Tag: Uzbekistan

Tashkent Finale

elainehayesblog

Despite being at the station in plenty of time, boarding the train was hectic. Originally we had hoped to take the fast Afrosiyob train but couldn’t get tickets so instead we were taking the Sharq which covers 300km in 3.5hrs.

We were sent to platform 3, down under the subway … only to be sent back to platform 1 … and then had to return to 3, but were ‘officially allowed’ to cross the lines instead of using the subway! We were told to go to the front of the platform, only to find when the train came, carriage 2 was second from the back of a 12 carriage train! Our carriage had a central corridor with cubicles of 2 or 4 seats so we were quite snug, especially as it took as a while to realise there was luggage storage after all! When the chap came down the train with an offer of beer, we gave a sigh of relief!

We also found that Mike and Sarah who we’d shared a table at dinner a couple of days before were also on our train and they invited us to share a game of Dobble and a chat to pass the time. Dobble may well have to go on my Xmas list!

We arrived just after 10pm and got a cab back to Trip.le where we stayed at the beginning of our trip. I have to be honest and say that I think this was the worst accommodation choice we have ever made, and we only returned because we couldn’t find anything better at short notice and we thought we must have exaggerated in our mind how uncomfortable the beds were … but we hadn’t! There is no doubt that beds in Uzbekistan are hard and they all have a standard sprung mattress with tough springs. Having said that, everywhere else we have had some sort of padded mattress topper which has mitigated the worst of the effects … but not here! There has been a good choice of places to stay elsewhere in Uzbekistan, but less so in Tashkent and we picked this place for location but despite having family rooms, it is definitely a hostel … even if it does have cute art work!

We had hoped to start with a couple of art galleries only to find both closed for renovation! Moving on, not only was Independence Square open, but the fountains were working too!

The sculptures of storks are to symbolize peace and quietness, and behind is a globe showing the Uzbekistan border and a figure of a woman holding a baby in her arms representing Mother-Motherland.

Just nearby is the former home of the Grand Duke N.K. Romanov – an eccentric reminder of tsarist Tashkent. A first cousin of tsar Nicholas II, he was exiled to Tashkent for shenanigans involving the crown jewels.

Along the way we saw the Glory and Memory Alley in honor of the soldiers who died in World War II, the statue of a Mourner Mother with a Quenchless Flame circle in front, the Turkiston Palace concert hall and the extraordinary outdoor summer concert hall – a marvel of Soviet architecture.

Our tea break became early lunch when I saw the plov cooking in a local cafe and it was definitely third time lucky, although Chris had to make do with bread and salad.

The afternoon included the Museum of Olympic Glory, and a walk along the Ankhor Canal together with a pretty elaborate bridge, the 2014 Minor Mosque …

and finally the Tashkent Tower.

Built in 1981 to withstand earthquakes, this 375m tower is the tallest in Central Asia – a weather station and tv transmitter. The tower’s foyer is decorated with mosaic panels of semi-precious stones, marble and metal …

… and we went up to the observation gallery and restaurant with these very Dale Chihuly inspired decorations!

Next day, having seen enough of the city, we took a day out in the countryside with Mauad who drove us to the Valley of Chimgan is around 1500m above sea level, surrounded with mountains and just a couple of hours from Tashkent.

The mountains are popular for skiing in the winter and have chairlifts which also operate in summer, but unfortunately not the one in Beldersay today …

… so we continued to Chimgan Mountain which at 3309m is the main peak and towers above the entire valley.

Here the chairlift was working and we took a ten minute ride up and down for the view.

Next stop was Lake Charvak, a reservoir, created in 1970 when the 168m dam was built and is huge and very blue. It is fed by three rivers and supplies Tashkent. In a country where visiting the sea is a major expedition, Lake Charvak is a popular resort for holiday makers.

A short way further and we stopped for lunch at the Cinara chaykhana or teagarden, with plenty of shade and a stream running through. We sat under a 800 year old sycamore tree believed to be the great grand daughter of the very tree sat under by Alexander the Great in 328 BC when he first tasted Plov! We munched our way though cheese filled lavash and salad before returning to Tashkent.

Cinaras is part of the Caravan group of restaurants (as is Gruzinski Dvorik) which we have revisited since we’ve been back as we enjoyed them so much. They are aimed more at tourists and affluent locals as they are expensive by local standards with a meal and a bottle of wine costing around Som 250,000 … £25, but it was worth it for varied vegetarian choices and reasonable wine.

This time round we have learnt our lesson and have been using cabs to get around, but we have taken some pics on the Tashkent metro which opened in 1977. The stations also house bunkers and are considered military installations, so no photos were allowed but the ban has now been lifted. At just 1400 Som or 12p a ride it must be the cheapest public transport we’ve been on!

On our last morning we went station hopping and here are a few stations visited and snapped –

Mustakillik Maydoni which means Independence Square and is suitably grandiose …

Pakhtakor which means Cotton Grower with a mosaic of flowering cotton plants …

Amir Temur Khiyoboni station is the former October Revolution station and here is a Red Army soldier waving a blank flag that apparently had its hammer and sickle removed …

Gafur Gulom named for a famous Uzbek writer and poet …

Alisher Navoi named for a Muslim poet with ceilings resembling a mosque and turquoise panels showing scenes from his poems …

Yunus Rajabiy named for a Uzbek musician …

Tashkent celebrating them founding of the city over 2000 years ago with ceramic pictures of national spirit in blues and whites and the crest of Tashkent ‘a city of peace and friendship’.

Kosmonavtlar has a Cosmonaut theme with this huge sculpture outside uniting visions of a space dream – Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Uzbekistan’s only cosmonaut and Ulugh Beg, the astronomer-king …

… and inside the ceramic wall panels fade from blue to black in imitation of Earth’s atmosphere with cosmonauts including Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

Oybek is another station named for a Uzbek poet …

Ming O’rik (Thousand Apricots) station.

After an early lunch in the cafe at the end of the road of distinctly fusion food – Mexican salad and falafel and hummus …

… we ordered our last Yandex taxi to the airport.

With over two hours to wait, there is plenty of time for a little reflection, firstly on two of the most important things in Uzbekistan (after plov) … tea and bread.

Tea is very important to the culture here. Green tea is the local drink of choice but black tea was popularised by the Russians. Either way, the pot is brought, often with one cup more than needed. Tradition says that you pour half a cup three times and return it to the pot, then leave it two minutes before pouring. Only half a cup should be poured … and when it is cool enough to drink, it should be drunk in one go.

We have drunk so much tea, not surprising at anything from 17p to 85p for a pot for two – and what’s more it’s so eco friendly, far better than drinking water from plastic bottles! We tried the green but it tastes a bit smokey and a bit like veg water so we prefer the black. In Hotel Khurjin in Bukhara they served particularly delicious tea made in Russia called Tess Pleasure which is black tea with pieces of wild rose, dried apples and delicate cornflower petals and we have bought some to bring home.

That just left a teapot … since we don’t own one, and as the same china is used in every hotel and restaurant here, we checked out the kitchenware stores by the bazaar in Samarkand. We now have a teapot and tea dishes called piala, saying made in Uzbekistan on the bottom, to pack into our luggage … just like this one!

Bread is also a big thing, ranging from the very pretty discs in Khiva where they prick the dough with a variety of patterns – possibly the most attractive, but also very solid as it doesn’t rise …

… to the fancy decorated breads in Samarkand market which we tried with some picked tomatoes for lunch one day – also very solid …

… to our favourite, Tashkent bread which is light and airy with an amazing and very moorish texture enabling us to polish one off in a sitting!

