In the distance, thick smoke billowed from a factory chimney. Shymkent is an unusual city. Kazakhstan’s third largest, a key industrial and digital hub, but also a city with deep Silk Road roots. I always say it’s a Kazakh city with an Uzbek flair, not only because of its proximity to Tashkent, but because you’ll often hear taxi drivers blasting Yulduz Usmanova through the speakers. The food in the restaurants echoes this too