise, and the thick brick walls with their arched niches, are plain and beautiful in the low evening light.
The riding around Navoi is flat, desert and often windy. The main highway from Samarkand to Bukhara is wide and fast, but heavily used by trucks, and the shoulders are poorly kept. Small roads lead off to villages with mulberry trees, canals and fields of cotton, and are slow but full of life. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to ride, when the light is soft and the heat bearable, and winter, with grey skies and sometimes frost, is quiet and unglamorous.
Navoi, five and a half kilometres away, is a planned Soviet city of about 130,000 people, with fuel, shops and hotels. Near the site, there are village tea houses where you can sit and eat flat bread, grapes and cheese with strong green tea, and it is polite to take what is offered.