Monday October 6th

The return journey to Tashkent passed without incident, fortunately. A potentially long wait because of crowds was averted when I adopted the French attitude of if-a-barrier-is-in-the-way-; move-it! This ensured a speedy passage through the various formalities and we arrived in Tashkent just in time for lunch. We had a delicious Italian meal (which we only discovered later was meant for someone else) and the counting of notes began. (More on this later)

After lunch we went to the old city to visit the mosque and madrasahs

with some beautiful wood carving.

The highlight, however, was a copy of the Koran, made mostly out of fine leather but also out of mulberry leaves - chosen to last as mice don't eat it. It was the most beautiful object with letters about 2" high and it is the second oldest copy of the Koran in the world. We also had an informative talk on the origins of Islam and the difference between Sunnis and Shies.

Following this we went to the Chorus Bazaar, the oldest and largest in all Central Asia -a bustling, colourful place where all manner of goods were on sale.

 

 

 

 

In the evening we donned ourselves in as much finery as travel would allow and the minibus took us to the opera. (Tosca) It was disappointingly poorly attended, the sets were falling apart and the music buffs amongst us found it very amusing, but we all enjoyed our last night in Uzbekistan and finished off with a meal in the hotel.

 

 

                   Sunday October 5th


Today we travelled in our mafia like minibus out of Shymkent . The roads were horrendous and the minibus very uncomfortable but nothing stops an Aston tour! Crossing the Russian steppe

 

 

 

we saw cotton,

 

 

camels,

 

and cemeteries

before arriving at the ruins of Otyrar Tobe, a town dating from  the first to the seventh century but completely wrecked by Genghis Khan (as so many of the places we have visited were) Some, but my no means all has been excavated by UNESCO forces and there are some fascinating remains to be seen.

We picked up some small bits of pottery, all the while wondering why there was no activity at this amazing site.

 

The next stop was at the mausoleum of Ariston Bap,

 

 

 

a place of pilgrimage on the way to Turkistan, then, after lunch, we continued on to the mausoleum of Khodja Ahmet Hawaii , Kazakhstan greatest monument and a place of pilgrimage.

 

 

 

It is on a massive scale and was built by Amir Timor who died in this are on his way to battle. To visit this site three times is accepted as the same as going to the Haj in Mecca.

 

In the underground mosque nearby a pilgrim lived out the last days of his life as he had reached the same age as Mohammed and did not wish to see the sun and sky any longer than the prophet had. His friends brought him food and drink and it is thought that he lived there for 12- 15 years.

 

We had enough energy for a sing song on the way back (taught the guide On Ilkey Moor baht at!)

and just about enough to last through dinner before bed.

                                   Saturday October 4th

Travelling day today. First we enjoyed the first leisurely breakfast of the trip as the mini bus didn't come to pick us up until 11 am. Some people went swimming others lazed around, very pleasant and a good start to a long day. We caught the train from Samarkand back to Tashkent, coming through a small mountain range and terrain rather like Afghanistan, Arriving in Tashkent we were driven to the border with Kazakhstan but the driver wasn't allowed to bring the minibus through so we had to cross on foot and catch another bus on the other side. Leaving Uzbekistan was surprisingly easy, once we had found our entry permits (which we had been given when we arrived) then we had to walk the 100 metres or so to the Kazakhstan border. There was a large crowd of Uzbeks and Kazakhs  in the customs hall and the forms were in Russian, but a very friendly official helped us fill them in and then fast tracked us through to the other side. A tricky moment when Wendy and I were recalled but it was only because he had forgotten the second stamp in our passports. The driver met us with no problems and then we set off for the two hour journey to Shymkent. Kazakhstan is supposed to be the most prosperous of the stans, but in the fading light it didn't look like it and the very bumpy and pot holed road didn't help our first impressions. However the hotel was much more up to date than the Uzbek ones, more on this at the end. Down in the bar some of the group have got stuck into the vodka, others of us have left them to it - it's an 8.30 start to the sightseeing trip tomorrow....

