Today we visited two workshops that represent highlights of Uzbek art, weaving and pottery, and will close out my time here.
Those are silkworm cocoons and they can pull a single almost invisible string from each cocoon and make thread with any number of strings depending on how thick they want the thread to be.
This is for real.
I was the only tourist here at the time so I got everyone’s attention. They are about to tie dye some silk scarves. They asked me what color I liked and I said red, for fun. The red turned out orange which was actually perfectly fine because I like orange too.
They made these three from start to finish in about 15 minutes. It was quite impressive.
More coal. You might remember I talked about the air quality and all the burning of coal. It’s also true that the Fergana Valley is surrounded by mountains and has atmospheric conditions much like in LA.
The next stop was a wonderful pottery studio and I know it’s an important place but I forget all the details because so much time has passed.
I had a fabulous two days with the guide, Mrs Madina. I will remember you!
Then I had a day off in the hotel to get read to face my journey home and here it is 10 days later finally finishing this journal.
Remember how Fergana Valley is a thumb of Uzbekistan that pokes into several countries and is bordered by Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The tour guides all said the main populations in Central Asia are of Turkish and Persian origin and can often understand each other’s language.
I’m writing this more than a week after getting home and I don’t remember ANY of these names. None. I’m going to hope I can get the guide to help me! So I’ll say a few words and hope for identifying information will be forthcoming.
The man who knows everything, according to the guide.
They made me do it! “Sit here sit here!” They all took this shot.
This is a different place…
The only minaret I saw in the middle of a courtyard, and there’s a reason. But what was that reason?
We saw many craftsmen this day and tomorrow too. Here is a carver making the omnipresent pillars.
And here is a master weaver.
We enjoyed a visit through his shop and he offered us tea and tasty treats.
It was lovely. The tea and treats are on the right. On the left is some halvah tastes from another shop where we got to watch the master maker produce (and then taste!) several flavors.
On the way back to the car, through the parking lot, we found her making what the guide called a Russian specialty. Oh let’s have some, say I! The guide was a little iffy never having tried them before but she reported a delightful experience and that she would bring her other tourists here whenever she was in the area. Oh joy, after 3 weeks, this was the first hot sauce on offer!
True, more snacks. This was the snack-i-est day of the trip! This is the driver and the guide.
Yup, another place I don’t remember.
I got a treatment from a local lady to ward off the evil eye. She put me in a mini-daze that was delightful.
We visited the museum/home of the fellow in the frame referred to by the guide as ‘attractive to all women’.
One of the caretakers at the house, as I was admiring the grapes, she climbed up to harvest us a plateful. They were wonderful.
Another fascinating place!
This stop was to visit an old hotel that had been converted into studio spaces for artists. It was very cool, and oh goodie, more tea and treats!
My guide for the day, Dilshod, below, personally refurbished this madrassa and turned it into an educational museum that hosts school tours almost every day. He gathered photos, documents, and artifacts of all sorts. Honestly, he was cheerful and seemed to be enjoying himself telling stories about this place.
The museum focused on the life and mission of Ibrat Muzeyi.
I learned something today. I thought all the Russian I was seeing was actually Russian from the Soviet days. It is from the Soviet days but not necessarily Russian. From 1940 to 1993 Uzbekistan used the Cyrillic alphabet for the Uzbeck language and in 1993 began transitioning to the Latin alphabet. Before 1940 they were using the Arabic script.
These designs were made with paint.
How the building looks from the outside.
The property includes a large park and a language school.
Next stop was the ancient and destroyed city of Axsikent.
“Before its destruction, Axsikent was a major, fortified city with a citadel, residential and handicraft areas, and a deep moat surrounding it. It featured important buildings like mosques, a palace, and a caravanserai, and was known for its skilled artisans, particularly in crucible steel, glassmaking, and ceramics. The city was strategically located at the confluence of the Kasansai and Syr Darya rivers and was a thriving trade center along the Silk Road.”
The government has embarked on a major project to turn this important and historic excavation site into a tourist attraction.
There are signs up now and so many steps and boardwalks to see what’s happening.
Entering this building you can’t help but think about the Terracotta Warriors in Xion and that’s a very successful tourist attraction as well an important and historic excavation site.
Another excavation on the same site.
Development plans.
Looking across to the river Syr Darya.