There are even traditions such as it must never be cut with a knife or placed upside down and when someone leaves the house he should bite off a small piece of bread and the rest of the loaf will be kept until he comes back to eat it.

Well our trip has gone pretty smoothly and we have came across quite a few independent travellers while we’ve been here. We only needed help from an agent to buy our train tickets, and paying a premium was worth it for the peace of mind rather than leaving it to chance when we arrived. Most hotels and guesthouses use Booking.com so that was easy. Admittedly Uzbekistan Airways doesn’t yet have online check-in but we can live with that for a direct flight!

Each of our destinations had something different to offer and the weather has been sunny and warm. English is not widely spoken, but we’ve managed in hotels and restaurants and people are friendly and want to help so that goes a long way. As for prices, we can’t believe how cheap everything is, averaging £30/day for all food, drink and sightseeing for us both.

And as for what we’ve seen … well I realise there are just far too many photos … but we have seen so much! After so many madrasas and mosques, I had hoped to take better photos of them but the confined courtyards, often with trees and always with tricky light made it really hard to give true impression. Also, we couldn’t quite understand why the backs of the gateways weren’t tiled, just to finish the job!

Nonetheless we both think we’ve taken some good snaps with Chris taking more of people than buildings. He’s been especially fascinated not only by brides, but also by gold teeth which are a status symbol throughout Central Asia, but I was horrified to read they are sometimes installed in the place of healthy teeth. It has been a challenge as it’s polite to ask to take a photo and once they pose they rarely smile … but he had success here!

Tourism and development are definitely on the increase and Uzbekistan is another country which is moving swiftly onwards and upwards so we are very pleased we came now … Uzbekistan, thank you very much … kata rahmat!

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Over the Mountains to Shakhrisabz

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Shakhrisabsz was the birthplace of Timor, the last of the great nomadic conquerors whose Timurid dynasty included most of Mongolia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Originally called Kesh, once he was ruler Timor renamed the city Shakhrisabz, which means ‘Green city’ in Persian and had Ak-Saray or the White Palace built. This was huge and elaborate and took 25 years to complete and a contemporary source says they were astounded and charmed by the architectural miracle. On the other hand, it is estimated that his military campaigns caused the deaths of 17 million people (that’s 5% of the population at that time) and the destruction of the culture, libraries and historic sites in his wake was incalculable!

The road from Samarkand to Shakhrisabz was once an important branch of the Silk Road called ‘The Emir’s Road’ which leads south towards the Indian Ocean.

It cuts through the western edge of the Zerafshan mountains via the Takhtakaracha pass at 1676m and gives great views of the valley below.

Having only glimpsed mountains in the distance so far and with such an exotic sounding destination in store, we were enticed us to go for a day out, although the day didn’t turn out quite as expected.

It started well, with some great scenery as we crossed the mountains and we stopped at a couple of viewpoints.

The liberal decoration with spray paint was unfortunate … but Chris made friends with some local visitors …

… and they took a snap of us!

There was a bazaar at the pass selling various dried fruits and nuts and I bought some dried melon which was chewy but surprisingly tasty.

They were also selling a large amount of hard white stuff that we were told was yogurt. I tasted a bit, expecting another sweet treat so was surprised when it was very salty and smelt like cheesy feet … yuk! Apparently it is kurt, which is salted curd cheese, formed into pieces and dried in the sun. They can be found all over Central Asia, can last for years and are apparently as versatile as they are portable, eaten as a snack, dissolved in water or added to soup or stew to add protein and energy. We won’t be bringing any of those home!

After a couple of hours we arrived in Shakhrisabz and drove down a main street into a large car park. This lead to a huge plaza of pedestrian walkways, and gardens, connecting a small collection of historic remains. On either side were long parades of smart but largely empty shops and an electric golf cart ran visitors up and down.

We walked all the way to the end, which was actually quite warm as the trees need to grow a bit before there is any shade …

… to the two rather large gateposts which are all that remain of Ak-Saray …

… and a popular place for posing wedding parties.

It is definitely wedding season in Uzbekistan, the weather is great and there are savings to be spent having worked the summer. Everywhere we have been we have seen bridal parties progressing through town, in the most attractive spots so the photos look great, greeting friends, neighbours or perfect strangers en route! Here are a couple more of Chris’s bridal collection!

There were a couple of buildings so restored they look brand new …

… and a couple of mausoleums.

Stopping for some tea, we read the guidebook properly and it said that a few years ago the historic centre, bazaar and some residential areas were bulldozed and replaced with this antiseptic plaza. It looks like Uzbekistan is continuing with the Russian Heritage Status ideal, where tourism is encouraged by concentrating historic buildings in a small area so that the tourist would have the opportunity to experience an ancient city without actually having to visit the real areas in these cities where most people lived. In fact we could see part of the town though an open gate, almost as if it was leading offstage to where the real town was!

At least in Bukhara and Samarkand, while visitors are enticed to follow the convenient pedestrian walkway, it doesn’t feel completely isolated, but this was like a film set or theme park that hasn’t opened yet, because there were hardly any visitors. We did wonder where the huge cleared area that we had seen outside the east gate in Khiva might be converted into just such a plaza.

Over dinner later, we decided it was certainly an interesting day and after all the splendid, but generally restored tiling we have seen, it was quite an eye-opener to see the gateway which had been left as it was. In ten years, as long as they keep it watered, it will be a very nice park indeed!

Map

Samarkand … Timur’s Capital

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We had a short journey on the smart and fast Afrosiyob train to Samarkand and arrived late afternoon.

We are staying in the family run Jahongir Hotel, with comfortable rooms decorated with suzanis and arranged round a central shady garden.

It’s great to be in a local neighbourhood … complete with a collection of ladies selling bread from trolleys at the end of the road!

Samarkand is one of Central Asia’s oldest settlements founded in the C8th BC and was the capital of the Sogdian empire when it was taken by Alexander the Great in 329 BC. A key Silk Road city, it grew from the C6th to C13th and was ruled by a succession of Iranian and Turkic rulers until being obliterated by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in 1220.

But it was Timor, also called Tamerlane, who made Samarkand the capital of the Timurid Empire in 1370. For the the next 35 years, he rebuilt most of the city and populated it with the great artisans and craftsmen from across the empire. His grandson Ulugbek ruled until 1449 and made it an intellectual centre too.

When the Uzbek Shaybanids came in the C16th, they moved their capital to Bukhara and Samarkand went into decline. It had a short revival under the emirs of Bukhara in the C19th, before Russian rule in 1868 when the modern Russian section of the city was built. After the revolution, it was briefly the capital of the Uzbek SSR, and is today second largest city in Uzbekistan with 530,000 people.

The Registan has always been the centre of life in the city, once a place to hear proclamations and later a huge bazaar on the crossroads of the city, but it wasn’t until 1420 that is started its journey to the majestic spectacle it is today. Just a five minute walk from our hotel, we stopped by several times to take photos, but were there when it opened at 8.00 one morning to have a chance to visit while it was quiet.

The first madrasa was built by Ulughbek, Timor’s grandson, and also a mathematician and astronomer who had the portal adorned with patterns of ten-pointed stars symbolizing the sky, and astronomy.

Two centuries later Yalangtush Bahadur was appointed the emir of Samarkand and decided to construct a second madrasa to mirror the first which was named Sher- Dor meaning ‘Adorned with Lions’ … although the roaring felines carrying a sun on their backs chasing deer look rather more like tigers!