                         Friday October 3rd


Ulugbek's observatory was one of the largest and best equipped observatories of the Middle Ages and was erected in 1428-9 , but after Ulugbek's death the observatory was destroyed and consigned to oblivion until archaeologists discovered it in 1908. The observatory had a giant sextant to measure the coordinates of the sun, moon and other planets, and this was found well preserved.

 

 

 

From the observatory we went to the Shaw I Zindah complex, a collection of mausoleums, built in different times and grouped along a narrow mediaeval street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 It is truly impossible to describe the workmanship on some of these buildings, but hope this will give some idea!

 

Leaving the complex we then went to the Bib Khanym Mosque which is the largest mosque in central Asia and one of the largest in the entire Muslim world. One of the things I liked best was this "book rest" taking books so big that the text could be read from the top of the minaret! Book rests were a standard part of a student's belongings as books were not placed directly on the table.

 

 

 

Refreshments were taken under the persimmon tree , (canaries and nightingale in cages)

 

 

 

and we ambled down ,through the bazaar

 

 

along one of the main shopping streets to lunch, this time under plane trees.

 

After lunch we visited the Guru Emir Mausoleum where Timor , his sons and grandsons are buried. Timur, whose statue we saw in Tashkent, was born in Samarkand and, as a young man, he received a serious leg wound which made him lame, hence the name Timur the lame, or Tamerlane. He created a huge army and led many military campaigns extending his empire from the Volga river and the Caucasians to India . He was buried here at the foot of his spiritual leader, Mir Said Baraka.

Despite all the amazing things we have seen so far I don't think any of us was prepared for the majesty of Registrant square. Even more stunning than in photographs this official centre of Samarkand is truly splendid.

 

 

 

 

The three madrasahs around the square, and forming part of the ensemble are all remarkable examples of  local architecture and design, but the Tilya Kari Madrasahs with its gilded ceiling is simply breathtaking.

 

 

A delegation of representatives of a world tourism conference was staying in our hotel so tonight we were treated to a cultural show outdoors.. So accustomed am I now to learning about different beliefs and customs that I had begun seriously  to wonder why some people were wearing their napkins on their heads, when I realised it had begun to rain!

 

And so our time in Samarkand comes to an end and tomorrow we take the train back to Tashkent and on to Kazakhstan, crossing the border on foot.... watch this space!

 

 

 

                           Thursday October 2nd

A much quieter day today as we left Bukhara by train for Samarkand. The journey passed pleasantly enough watching the scenery; desert, industrial areas and large cotton fields where the last picking was being undertaken, and chatting to our fellow passengers, nearly all travellers like ourselves. It's always fun to compare stories and to meet people from all over the world and hear their views.

We had problems getting to our hotel due to road closures whilst the president was visiting, so stopped off at a very grand hotel for lunch, after which we embarked on our tour. The first place we visited was a museum of the history of the people of Samarkand and it was the first time on this trip that I felt perhaps we were the objects of propaganda. Some of the exhibits did not seem genuine and I was convinced they were reconstructed articles. I might be completely wrong of course!

The next place we visited was Daniel's tomb, supposedly the final resting place of Daniel (as in the lions' den). In fact his body is probably in Iran , but local legend has it that it is here and that the body has continued to grow so that the tomb is now 18 metres long!

 

 

 

In 1966Aleksiy II visited the mausoleum and sanctified it. Legend says that after this a pistachio tree which had died blossomed again. It didn't have too many leaves on it when we were there!

 

 

 

As you can imagine there were some very sceptical comments from some of our party, but everyone washed at the fountain which is supposed to wash away all negativity from one's life. We shall see!

 

 

 

Our final visit of the day was to a paper making factory. Samarkand is one of the first places in the world to make paper and the workshop we saw was making beautiful paper goods from the bark of the mulberry tree. We were shown the whole process from stripping the bark to the final product, then offered tea and sweetmeats in the traditional manner.

 

 

Returning to the hotel we all made ue of the pool and saunas before dinner and an early night for most!

 



                               Wednesday October 1st

 

We began our day with a delicious breakfast at our boutique hotel. Home made yoghurt, fresh fruit and pancakes filled with plums set us up for a full day of sightseeing.