And across the street there was a nice fried fish spot…
…much like the fried fish place where we ate in a yurt. Here you eat under the trees. Notice the platforms and tables and cushions. It’s how they do.
As long as I can still do this, I can travel wherever I want to go.
Back in Namangan, Dilshod wanted to show me where he grew up, in one of the Soviet blocks that are still completely occupied.
Then we took a little stroll through the amusement park that was there in Dilshod’s youth. So little was electrified and the kids were enjoying themselves entirely.
We swung by a market to admire these breads and buy one to eat right now, which was very good, fresh so a little crunch on the outside and soft on the inside. It a few hours you can play hockey.
There was a madrassa on the street with the market, and interesting because of the designs in the bricks.
We dropped off the guide and headed out for our many hours drive to Kokand and the hotel “Silk Road Kokand”.
The picture above is a coal train moving through the valley. Most of the pictures that follow have some aspect of coal in them and I’m pretty sure that all this coal contributes to the terrible air quality that reminds me of LA back in the 50s when we were burning trash out in our back yards and our cars were belching smoke. Maybe bad air is something we have to look forward to again.
This took most of the day – a drive to the train station, a long-ish train ride, and another hour from the train to my hotel. Also it was the first time I had a window seat on the train. I had three train rides and what are the odds, all the seats were facing backwards and when I did get a window it was blocked by a pillar. But for this ride I was able to change seats to a single, on a full window, facing forward. So here comes a slew of pictures out the train window traveling through to Fergana Valley.
But first let’s look at a map of the Fergana Valley. Notice how it’s a thumb of Uzbekistan that pokes into three other countries. The other map shows the topography and also the cities I’ve visited.
You can tell where the river runs by the trees.
Driving from the train station to Namangan, I could make this picture more clear but really this is the way everything looked, blurred by the air. I’m not going to mention about the air any more because what would be the point.
Everyone loves the mountains surrounding the Fergana Valley, you can see them in the topographical map at the beginning, and I failed to understand fully that I wouldn’t be going to the mountains, which was obvious of course, if I’d just looked at my itinerary on a topographical map!
All batter-fried chicken in any type of restaurant is call KFC. And xot-dog too are omnipresent.
I put this here to remind me of all the apartment construction. This is one small example of buildings I could see everywhere I traveled. What are all these new people going to do I wonder. Some new housing complexes are 4-5 time bigger than this. I never did get it straight.
I spent one night in Imran Palace in Namangan and there was no where to walk from there. I was getting picked up early for a tour that would end in Kokand so I didn’t bother about going out. I got some dinner delivered (the front desk guy forgot to order the tomato salad so he made some up from their breakfast ingredients which was very sweet).
I took a morning stroll down to the area they call Broadway Alley. It’s several blocks of walk-streets with restaurants, clubs, snacks, and entertainments. One website said “The real name of the alley is “Sayilgoh”, which means “venue of events” in Uzbek” but google thinks it means park, and it certainly is surrounded by parks.
A crossroad of the walk streets.
These folks fed this machine 10,000 som bills one after the other after the other trying to get that yellow rabbit. Groans and belly laughs ensued, just like everywhere else in the world.
This was very large and I could not look away.
There’s a little indication of the nickname Broadway. ‘Everyone’ said this street might have fallen a little on hard times since other areas were drawing the upscale crowds. I was there on the early side, well before lunch and a lot of the places weren’t open yet.
Some of the surrounding park.
The fountain there is in the middle of the Tashkent City Park which sits between my hotel, the Lotte City Hotel, and the highlight Alisher Navoi Theatre & Opera (Uzbek=Alisher Navoiy nomidagi davlat akademik katta teatri, “Alisher Navoi State Academic Grand Theatre). The two buildings are facing each other and make for an interesting view.
Dinara, the woman who organized this trip picked me up at the hotel and we went to a Georgian place for lunch. We enjoyed it all and it was special to be able to be together in person after exchanging so much WhatsApp over the last few months.
Georgian style dumplings – similar flavor but different shape from those in Uzbekistan.
The name of the restaurant is Manana, according to Dinara, named after this guy below. Google thinks manana means mother in Uzbek.
Parking is definitely an issue in Tashkent and places hire attendants to make all this double parking possible. Dinara has her phone number permanently displayed on her dashboard so anyone can call her if they are blocked.