Ten years later, Yalangtush Bahadur decided build a third madrassa which was called Tilla Kori which means gilded, named for the kundal style painting in the Mosque which is decorated throughout with gilded relief.

By the C20th, all these buildings were in a sorry state with much of the cladding and painting being lost through earthquakes, weather and general decline and here are some old photos …

Many historic buildings of Central Asia were saved by a new ideological concept in Moscow in the 1960s called Heritage Status, whereby entire old towns throughout the USSR were now deemed worthy of preservation with a view to improving tourism in these cities. The hope was that by concentrating the historic buildings in a small area, even a single street, the tourist would have the opportunity to experience ancient Bukhara or Samarkand without actually having to visit the real areas in these cities where most people lived.

Soviet funded restoration began in 1967 and lasted twenty years. This was based on extensive studies and excavations, with much rebuilding using salvaged brickwork and tiles gathered from mounds of rubble inside the madrassahs and there is no doubt that if the Soviets had decided not to restore the buildings of the Registan, this magnificent sight would have been lost.

The tiling is amazing, especially as these three madrasas seem to be covered on every surface and have been restored to far greater completeness than other buildings, Each have their own character inside with Ulughbek being the grandest and Tilla Kori having not only the amazing mosque, but also a more intimate feel. Taken as a whole, the impression is very impressive and even made us feel reflective in the calm of the morning. Closer examination of the decoration shows that some areas have been restored better than others and the colour matching is a little varied, but with such a huge job, I guess this is understandable.

The Registan is fronted by tree shaded gardens …

… and a pedestrian walkway leads past a huge statue of Karimov …

…then up Toshkent Street which is fronted by large shiny souvenir emporia …

… and leads to Bibi-Khanum Mosque, which was funded by the spoils of Timur’s invasion of India and was so large it pushed contemporary construction techniques to the limit, so much so that the dome started crumbling before it was finished.

Today it is a shell, standing in a pretty courtyard with a large Quran stand in the centre …

… but before restoration, looked worse.

Siyob Bazaar was well worth a visit with row upon row of sweet treats, the inevitable bread trollies …

… as well as fresh produce and these rather delicious prepared figs.

The walkway continues over a main road, busy with taxis, towards Hazrat-Hizr Mosque, rebuilt in the C19th and recently restored to within an inch of its life and also the resting place of Islam Karimov.

Following independence in 1991, Islam Karimov was elected President and his grip on power ensured he was regularly re-elected with no opposition until his death in 2016. While officially a democratic republic, Uzbekistan was classified as a hard authoritarian state with limited civil rights. Insurgency by Islamist militants in 1999 led to a crackdown on all forms of religious expression not expressly sanctioned by the state as well as tightened controls over political and economic life.

After 9/11 Uzbekistan became a close strategic partner of the US, providing military facilities and transit routes to support US and Nato operations in Afghanistan and this made it difficult for the US and EU to speak out about human rights abuses in Uzbekistan. In 2005 troops opened fire on anti-government protests in the eastern city of Andijan, killing hundreds of demonstrators and ties were cut with the west, but sanctions were later lifted.

The second and present president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev is considered by most to be pursuing a less autocratic path, with plans to repair relations with neighbouring states, to open up the economy, relax some of his predecessor’s more repressive policies and improve human rights. It is certainly easier to travel here and tourists are made very welcome.

We continued on the walkway to Shah-I-Zinda, containing an avenue of mausoleums …

… covered in beautiful tilework.

Much restoration has occurred here too as can be seen from this old photo.

One of the most beautiful tombs is the Shodi Mulk Oto Mausoleum, that of Timor’s sister and her daughter …

… and one with a lovely interior …

Needless to say, it is a very popular spot …

… but still with room for reflection.

We also saw the site of Ulugbek’s C15th century observatory, excavated in 1908, although only the buried track of the 30m quadrant remains.

Taking the route from the Registan in the opposite direction takes you through parks and past mosaics …

… to the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum which was built by Timor on the death of his favoured grandson.

When Timor died unexpectedly from pneumonia, he was interred here too. Ulugbek’s scientific expertise was not matched by his skills in governance and after a short reign he was overthrown and assassinated by his son and later interred here with his grandfather.

The inside is particularly beautifully, like a gold lined casket.

We walked down to see Timur on a busy interjection nearby, on the boundary between the old and new Russian town, which we didn’t explore except to go by taxi for dinner as most of the restaurants were there, our favourites being Platan and Old City.

The Registan is always lit at night …

… but there are also light shows and we caught one on our way back after dinner …

Our last day was spent chilling and shopping … a coffee by the Registan …

… the purchase of some cream and pink adras fabric to recover a cushion at home … another T-shirt for Chris … some local snacks at the market including dried melon and walnut stuffed apricots … and finally a teapot and cups to remind us of our trip. We then retired to a tempting tapchan in Bibikhanum Teahouse for a late lunch.

We’ve really loved relaxing on these raised platforms that we first came across in Turkey, they just seem so exotic!

We collected our luggage and took the late train back to Tashkent, arriving around 10.00pm.

Map

Bukhara … Silk Road City of the Shaybanids

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The train chugged along for 6hrs and 400km, passing cotton field to begin with, then desert and finally more cotton as we approached Bukhara, so rather than spend time looking out of the window, I finally had a chance to get stuck into my book. I mentioned The Carpet Ride to Khiva in one of the last posts, but had read little more than the introduction but reading further, I began to suspect that the house at No 57 where the author stayed in Khiva is now Meros B&B … and having checked with Jaloladdin, he confirmed Aslan had lived with his family for 7 years and they still keep in touch … small world!

We were met at the station and welcomed at Hotel Khurjin by Avozshod who told us it was a restored C19th madrassa named for an Uzbek saddlebag, as the building splits and opens into two courtyards.

We stayed in one of the converted student rooms overlooking a pretty courtyard where we could relax and drink tea.

The rather attractive blue pipe is to feed water to the roof, where expansion is taking place!

So if you are sitting comfortably, I’ll tell you a story … When the Arabs arrived in the C1st, Bukhara was already a bustling Silk Road trading center. They managed to convert most of the local population to Islam but were replaced after a few decades by the Samanids, Sunni Muslims loyal to the caliph in Baghdad and admirers of Persian Shiite culture. In the C9th and C10th, Bukhara became a great city of trade and learning. It was home to 240 mosques and 113 madrasahs and produced great scholars such as Muhammad al-Bukhari who gathered the hadiths, or sayings of The Prophet Muhammed and the physician Abu Ali ibn-Sina, also known as Avicenna.

After two centuries under the Karakhan and Karakitay dynasties, Bukhara was attacked by the Mongols. When Genghis Khan arrived in Bukhara he reportedly entered the mosque and emptied cases that contained the Koran, the Muslim’s holiest book, and had them filled with grain for his horses. He then ordered the rulers of the city to bring musicians, wine and fermented mare’s milk and told the nobility to bring their riches. After gold and precious stones were laid at his feet, he set his troops loose. They took everything they could carry and burned what they couldn’t.

Bukhara was a minor city under Tamerlane but was reborn under the Uzbek Shaybanids and then the emirs of Bukhara beginning in the 16th century. During this era, Bukhara was the center of a empire that embraced much of Central Asia and was famous for its caravanserais, bazaars, carpets, fountains and 100 madrasahs with 10,000 students. Today, it is a city of around 250,000 and 150 historical monuments, so we’ll have our work cut out!