 

 

 

The first stop was the Samanids mausoleum which is one of the most ancient buildings in Central Asia made from burnt bricks. They are laid in intricate geometrical pattern to form a cube shaped building. The cube represents steadiness, symbol of the earth, the dome has semblance to the sky and their combination is the unity of the universe.

 

 

 

 

Leaving the mausoleum we came across a couple carrying this traditional cot. The two pipes in the dish are to attach to the baby (one for a girl, one for a boy) whilst they are sleeping and the pee goes down the tubes into the pot. The baby is tied in place!

 





The Bolo Hauz Complex is the only monument in Bukhara which consists of the reservoir, Friday mosque and a minaret.

 

The mosque has been recently and beautifully restored in the traditional blue (for water and therefore life) and green (the colour of Islam).

 

 

The Ark Citadel stands in the Registrant Square, and in the middle ages was an entire city with the Emir's palace, mint, mosques, government institutes, storehouses, shops, prison and a square for meetings.

 

 

 

The prison, infamous as the bug pit where Conolly and Stoddard were imprisoned, stands just outside tadel.

 

 

The Mir Arab Madrasahs is the site of an Islamic seminary, and is well known for its symmetrical design.

 

 

 

We then visited a carpet workshop where young women and girls were weaving the intricate silk carpets for which  Bukhara is famous. We were told that the very close work meant that the eyesight suffered after about ten years.

 

As the day wore on we began to call it the day of the 4Ms, mosques, mausoleums , minarets and madrasahs, so many beautiful buildings to see!

Finally dinner was taken as was lunch, on a roof top restaurant before returning to my room.

 

                           Tuesday September 30th

 

 

Today we flew to Bukhara , strangely all internal flights seem much better than the international flight. Such is the pace of Aston's tours we hit the ground running, straight into the mini bus for the first tour to important sites outside the city.
 

This was the Chor Bakr mausoleum, the burial place for four brothers thought to be direct descendants of Mohammed.

 

 

 

Since becoming a place of pilgrimage other emirs have also had their tombs there .  It is a large complex with mosques and madrasahs, all, like other monuments we have seen, beautifully kept.                             

 

 

 

 

We then made our way to the summer palace of Bukhara's last emir about 4 kms south of the city.

 



The name of the palace means "stars meet the moon" and it took twenty years to complete, beginning at the end of the 19th century. Inside the decoration is widely influenced by European taste and treasures brought back from Europe. In the gardens peacocks abound but I still have not ever seen a peacock open its feathers...

The last stop was to the most sacred place in Bukhara, the Bakhouddin Nakshbandi complex. This is dedicated to  Nakshabandi who was the founder of the Sufi Muslim order and had been constructed throughout five centuries and reconstructed in the 80s. It is a place of pilgrimage and has a very calm and tranquil  atmosphere.

 

 

In the evening we went to a lovely lake side restaurant where Norman modelled a kebab Uzbek style!

They certainly like their meat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

I am unsure how this will appear on the blog, but these are the ceilings in the tomb, just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer I'm afraid! After lunch (kebabs of course) we went to the art and craft centre where we were shown examples of silk weaving, embroidery, and wood and plaster carving. One of the girls told us that it takes about 20 days to embroider a piece the size of a cushion .

 

 

The majority of the columns in the Djuma Mosque were cut from trees in the 18th and 19th century and others were collected from destroyed mediaeval buildings. In a huge hall of 55x46metres 212 wooden columns support the roof and three light wells. They are all intricately carved and the light and shadows combine to create a magical atmosphere. (and I won a prize for spotting the one with the Indian design!)

 

 

 

Kurinishkhona was built in 1686-88, destroyed by Iranian armies in the mid 18th century and re erected in 1804-06 by the Lltuzarkhan. There are various courtyards, a treasury and, of course, the harem.

 

 

It is impossible to do justice to such an amazing place; although much of the city is restored there is a real sense of mystery and adventure here, and it is easy to go back in time to the heyday of the silk road.

 

Our extensive, eight hour  walking tour ended there was just a little time for some souvenir shopping then a cultural show and dinner. I chose the local dish, plov, a sort of fried rice with meat,  which I found delicious (not everyone did!). Then it was back to the hotel and an early start for Burkhart on Tuesday.