Please join us or a talk by Calum MacLeod, author of the new travel book Uzbekistan – The Golden Road to Samarkand.

Front cover of the book, Uzbekistan – The Golden Road to Samarkand (2026) by Calum MacLeod & Bradley Mayhew

Calum will introduce the Tsar’s scandalous nephew Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich, and his triumphant exile in Tashkent, where his restored palace (1891) will soon open a window onto Russia’s conquest of Central Asia.

The talk will also spotlight other historical treasures in a country more open for travel and adventure than ever before.

When: Friday 25 September 2026, 18:00-19:30
Where: The Old Library, Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RF
Language: English
Format: In-person & Online via Zoom
In-person tickets: £10 — Standard; £7 — CamRuSS Members and Students
Tickets on the door: £11 — Standard; £8 — CamRuSS Members and Students
Zoom tickets: £5 – Standard, free – CamRuSS Members
Please book via AllEvents

Followed by a wine reception

Calum MacLeod

A graduate in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University, Calum has been exploring and enjoying Central Asia since 1989. Beijing-based for over two decades, he worked as China correspondent for The Times and The Independent, as Asia correspondent for USA Today, and co-wrote China Remembers, an oral history of the PRC, for Oxford University Press.

The New York Times called Calum’s book “One of those rare travel guides that is a joy to read whether or not you are planning a trip”. It is available now on Amazon and will be sold at the talk.