Just a few steps took us to the C16th Kukeldash Madrassah, once the largest Islamic school in Central Asia but looking a little rundown apart from some souvenir shops …

Opposite is the Lyabi-Khauz, a plaza built around a pool, which was constructed by the vizier Nadir Divan-Beghi in the C17th with the Nadir Divan-Beghi Khanaka at one end …

… and Nadir Divan-Beghi Madrasa opposite.

The construction of two monumental buildings facing one another was a common practice in central Asian cities and was known as kosh, and we will see it several times in Bukhara alone. Traditionally, Islam discouraged the depiction of human and animal forms in case it lead to idolatry but in the early C17th under the Shaybanids the rule was not so strictly enforced and here there are mosaics of fantastical birds and a sun with a human face.

Here is a statue of Hoja Nasruddin, a wise fool from folktales, which was very popular with the locals for souvenir photos …

… and a here’s a souvenir pic of my Khiva dress too!

Nadir Divan-Beghi had great difficulty acquiring the site for the pond as there was a house owned by a Jewish widow. A canny bargainer, she agreed to swap her house for a piece of land and permission to build a synagogue on it, the first in the city …

There had been Jews here since the C12th and they had their own culture and language, Bukhari, related to Persian but with the Hebrew alphabet. Many became successful despite discrimination and at one time there were seven synagogues, but most left the city between 1925 and 2000 for Israel and the US.

Also nearby are Maghoki Attar, the oldest surviving mosque with a C9th facade and C16th reconstruction …

… and Char Minar, the gatehouse of a long-gone madrasa with four very pretty towers. Storks were once a familiar sight in the city, but unfortunately no longer as most fell victim to high soil salinity from a reduced water table and pesticide pollution, but there are a few fake ones about …

… and here are a couple more, on the roof of a madrasa!

The Khoja Gaukushan Ensemble was built by the Juabari family in the C16th and is rare as it remains untouched by later redevelopment. Gaukushan refers to the slaughter of cattle so there might once have been an abattoir here. It is on the junction of two medieval streets and the Shah Rud canal, it comprises a mosque, a minaret, two madrasas and a hauz which is a pond.

Bukhara once had a network of canals as well as 200 stone pool where people gathered, gossiped, drank and washed but water-borne diseases were rife as the water wasn’t kept clean and in Soviet times, most were drained.

The C16th trading domes became a symbol of Bukhara’s status as a Silk Road city and were built at busy crossroads providing a means of controlled and convenient trade. The large domes remained cool and were filled with shopping stalls and handicraft shops, each named for its particular speciality. Today four remain, filled with craft and souvenir stalls.

Nearby are a couple of caravanserai which would have given travellers shelter and water. They look similar to a madrasa, but the entrance is big enough to bring loaded animals inside and the door could be locked and guarded at night and provided rooms, however often travellers would have to bring food for themselves and their animals. It was also a good place to do business and exchange news. Today they sell craft and souvenirs too.

Our next stop was a pair of facing madrasas built over two centuries apart. Ulugh Beg Madrasa was constructed in 1419, the work of Ulugh Beg, the astronomer-king and grandson of Timur. It represented the first stirrings of Bukhara’s cultural rebirth, as the madrasa served as a magnet to attract scholars and scientists from across the Muslim world, eager to advance both piety and knowledge. A corded band decorates the gateway and the calligraphic inscription ‘Aspiration to knowledge is the duty of every Muslim man and woman’.

Opposite, the Abdullazizkhan Madrasa built in 1652 shows the progress of medieval Central Asian architecture. The gateway here is adorned with facets and ornamental stalactites patterned with bright floral designs and colours and even gilding.

Inside, restoration continues …

The Kalyan Minaret is the last surviving fragment of the Kara-khanid era mosque built by Mohammad Arslan Khan in 1127, predating the Mongol conquests and one of only a handful of buildings to wholly or partially survive Genghis Khan’s invasions. The ornamentation relied entirely on the brickwork, with the bands of glazed tile near the base of the lantern added since 1920.

Kalyan Mosque was built by Ubaydullah-khan, the first of the Shaybanids to make Bukhara his primary capital. It was finished by 1530 and stands on the site of a destroyed Karakhanid mosque. It serves as the city’s Friday mosque and can hold 12,000 people.

It opens onto the large sparse courtyard …

… surrounded by cool arcades.

The mihrab has tilework signed by its creater, Bayazid Purani.

The Mir-i Arab Madrasa opposite was constructed in 1536, also by Ubaydullah-khan, funded by the sale of 3,000 slaves captured in his wars in Khorasan. The two-story facade is almost completely covered in glazed mosaic faience tiles, a time-consuming and expensive decorative treatment that was first popularized under Timur’s rule.

In the Soviet era the Mir-i-Arab was the only madrasa allowed to operate throughout the entire realm and remains in active use, offering a 4 year course to 120 students in religious and general subjects. It is closed to visitors but peering through the pandzhara was like peeking into the quad of an Oxford college!

A short way west is the main central square or Registan of Bukhara. There were once a lot of public buildings here, but all that remains is the Bolo-Khauz Mosque which was built in 1712 by Emir Shahmurad who wanted to attend Friday prayers with the people. It is named for the far older hauz or pool in front. The irwan has a wooden ceiling leaning on refined columns and is decorated with fretwork and ornamented with floral and geometrical ornamental patterns. A short minaret was built in 1917.

We took a tea break in a shady cafe …

… and read about two British officers in 1842 who were executed in this square in 1842. Colonel Charles Stoddart was a diplomat and British agent in Central Asia during the period of the Great Game. This was a defensive cold war for control of Central Asia which pitted imperial Russia, which was expanding to the south, against Britain, who wanted to protect India. He was sent on a mission to persuade the emir of Bukhara to free Russian slaves and sign a treaty of friendship with Britain but instead offended the emir as he did not bow or take gifts so was thrown into jail. Captain Arthur Conolly came to rescue him, but he was thrown into jail too. Receiving no reply to his letter to Queen Victoria, the emir had them marched out in front of a large crowd, made them dig their own graves, and had them beheaded. Bukhara later became a Russian protectorate although the emir reigned until 1920.

Across the road was the Ark, the fortified city within a city which was the residence of the emirs of Bukhara. Its foundations were laid in the C4th BC but has been destroyed and rebuilt several times and in 1920 it was bombed by the Red Army, destroying around 80%. The most impressive part was the entrance …

… but there was a Mosque …

… Throne room …

… courtyards overlooking the city …

… and this rather strange viewing tower – us watching them watching us!

There was even photo evidence of real storks in the C19th!

Close by is Samonid Park built in the Soviet era and containing a funfair.

It is also home to the oldest building in the city, The Ismail Samani Mausoleum, built in the C10th and buried in sand for many years which preserved it. Despite being quite small and relying only the way the the light plays on its surface for its beauty, we found it charming.

Nearby were the Chashma-Ayub Mausoleum,over the source of a spring, which sprung up from the ground when struck by the Bible prophet Job …

…. and the Memoriam to Muhammad al-Bukhari.

There were also a couple of places on the outskirts of town …

The Chor-Bakr Necropolis was built in the C16th, although it was already established as a burial ground. The main complex has two mosques, pool and later minaret. We went up on the roof for views … including this rather Impressionist snap of the Kalyan complex in the distance.

It was quite peaceful wandering round the separate walled areas called khaziras, containing groups of family tombs.

Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa Palace was the countryside residence of Bukhara emirs, now just on the outskirts of the city. The location is always cool, and was chosen by an ancient method of putting sheep carcasses at the likely construction sites and opting for the one with least decomposition. The original building from the mid C19th was replaced some years later by another emir, Muzaffar-Khan who devoted the palace to his wife Sitora. When she died, it was named Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa, translated from Tajik as ‘Star-like, Moon-like Palace’ but most existing buildings were completed in 1918 for the last emir of Bukhara, Alim Khan by the best Bukhara masters of the time.