After lunch Dinara dropped me off at the Amir Timur Museum.
The first thing you see upon coming up the inside stairs.
These portraits surround the whole mezzanine.
I liked this picture, it reminded me of the movie they were making back in Bukhara.
This isn’t my fountain but there are many around just like it.
Above are guys in the plov shop. I’ll tell that story first because, you know, plov, it is the essential food group of Uzbekistan.
This place, Besh Qozon, is very much a tourist attraction but also I think Tashkent people come here too because it is h.u.g.e. and there just aren’t that many tourists. Below is what the guide, Nargiza, called Wedding Plov, enough for a wedding.
They make five different kinds of plov with slightly different ingredients. Here you can see three of the probably twenty stations in this building. The ovens in the back are where they are making bread. It’s the same idea as the others where you make a super-hot surface and then whack the dough against the side, only these ovens face out instead of facing up.
Their five types of plov.
We went up to the top of one of the nearby hotels for this view. The trees here are truly fabulous.
Far away from the car, driving fast, and out the car window, this building is a big deal so I’m putting it here to remember.
This is the Minor Mosque, made almost entirely of white marble, opening in 2014. Minor, btw, means lighthouse and the name is meant to symbolize light and hope for the believers.
That’s the guide there in the foreground. I loved how her coat would bloom out when she walked but it was hot today and she soon abandoned the coat and the hat.
At this mosque instead of just having a scarf to borrow they had the coats below and I have a video of me walking to the steps and back with my coat blooming out too. I tried to find the shortest one because even that one was long.
Where the men pray. The guide said the reason the women’s section is so small is because when men pray at the mosque they get 24 rewards in heaven and when they pray at home they get 1. For women it is the reverse, they get 1 reward for praying at the mosque and 24 when they pray at home. AI thinks this is an oversimplification but basically right.
Returning the coat, there was a tour group trying to get fitted out.
Nargiza’s favorite somsa place. We got there just in time to order before the line went down the sidewalk.
They make somsas in the ovens facing up.
I didn’t catch the driver’s name.. and Guide Nargiza. It can be very nice to have a car, a driver, and a guide. I can walk through the market with the guide and then, there is the driver at the other side, waiting. All the visiting is like that, no doubling back for extra steps!
Remember how at the beginning all the cars were white Chevys, either the four-door sedan or the micro-bus, but here in the capital city and somewhat in the bigger city of Samarkand, there are more choices. I’ve ridden in two of these BYD cars, also built in Uzbekistan like the Chevys, they are Chinese all electric, super comfy, all the features, and affordable. And BYD? On some of the cars it is spelled out – Build Your Dreams.
Here’s a pano of the plaza of the Hazrati Imam complex. Oh my it’s a long story. I’m going to mention here about the 1966 earthquake that decimated Taskhent. Wikipedia says 80% of the city was destroyed but there are large discrepancies in the statistics.
“Estimates of those made homeless by the disaster ranged from 200,000 to 300,000 while the official death toll was 15 people. This figure may be an underestimate due to Soviet secrecy and other sources estimated death tolls ranging from 200 people to 0.5% of the city’s population of 1,100,000.”
Interestingly this complex withstood the quake as did the opera house built in part by Japanese prisoners of war in 1945-47.
The Soviet government initiated a massive reconstruction effort, including resources from all over the USSR to help rebuild the city. The reconstruction was done with remarkable speed, with much of the city rebuilt in just 3 1/2 years. It’s hard to picture what the city must have looked like in those 3 1/2 years. “The rebuilding effort accelerated the modernization of Tashkent. The new city was built with modern, standardized designs, and the reconstruction process nearly doubled the size of the city. The new designs often blended regional construction traditions with modern socialist architecture.” I was 19 in 1966 and remember nothing of this event or subsequently learning about it.
But according to the guide, these buildings, most from the 16th and 17th centuries, were not damaged.
“The Hazrati Imam complex (also known as Hastimom or Hastim) is an architectural monument dating from the 16th to 20th centuries. The complex consists of the Moʻyi Muborak madrasa, the Qaffol Shoshi mausoleum, the Baroqxon madrasa, the Hazrati Imam mosque, the Tillashayx mosque, and the Imam al-Bukhari Islamic Institute. The ensemble was built near the grave of Hazrati Imam, the first imam-khatib of Tashkent, a scholar, one of the first Islamic preachers in Tashkent, a poet and an artist.”
