Explore Uzbekistan’s remarkable Romanov story

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

The Romanov Palace in Taskent (photo by Calum MacLeod)

Henrietta “Harriet” Ely Blackford, better known as Fanny Lear

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: Main Lecture Theatre, Trinity Hall, Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TJ
Language: English
Format: In-person & Online via Zoom
In-person tickets: £12 — Standard; £8 — CamRuSS Members
Zoom tickets: £5 – Standard, free – CamRuSS Members
Please book via AllEvents

The talk will be followed by a wine reception, with Calum’s newly published travel guide available to purchase.

Calum MacLeod

A graduate in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University, Calum MacLeod 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.

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