The White Hall is decorated with ganch, laid on walls covered with mirrors …

… while the rest is brightly coloured with more ganch …

… and lots more mirrored tiles …

In the gardens there is tea room, small minaret, and guest house.

On our last day. we visited a museum which shows how the rich merchant class in Bukhara lived in the C19th. After entering through an outer courtyard which would have had stables and household area …

… there was then the havli berun or external male part of the house …

… followed by the havli darun or inner female area.

It was interesting to see how similar this is to the palace layouts in Khiva, albeit on a much smaller scale.

This was the family home of Fayzulla Khodjaev, a patron of art and fighter for equal rights and democracy.

He was sent to Moscow by his father in 1907 where he realized the huge gap between contemporary European society and the traditional ways at home. He joined the Pan-Turkism Jadid movement of reformers in 1916 and following the revolution in 1920, became head of the Bukharan People’s Soviet Socialist Republic which later formed part of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. He opposed Stalin’s control, particularly in the matter of cotton cultivation and was executed in 1938.

A last pot of tea by the Lyabi-Khauz …

…and suddenly the fountains were turned on!

We’ve really enjoyed our time here in Bukhara. Breakfast has been a lavish spread each morning, with far too much food, but we really appreciated the care and attention to detail with which it was served, making us feel like honoured guests.

Comparisons are inevitable, and on the surface, Khiva old city looked almost medieval with its walls and houses covered in mud render, despite the fact that it had been under constant restoration and the remaining buildings are C18th from the time of the Khanates, with the new town outside.

Here in Bukhara there isn’t a wall separating the old city from the rest, but it does form a core with a main souvenir-lined tourist thoroughfare linking the sights, but you don’t have to wander far to find local houses, old buildings yet to be restored and people going about their everyday lives, Most of the historic buildings are C16th, with some even older and beyond is modernity, with a dual carriageway ring road and wide roads lined with shops which we saw on our trips out.

We’ve tried several restaurants – Magrigri and Amulet with peaceful courtyards and Minzifa where the rooftop unfortunately gets booked days before, but we still had a good meal. Having said that, we’ve both had funny tummies for a couple of days so have been trying to pick the plainest offerings rather than embracing the cuisine so nothing new to report!

So, as we head further along the Silk Road, I’ll leave you with an evening shot of the Kalyan Minaret lit up after dark … next stop, Samarkand!

Map

Khiva … Beyond the Walls

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On our last day, we walked through the walls of Ichan Kala to explore the town outside. First was the double gate Kosh Darvaza …

… then the hospital built in 1910, with professional doctors to treat the sick …

… and the post office opposite.

A mosaic by a small park welcomes visitors to Khiva …

… a billboard celebrated the city.

… and posters remember its famous sons such as Al-Khwarizmi, known for his treatise on algebra, inventing the decimal point and giving his name to the word algorithm.

Opposite was the bazaar …

I tried a samsa, which was peeled off the inside of the tandir for me and tasted delicious … Chris chose ice cream over fruit!

We took one of the plentiful little minibuses back to the north gate then headed for the Nurullabay Palace, which was built in 1912 when there was no space within the old city for a palace with gardens. A merchant sold the land to Mohammed Rakhim Khan on condition that the palace was named after him!

We looked round the Reception Building first, built later by Isfandir Khan. A community of Mennonites who had been invited to settle here by Mohammed Rakhim Khan and they assisted with the works, including the parquet wood floor and ghanch plasterwork.

We were most struck by the splendid stoves with brightly coloured tiles which came from St Petersburg …

… and amused that cherubs had found their way onto the ceiling in a Muslim city!

The main part of the palace is a maze of interconnecting courtyards and rooms and has been restored a couple of times.

It contains no internal decoration, instead a modern, well lit exhibition space displaying arts and crafts but also some fascinating photos of Khivas past – possibly the image of Khiva museums to come!

As we walked back we saw this smart academy copying the traditional aesthetic in a modern way.

So that brings our time in Khiva to an end. We are so pleased to have visited now as times are changing, and the city is definitely preparing for the ‘tourist potential’. Not all visitors are happy staying in a small family guesthouse, they would prefer five star hotels with pools …

… and will come to Khiva via the railway station, a Palace built to welcome the tourists discovering the Silk Road in the 21st century.

Map

Fifty Fortresses of Elliq Kala

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Having spent three days pottering round Khiva, it was time for a change so we arranged a day out through the guesthouse with Ali to drive us. Our main aim was to visit a few of the desert fortresses of ancient Khorezm, but we ended up seeing quite a lot more.

First we had to head north to Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan with the border along the Amu Darya river.

As the Amu Darya forced its way into the Aral Sea, the region slowly drained and dried. Irrigation canals became fragile desert lifelines controlled by feudal lords, vulnerable to nomadic incursions and tribal war and stranded cities became ruins in the desert.

Once over the river we headed through farmland, growing cotton, fruit and vegetables …

… then as we continued through the gateway to Elliq Kala, the land became drier.

Our first Fortress was Toprak Kala which was first settled in the C1st BC but the ruins today are of a large fortified palace and temple complex built by the Khorezm kings in the C3-4th. They were rediscovered and excavated by the archeologist Sergei P. Tolstov in 1938 and all portable artefacts are in The Hermitage in St Petersburg.

It stands with the Sultan Vais Dag Mountains in the distance.

There are towers at each end, with a network of streets, courtyards and rooms between, as well as three main halls. Some rooms still have niches in the walls and fireplaces. Areas of restoration are quite distinct, but it is amazing how much remains bearing in mind it’s all just sun baked mud. Even more amazing is that this was just a small corner of an overall complex 350m x 500m surrounded by a high brick wall with 45 guard towers and a covered corridor for archers!

Kyzyl Kala or Red Fort was next …

… probably of a similar age but subsequently rebuilt in the C12-13th, and was probably a garrison, with numerous arrow slits and observation points around its walls.

It was also the centre of the agricultural area and crossroads of caravan routes which passed through through the ridge Sultanuizdag. The modern retaining wall was added to prevent erosion, but does give a good idea how it originally looked.

We stopped briefly at Akhchakol Lake, complete with a yurt resort and possibly boatrips …

… but with a digger out front I think they need to work on their image!

Time for lunch, and Ali took us to Boston bazaar, and to a small local restaurant where they were cooking kebabs …

… and samsas on the inside of a tandir.

Despite being offered vegetable soup, meat was detected, so Chris drank tea and ate some bread while I eat my very tasty lavash with meat carved off the skewer.

We took a turn round the bazaar, where Chris could have made up for his lack of lunch with a wide choice of fruit, but choose a wedge of very sticky cake instead!

We also saw huge packs of cotton, and realised that this is why the bedding seems rather firm, no foam here … just cotton wadding!

The area is renowned for its melons, and they are in season now. We have seen huge piles for sale everywhere and it is always part of the breakfast spread. There is watermelon, but the tastiest are the yellow melons. Ali gave us a piece to try in the market and it was the best melon so far, so sweet and tasty … even Chris was persuaded not only to try it, but said he liked it, which is an absolute first since I have known him! Having given it the thumbs up, Ali bought one for later!

We continued to Ayaz Kala which is actually a collection of three forts which have survived since at least the C4th BC. This really is in the desert, with another yurt camp nearby and a bit of a walk up the hill!