Notice the awning on the very far right. That door leads to the place where an historic Koran resides.
Notice the No Photos signs. I was sitting on a back bench and took a photo of the woman taking a photo because it was irresistible.
The Koran here is known as the Uthman Quran and also the Samarkand Kufic Quran (where I first heard of it). This 353-page parchment manuscript, believed to date back to the 7th century, believed to have been written between 644 and 648 AD.
This building is the Muyi Muborak Madrasah, a 16th-century madrasah. The Koran was originally kept in Medina and moved through cities like Damascus and Baghdad before being brought to Samarkand in the 14th century. After being moved to St. Petersburg and then Ufa, it was eventually brought to Tashkent. In 2000, UNESCO certified the manuscript as the only original copy of the Quran that has survived to the present day.
There are cases full of historic books. I liked this border.
The guide called this dress a woman’s passport. From its materials and decorations you can know everything about her, her age, her marital status, her station, number of children, the occupation of her family and her husband’s family, and probably more that I’ve forgotten.
Next we went to visit the Chorsu Bazaar. It’s pretty stunning plus it goes on for blocks around.
This is one of the food galleries with local favorites being made at the minute.
The colors!
One of the metro stations. Like St Petersburg, Tashkent is well know for its fabulously decorated and individualized metro stations. I was going to take myself on a hop-on-hop-off tour but didn’t get around to it. Why can’t we do everything?!
Thank you Nargiza, it was great! I’ve mentioned how incredibly dry the air is which is not doing my hair any favors…
Above, a sweet treat from the train station, one of the tastiest bites on the trip so far.
The hotel here in Samarkand, the Shohjahon Palace Hotel & Spa, was luxurious but not in the best location in that it was at least 20 minutes walk to the Registan Square, probably 30 minutes for me, and it was the closest of the sites around Samarkand, and I was in need of a break anyway, and the Shohjahon Palace Hotel & Spa seemed just the place to have that break.
They had a comfortable patio for taking the breeze…
…and yummy on the spa.
Every single person in every single hotel has been helpful and kind as has every person in every restaurant, tour, standing around the sites, everyone. It’s been remarkable. It’s like my suitcase has an alarm on it or something (and my expression is no doubt discouraged) because whenever I’m approaching stairs someone is there to reach out for the carry.
Percentage-wise the most tourists seem to be from Russia. For one thing, everyone in tourism speaks Russian and for another, according to a couple guides, those who would be relaxing in Ukraine have had to find somewhere else to go.
So I had leisurely breakfasts, did up pictures, watched some tv, enjoyed the spa and another massage, and napped off and on, which was a joy.
Here’s a picture of that sour milk soup I mentioned before.
I took the train from Samarkand to Tashkent on the 15th arriving after dark to the Lette City Hotel, an even more high-end group/expense account hotel than in Samarkand. The morning coffee at the Lette has been perfect and they even have cold fresh milk for cereal.
You can’t catch a decent shot from the aisle seat.
When to visit Uzbekistan. It’s been hotter than predicted!
Above, Registan Square, the heartbeat of Samarkand, three madrassas built at different times, rebuilt at different times, all quite magnificent. “Registan Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, has evolved over centuries from a central marketplace and public forum into a magnificent architectural ensemble. The square is framed by three grand madrasahs: the Ulugbek, Sher-Dor, and Tilla-Kori.”
Bek was an excellent guide and a delight but he didn’t want his picture taken and so that’s that, no picture. We were out for a long day and hit all the highlights. Here’s the preliminary itinerary:
Mausoleum Guri Emir – Tamerlane’s Tomb (XIV-XV), Registan Square – Madrassah Ulug Bek (XV), Madrassah Shir-Dor (XVII), Madrassah Tillya-Kori (XVII), Bibi Khanum Mosque (XIV-XV). Architectural Complex Shakh-i-Zinda (dated XI-XV century) and Ulug Bek Observatory (XV), the Mausoleum of prophet Daniel. Paper factory. Samarkand Touristic Center
Being surrounded by all these breathtaking buildings for days and days now, and being surrounded by a huge and ancient history I knew nothing about, I realize it’s going to take more focus than I have now to put it all together. I looked up some timelines, found it all incomprehensible, asked AI, and posted it in the entry before this one.
