Monday 29th September

 

Opposite our hotel were the walls of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Khiva, formerly one of the great cities of the Great Silk Road of central Asia.

From the top of the Islam Khodja minaret (57metres and 67 very steep steps!)

 

we were able to get an overview of the city.

 

All the buildings are made out of sandstone which weathers easily and thus has to be restored at regular intervals.The Pakhlavan Mahmud Mausoleum was constructed in the traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries and was built in honour of the famous Khivan poet of the same name, who was also famous for his Herculean strength.

 

 

 

The uncompleted Kalta Minor minaret was supposed to be the highest in Central Asia but construction stopped at 29 metres. There are several stories as to why it was never finished, one of them being that the Emir of Bukhara asked the master builder to build one for him as soon as he had finished the Khiva one. However the Khivan khan ordered that the builder be executed as soon as he had finished so he couldn't construct any more but the builder heard about this plan and ran away leaving the minaret unfinished., It is a unique minaret completely covered with glazed tiles in the traditional design.

 

 

 

The blue tiling is found everywhere in Khiva, perhaps nowhere so spectacularly as in the Old Fortress with its reception halls, winter and summer mosques as well as all manner of subsidiary buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Sheikh Seyid Allauddin mausoleum we came across this Family who, having just received a blessing, were on their way to the circumcision ceremony (and party!) for the small boy in the centre.

 

 

The ceilings and decoration inside were absolutely beautiful.

 

 



 

Not far from the hotel is a large square named after the man whose statue is in the centre, Amir Temur, a fourteenth century politician and military figure who made an outstanding contribution to the national state system, education and culture. The statue has been changed, previous statues were of  Stalin and Karl Marx. On the left is a large, concrete seventies style hot, and on the right the Forums Palace which can seat 6000 and is used for conventions and other meetings.

On the side of the square are the famous Tashkent chimes, built in 1947, and a focal point in the city. Although the architecture is very plain, Soviet utilitarian, there is an great feeling of space due to the wide roads, often seven or eight lanes wide (and tricky to cross!)

 

and an abundance of parks and gardens

 

Walking back to the hotel past Westminster University, I spotted this wonderful "Book Café" the perfect place to enjoy a coffee. Even though the books were all in Russian it had a lovely atmosphere
and I could imagine spending many enjoyable hours there.

 

My birthday ended with dinner at a local restaurant, a really happy birthday!

 

 

 

 Sunday 28th September

 

I have never seen so many different cakes and pastries on a breakfast table! Sadly I was still too full from last night to eat more than fruit but it looked amazing! Some of us then visited the Museum of Art, which, as well as pictures, contained some wonderful examples of carved wooden doors,

 

silk hangings

and other fabrics.

After this we were met by our guide who took us to the monument to the earthquake of 1966 which destroyed most of the city (and explains why so much of it is modern).

 

 

 Our guide was very informative and obviously very proud of his country and pleased to show us some of the highlights of the city. We went to a huge park, which he called a square, right in the centre of Tashkent but very tranquil and calm; indeed we had all remarked on the lack of crowds throughout our time in the city.

 

 

                                                                                                      

 

The attentive group (minus the photographer!)

 

The next stop was the Opera House                                                                     

 

 

                      

 

Followed by a late lunch at an authentic Uzbek restaurant serving local food (delicious) then just enough time to visit the museum of applied art before going to the airport for the flight to Urgench.
At the museum we had a fascinating talk about the methods and customs of silk weaving,including the fact that prospective husbands could read the character of their future wives from the designs and working of the  pieces. Reaching Urgench there were a few moments of hilarity as the luggage was dumped on the tarmac by a truck and a huge bun fight ensued as 200+ people tried to reclaim their bags. Safely at the hotel, bags intact, we are looking forward to exploring the World Heritage site of Khiva tomorrow.                                                                                                                                   

Tashkent

After a splendid time in the Skyteam lounge, meeting my fellow travellers over a glass of bubbly and delicious food, we came down to earth with a bump on boarding Uzbekistan Airways flight 202. It had the same sort of shabby, grubby look of trains on the Northern line - seats sagging and creaking, well worn carpets and dog eared magazines. After avoiding the cinema for a couple of weeks in case the film was shown on the flight, I was dismayed to see no screens. They did however have hanging screens above every three or four rows, but the one and only film showing was Arnold Shwarzeneger in Robot Man, so the lack of an individual screen became less important! It was the air stewardesses, though, who provoked most comment from the passengers. In the whole seven hour flight not one of them had a facial expression even approaching a smile. Everyone began to remark on how rude and bossy they were; very poor ambassadors for their country. When we left the plane they were conspicuous by their absence. It was really quite funny.  Only a mild amount of chaos at immigration before arriving at the Miran hotel and possibly the largest hotel room I have ever stayed in.  A couple hours of sleep and I am ready to explore.....

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan September/October 2014

Friday September 26th