The giant fortress is around 180m by 150m … here is Chris in the middle …

… and there are parts of tunnels and arrow slits in remaining parts of the walls. It would once have been a very wealthy place with sophisticated inhabitants. At least ten major structures have been identified within the complex, and archaeologists have unearthed everything from early wine presses to golden statues.

Looking down, we could see the lower fortress, but didn’t go and explore.

Despite looking dry and inhospitable, we spotted wildlife – a rodent like critter, species uncertain …

… and a bird …

… and tiny flowers …

… as well as this purple bush that was growing everywhere along the road.

It was quite a walk to the fortress and back and we were pleased to join Ali in the shade where he shared the melon with us and a couple of other drivers … delicious!

We had to make a stop for fuel and strangely, only the driver can enter the service station … passengers have to wait in the waiting area, conveniently shady with seats 100m away! When I mentioned this, it was suggested that since we were running on propane it was for safety in case of an explosion – rather pleased we hadn’t opted for self drive!

The last fort on our trip was Guldursun Kala Bolshaya which was most impressive for its size.

It was impossible to get it all in a photo!

With perimeter walls of about 1km long, there was plenty of space for the locals to graze their animals inside!

The present structure dates from the C12th so is much later than the others too. It also has a legend -Princess Guldursun fell in love with a Kalmyk warrior and opened the gates of her father’s fortress to him. Once inside he cast her aside and his troops killed everyone they could find and reduced the buildings to ruins.

In the late afternoon, we saw women picking cotton in a field and they gave us a cheery wave, but it must be back breaking work, and hard on the hands as the cotton plants are rough. Not all cotton workers choose this type of work. Many are conscripted by the government to assist the harvest and consequently Tesco & M&S and others banned the use of Uzbeki cotton in 2007. Despite reforms taken by the present government, citizens are still being forced to work in the annual harvest.

Earlier in the day we had stopped a picked both a bud which hadn’t opened, which was compact and slightly oily inside, and an opened pod, full of fluffy cotton. When the cotton is ready to harvest, the irrigation is stopped and this encourages the pods to open.

And cotton takes a lot of irrigation. When the Russian empire replaced much of the traditional agriculture with cotton in the C19th, it became the principle cash crop so dams and irrigation were built which led to the two longest rivers in Central Asia, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya to change course. The Aral Sea, formerly the fourth largest lake in the world with an area of 68,000 sqkm, has shrunk to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes. Here’s a picture of the Aral Sea in 1989 on the left and 2014 on the right …

Since then, storms of salt and dust from the dry seabed continue to affect agriculture, the ecosystem and health in the region.

On the way back we passed this pair of mosaics by the road, celebrating the cotton crop, fertilised by plane and irrigated then fabricated in factories by happy workers and their families enjoying the good life in Uzbekistan.

Khiva … Within the Walls

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We knew we had arrived in Khiva when we saw the wall. This huge wall surrounds the city and contains four gates which would seal the town from dusk to dawn and offer protection to a city plagued by nomadic raids and desert storms.

Khiva is one of the cities of ancient Khorezm, 900km west of Tashkent with a population today of 90,000 and the first site in Uzbekistan to be made a World Heritage site.

It is in the region of Khorezm which has always been an important area in Central Asia due to the Amu-Darya delta and early irrigation systems enabled agriculture in the villages and then commercial, political, and cultural development in the towns. Today its main crops are cotton and rice as well as being well known for its melons.

According to legends, Khiva was founded by Shem, the elder son of Noah, who dug a well in the middle of the desert which was named Khey-vakh which roughly means sweet water. Beginning as a minor fort and trading post, by the C10th the Arab traveler Al-Istarkhiy wrote that Khiva was among the 30 important cities in Khorezm. All the caravans had to stop here as it was the last resting-place before crossing the desert to Persia and from dawn to dusk, an endless string of camels with baggage passed through the gates.

There was never a single Silk Road, rather a network of different trade routes all linked together joining Xian in China with the Mediterranean, often changing depending on war, weather or robbers. Trade began with China’s desire for horses for which they traded silk, but many other commodities were traded, all light, valuable, exotic and highly desired. Central Asia was the clearing house for much of this trade as caravaners rarely made the whole journey, instead just carrying goods a fraction of the distance, sheltering in a network of caravanserais offering lodgings, stables and stores along the way, then trading it on. The Silk Road also enabled an exchange of culture including ideas on all aspects of religion, art and science being carried with the commercial goods the merchants traded from country to country. By the end of the C15th, the Silk Road began to decline as sea trade flourished.

The western Ata Darvoza (Father Gate) was rebuilt in 1975 after the original was pulled down to open the medieval city to motor traffic in 1920s …

To the north is the double-sided guardrooms of the Bakcha Darvoza or Garden Gate where customs duties would be collected from the caravans arriving from Urgench. At the moment, the road in through this gate is being relaid, paid for by the Chinese who have bought a madrasa which they are converting into a hotel …

To the south is the Tash or Stone Darvoza, the arrival point for caravans from the Caspian area …

And finally the Polvon Darvoza or Warriors Gate where royal proclamations were announced. It dates from 1806 and was once the entrance to the slave market …

…and these niches in the tunnel would have been where slaves were kept chained.

Outside there was a bazaar and local housing which was all cleared by the government a few years ago, but so far nothing more has happened.

We chatted to Nodir who is converting this madrasa to the Polvon Qori Hotel and he proudly showed us round. I’m sure it will be lovely when finished so one to look up if you are tempted to visit.

It is still possible to walk along one section of the city walls …

Just like Tashkent, Khiva was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the C13th, recovered under the Mongols and Timur then prospered under the Shaybanids, who ruled throughout the C16th and made Khiva the capital of Khorezm. Much was destroyed when the Persian Nadir Shah took the city in the C17th, but Persian control only lasted a few years and then Khiva Khanates took power. Mukhammad Amin ruled the area from 1763 to 1790 and began the process of re-populating and restoring the city. His immediate successors such as Mohammed Rahim (r. 1806-25), Alla Kuli (r. 1826-42) and Mohammed Amin (r. 1846-55) continued to strengthen the power of the state by reducing tribal conflict, reforming taxes, minting new coinage, and sponsoring large-scale construction projects. They built up a reputation abroad for their dictatorial style of leadership and the city prospered from the sale of slaves in the large market in the middle of town.

Slavery was the way of life in Central Asia. Nomadic tribes began to depend on Khiva for grain which couldn’t be grown without extra labour so the slave trade became of mutual benefit. Most slaves were brought by Turkmen tribesmen from the desert or Kazakh tribes of the steppes, who raided those unlucky enough to live or travel nearby and most were Kurds and Persians. By 1819, one foreign visitor to Khiva estimated that there were 30,000 slaves in Khiva, including 3,000 Russians and it was said that a Russian male in good health was worth four good camels. The practice of slave trading was to continue up until the beginning of the twentieth century but it was not until the 1920’s that the remaining slaves were freed as part of the People’s Revolution.

The number of Russian citizens held as slaves and the desire to control the trade in the region were two reasons that Russian interest in Central Asia increased in the C19th. Russia also needed to establish a secure source of cotton as The American Civil War had cut off Russia’s cotton supplies.

On the third attempt, Russia managed to annex the Khanate of Khiva in 1873 and make it a Russian protectorate and by 1876 all of modern day Uzbekistan was under Russian control. The Russians substantially increased cotton production which they shipped to Russia, but otherwise they interfered little with the indigenous people and the Khans continued as local leaders.

Following the the Russian Revolution of 1917, Khiva had a revolution too, and in 1920 the Khanate was replaced by the Khorezm People’s Soviet Republic which later became part of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and then modern Uzbekistan.

We had chosen to stay in the heart of the old city and were welcomed at the traditional Meros B&B by Jalolladin and his family. Like many of the houses, it is made with brick and rendered with a mud and straw mixture. Our room was decorated with a lovely painted wooden ceiling and local fabrics and had a balcony overlooking the wall where we could sit and drink tea as well as the rooftop where we could enjoy the great view with a beer or dinner.

Khiva was divided into two parts in the C19th, Ichan Kala, the inner city with 10 meters high wall containing the Khan’s palace and where high officials, clergy and rich merchants lived, and Dishan Kala, the outer city where ordinary people, small merchants and craftsmen lived. The old city got UNESCO World Heritage status in 1990 and contains 54 historic buildings.

We’ve spent three days soaking up the Ichan Kala, the first day just wandering and then the next two days with the ticket that enables entry to the 54 historic buildings in the city. It seems like a time warp – devoid of cars in its central areas, and with most of the modern infrastructure hidden from view – we especially liked these AC covers!

So where to start, maybe with the other most iconic symbol of Khiva, the unfinished Kalta Minor Minaret, commissioned in 1851 by Mohammed Amin Khan but only reaching 26m before the Khan’s untimely death, rather than the 70m planned. Nonetheless, it is still dazzling, covered in turquoise tiles … and now part of a smart hotel.

There are a couple of palaces … Kukhna Ark, the Khiva rulers’ own fortress and residence, first built in the 12th century by one Ok Shaykh Bobo, then expanded by the khans in the 17th century. The khans’ harem, mint, stables, arsenal, barracks, mosque and jail were all here.

Remaining is the restored, open-air throne room, where the khan dispensed judgement. The circular area on the ground was for the royal yurt, which the no-longer-nomadic khans still liked to use.

The tiled iwan or portico is simply stunning.

Behind is a beautifully decorated room where the wooden throne of the Khan sat, gilded in silver, but now in St Petersburg Hermitage.

There is also the 19th-century Summer Mosque is open-air and spectacularly ornate with superb blue-and-white plant-motif tiling and a red, orange and gold ceiling …

… and a watchtower which gives great views over the city …

Tosh Hauli means Stone House because it is made of stone-hard bricks rather than clay, and this palace contains Khiva’s most sumptuous interior decoration, dense with blue ceramic tiles, carved wooden pillars and elaborate ghanch. Built by Allakuli Khan between 1832 and 1841 as a more splendid alternative to the Kuhna Ark, it’s said to have more than 150 rooms off nine courtyards, with high ceilings designed to catch the slightest desert breeze.

This is the main harem area with a row of 5 north facing decorated irwans for the Khan and his four official wives.

One pillar has the Zoroastrian emblem which signifies wealth and eternal life.

There are also other courtyards, this one complete with yurt …

There are two mosques to mention, the C18th Juma or Friday Mosque with a rectangular prayer hall with a roof supported by 213 black elm pillars of various ages, all with carved designs …

…and a 33m minaret …

… and the small district Ak Mosque, unique for its wrap round verandah.

The most revered place in the city is the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum, beneath a turquoise dome, with the tombs of the poet, philosopher and wrestler Pahlavon Mahmud who became Khiva patron saint, as well as several khans.

There are also numerous masdrassas, most now utilised as museums, workshops, shops, restaurants or hotels. The Islam-Khodja complex, built in 1910 comprising a madrasa which introduced modern education, customs, and economic development to the traditionalist Khanate …

… as well as a 45m minaret …

… which we were able to climb …

… for a great bird’s eye view of the city.

Opposite, looking slightly incongruous, is the First Russian School, built in 1912. The tall glass windows and lack of courtyard make this design ill-suited to the desert climate, but no doubt it was a sign of the forward thinking curriculum of Russian arithmetic, and world history.

It houses a photography museum which showed the work of a local photographer called Devanov who tried to record a Khiva that was slowly disappearing and here are a couple of photos from the late C19th …

The men are wearing chugirmas which are the historically distinct sheepskin headwear for Khorezmian men, also being worn by the little band of players who have been plying their art in the street …

… and which explains the plentiful tourist hat stalls!

There are lots of fabric items for sale, scarves, table linen and also coats and dresses, made to measure in a Uzbeki material called adras which is a 50-50 silk cotton mix often with traditional ikat pattern. The pattern is made by binding individual yarns or bundles of yarns with a tight wrapping applied in the desired pattern. The yarns are then dyed and woven … and I chose one in shades of blue to bring home, which might get modelled during the trip so watch this space!

The Mohammed Rakhim Khan Madrassa was completed in 1876. As the Khan was a ruler with one foot in the historical traditions of the Khiva Khanate, and the other foot in what promised to be a Russian-dominated future, the madrasa taught not only traditional Islamic studies but also secular subjects such as astronomy, geography, and mathematics. The tiles were restored in 1992.

While researching our trip, I discovered a really useful online guidebook (http://www.khiva.info/display.php?site=khiva&page=&lang=en) which was set up a few years ago with help from a charity called Operation Mercy. One of the authors was an English volunteer called Christopher Aslan Alexander who ended up staying 7 years, setting up The Silk Carpet Workshop to train and give work to local people and then wrote A Carpet Ride to Khiva about his time here. We visited and saw carpets being woven.

We have also taken photos at either end of the day, taking advantage of the good light, so here are early morning shots from Meros roof …

… and others late in the day …

… and also watching the watchers!

We’ve had a variety of food – generous breakfasts, salads, kebabs, soups, filled dumplings called manty and little pies called samsas … in a variety of spots including home cooked a Meros dinner on the roof, Terrassa Cafe, also with a great view and the friendly Teahouse Bir Gumbaz.

I’ve tried the plov, which had shards of carrot and raisins in the rice and slices of beef on top and was not nearly as greasy as I expected, but I’m sure it would have been different if I’d tried it in the market! Jokingly it is said the word for foreplay here is plov … as the oil in the bottom of the pan is meant to invigorate!

As if there haven’t been enough pics, here are just a few more …

Finally here is Micha, the most famous … and only camel in Khiva who has been posing for photos for 20 years and is somewhat of an institution …

Map

Finding our Feet in Tashkent

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It has taken a couple of days to adjust to being away this time so I’m writing this sitting in Tashkent airport as we are about to move on!

While in Tashkent, we had hoped to visit a couple of museums to get a grounding in things Uzbeki and a look at the old parts of the city, maybe looking closer at the Soviet architecture when we return at the end of our trip. But of course nothing is that simple, everything is mixed up together. There is an excellent metro system, but there is quite a distance between stops so once we started walking, we found everything was further than we’d expected and we clocked up 11 miles on our second day! By day three we had embraced 21st century technology and the wonders of Y-taxi, the local taxi app with fares under £2 for a short hop and instantly everything became easier.

So Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and is a metropolis of over 2.5 million people but it is also an old city which began as a settlement beside a fertile oasis. When the Arabs conquered the area in the C8th, it was already a major caravan crossroads on the Great Silk Road linking China with the Middle East and Europe and by the C11th it was called Tashkent, meaning City of Stone in Turkic. The city was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the C13th, recovered under the Mongols and Timur then prospered under the Shaybanids, the founding dynasty of modern Uzbekistan who ruled from the C15-17th.

They built the Kukeldash Madrasa or Islamic School, which had fallen into disrepair, but is now restored and back in use as a college for the study of Islam. The exterior has large Iranian-style iwan gates flanked by two levels of miniature iwan with pointed arches and small minaret-like towers called guldasta. Stylistically, apparently all madrasas in Uzbekistan are similar, whatever their age, although they can be decorated differently, and here there are lots of colourful majolica tiles.

Inside is a central courtyard with garden and fountain, surrounded with cells used as classrooms and dormitories for the students.

It was very peaceful walking round, yet so close to the bustle of the city just outside.

In the C9th roads led from all city gates to the Chorsu Bazaar, bringing traffic and trade to the center of the city. The surrounds would have been a warren of mud-walled houses and workshops, crowded bazaars, mosques, madrassahs and mausoleums. This is Chorsu Bazaar today …

… still a market and still hectic and filled with smoke from grilling kebabs!

Nearby is the Khast Imam Square with the beautiful C16th Barak Khan Madrassah at one end, now containing souvenir shops in the original student rooms.

There is also a variety of patterned tiles … all in shades of blue!

The other end of the square, flanked by a pair of 50m-high minarets, is the Hazrat Imam mosque.

This is the largest place of worship in Tashkent and was built in 2007 in a record-breaking 4 months using sandalwood columns from India, green marble from Turkey and blue tiles from Iran.

The C18th Muyi Mubarak Madrasa is in the centre of the square holding what once was thought to be the oldest Quran in the world and also ‘the sacred hair’ believed to have belonged to the Prophet Muhammad. Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited so we missed these treasures.

As we left we saw the mausoleum of the scoholar and poet Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi …

… and a brand new mosque, coming soon!

The other real treasure we found in Tashkent was the Museum of Applied Art, situated in the former home of Imperial Russian diplomat Alexander Polovtsev. This grand mansion was built in 1930 and decorated in traditional Uzbek style, using master craftsmen and contains a superb collection of applied arts, many collected by Polovtsev.

The decoration comprises panels of carved and painted plasterwork called ghanch and ceramic tiles on the walls and typical Tajik style wooden ceilings, also carved and painted. These started in the porch …

and continued into the central hall …

… and here are some details …

The collection included ceramics, metalwork, painted wood, jewellery and textiles including clothing, beadwork as well as printed and embroidered fabric.

Suzanis are large, hand-embroidered textile panels with the word coming from the Persian word suzan, which means needle.

Some were luxurious with gold thread on velvet …

… and here is a wooden block and printed fabric …

The State History Museum links the old with the new as it is housed in a building dedicated to Lenin and completed in 1970 to mark the centennial of his birth. It took history from prehistoric times to the present day on one floor while the top floor detailed the virtues of the independent Uzbekistan, in every aspect, but it wasn’t very engaging and we didn’t stay long. The best part was the facade which is decorated in oriental modernist style with patterned window grilles called pandzhara, a motif that became increasingly familiar during our sightseeing here.

So the Russian army arrived in 1865 and made Tashkent the capital of its Turkestan Province, incorporating vast areas of Central Asia. Amir Timur Square was built to form the center of a new Tashkent and once contained statues of the first Russian governor of Tashkent, followed later by statues of Lenin, Stalin, and Karl Marx but it’s now Amir Timur and his horse who occupy the centre of the capital.

It also has a couple of the city’s iconic buildings – the Uzbekistan Hotel, generally looking a little tired but with a great facade …

… and the more modern Forums Palace, built in autumn 2009 to hold important state and international events.

There is also the Tashkent Chime a symbol of the city since its construction in 1947, mirrored by a second chime since 2009.

Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Tashkent emerged as capital of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and began to industrialize in the 1930s with scientific and engineering facilities being established in the postwar years.

The largest park in the capital was built on the site of an old quarry by Komosol Youth in the 1930s and is named after Alisher Navoi, the great Turkic poet and thinker.

It also contains The Istiqlol Palace, an events hall, once called the People’s Friendship Palace …

… complete with decorative facade …

… and also a boating lake with Oliy Majlis, the Uzbek Parliament building behind.

Other parts of the park look a bit run down and less loved …

… but there were more fountains …

… and the Navruz Wedding Palace which is usually crowded with brides, grooms, camera men, drones, Hummer limos … in fact all the essentials of an Uzbek wedding, but quiet on Independence Day.

Independence Day brought various local celebrations in public places and fireworks later.

In 1966 Tashkent was hit by a massive earthquake which levelled much of the city which was rebuilt as a model Soviet city with wide streets planted with shade trees, parks, immense plazas for parades, fountains, monuments, acres of apartment blocks and served by the Tashkent metro system. At the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Tashkent was the fourth-largest city in the USSR and a center of learning in the fields of science and engineering. Following independence in 1991, President Islam Karimov remained in power for 25 years until his death in 2016 when he was replaced by his long serving prime minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

So here’s a selection of other buildings, first the Central Exhibition Hall of the Academy of Arts …

… and also a mixture of apartment blocks, office buildings, boulevards and plazas.

You can see how we got a bit overwhelmed!

Anyway, it’s been lovely and sunny, 25-30° with a breeze and low humidity … although there was a brief shower one day. We’ve been staying at Trip.le guesthouse, in a quiet residential area, but close to the metro and restaurants. It is set round a courtyard with private rooms, dorms, a kitchen with buffet breakfast and friendly staff.

We’ve tried three restaurants – Jumani, Caravan for Uzbek food and Gruzinskiy Dvorak with a Georgian menu – and eaten well in all of them. We’ve begun our meals with various mezze and salads then Chris has dined on tofu, vegetable stew, cheese filled pastries and vegetable kebab. I’ve had a traditional Georgian dish of lamb stew with tomatoes and aubergines, spicy chicken with mushrooms and walnuts and also Beshbarmak, a national dish of nomadic Turkic peoples in Central Asia, with sheets of pasta, stewed horsemeat and a broth with sliced onions which was surprisingly delicious.

So that was Tashkent … we will be returning for a couple of days at the end of our trip, but meanwhile, it’s time to board the early morning plane and take a trip back in time to Khiva …

Map

Chris & Elaine’s Uzbekistan Silk Road 2019

elainehayesblog

The allure of the Silk Road for many is to take the path of adventurers and travellers like Marco Polo who followed its network between the Mediterranean and China and visited places mentioned in the lives of Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan and Tamerlane.

For us, the architectural heritage with stunning Islamic tiling and intricately decorated mosques, madrasas and mausoleums is the biggest attraction, so we’ve focused our visit on Uzbekistan, home to Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, all great cities on the Silk Road and all filled with architectural treasures.

Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, with mountains and steppes but comprised mainly of arid desert. A former Soviet republic, it retained a highly authoritarian regime after independence in 1991, but a change of president in 2016 has now made travel here more accessible. We will be arriving in the capital Tashkent and look forward to seeing the more recent remnants of Soviet rule before catching a flight back in time to Khiva, our most remote destination.

The train will then take us 1100km along the Silk Road back to Tashkent. We’ll be staying in guest houses, hoping there will be vegetarian alternatives to the national dish of rice and mutton called plov and with 10,000 Som to the £, feeling like millionaires. Chris is eager to play with his new Oly 12-100 Pro lens and back-button focus, whatever that is! There’s no rush, so we have plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere, take photos, browse in bazaars, drink tea and enjoy the sunshine …

Itinerary

Finding our Feet in Tashkent

Khiva … Within the Walls

Fifty Fortresses of Elliq Kala

Khiva … Beyond the Walls

Bukhara … Silk Road City of the Shaybanids

Samarkand … Timur’s Capital

Over the Mountains to Shakhrisabz

Tashkent Finale

Map