But what’s what? This is the first time I’ve seen these ribbed domes. Aren’t they marvelous. And is this the mausoleum or a madrasah? I’m going to tell the stories I remember and identify the ones I can find online.
This is in the Registan Square, part of the first picture. Notice the faces near the top.
This is all symbolic, the leopard (not a tiger, not a lion) being a legendary figure in the mythology of Samarkand. I said to Bek I thought faces were not allowed, to which he replied, that is true, and because of this the religious leaders would not allow this building to be used as a mosque. The faces are there because they guy who paid for this building wanted them.
The sun image is also important and appears in many mosaics.
The door behind those hanging scarves leads to a ‘secret staircase’ which leads to a tea shop with handcrafts for sale. When offered a secret staircase I had to say Yes Please! See those steps? I’m thinking there were at least 50 of them.
More.
The reason the doorways are low is because everyone should bow, a gesture of humility and respect, before entering.
What was once a caravanserai.
The ceilings of the golden mosque.
More suns.
I’m a sucker for the brides.
One quarter of the market, there are three more just like it.
I had myself a little fresh-pressed pomegranate juice. As in so many places where pomegranates grow, the symbolism is everywhere.
The great astronomer Ulugh Bek, grandson of Timur and the founder of the Ulugh Beg Observatory in 1420, destroyed in 1449, and rediscovered in 1908, it was a true wonder of its time.
This is an example from one place and I think all the sites have gone through destruction and rebuilding over the millennia.
Ah, this is how they don’t smudge.
Maybe the tallest.
A section left unrestored.
Notice in the domes the open pocket-like sections on either side. What they do is create an echo so that someone speaking beneath the dome can be heard for a greater distance.
Lunch, can you guess, plov, of course. It’s #4 of 4 but I’d still eat it again.
This is my hotel, called the Shohjahon Palace Hotel and Spa. And for me, a palace it is! My room is bigger than all my other rooms combined. My room is bigger than my House. The bathroom was perfect for doing laundry, the desk is in a big living room with a couch even. It’s lovely to have this treat in the middle of the trip.
So many of these buildings and stories and rulers, destruction and rebuilding, and more, all feel similar as I move through the Silk Road cities and this is only from my own ignorance. Now I’ve been working on Samarkand, choosing pictures and trying to wrap my mind around it all since I’ve been seeing so many things out of chronological order. I can’t keep track!
What to do? Wellll, I asked AI! If you hate AI (oh penny penny please don’t do AI, please, don’t do it!), if you hate AI just go on to the breathtaking Samarkand that comes next. Do Not rag on me about AI. But I don’t think you’ll be sorry if you read it. And if you find a mistake all the better, I can fix it!
The prompt: “Write a short timeline of the history of Uzbekistan from the beginning until now. Focus on the rulers of the time and their architectural accomplishments. Also include important events in the history of the Silk Road.”
Uzbekistan’s history is a rich tapestry of powerful empires, intellectual golden ages, and strategic trade along the Silk Road. The region has been influenced by a succession of rulers, from Persian kings and Hellenistic conquerors to Turkic khans and Mongol warriors.
Ancient kingdoms and the Silk Road
6th century BCE: Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers the region, incorporating ancient states like Sogdiana, Bactria, and Khorezm into the Achaemenid Empire. Cities like Samarkand and Khiva emerge as important urban centers.
4th century BCE: Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire, bringing the region under Hellenistic influence. Trade routes begin to develop, forming the earliest branches of what would become the Silk Road.
1st century BCE: The Silk Road becomes an important overland trade route connecting China with the Middle East and Rome. Caravans carry valuable goods, including silk, porcelain, paper, spices, wool, and precious gems, passing through Uzbek cities like Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva.
Arab conquest and the Islamic Golden Age
8th century CE: The Arabs conquer Transoxiana (the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers), introducing Islam to Central Asia.
9th–10th centuries CE: The Persian Samanid dynasty rises to power. Under their rule, Bukhara becomes a major center of Islamic culture.
Architecture: The Samanid Mausoleum in Bukhara (c. 900) is a brilliant example of early Islamic architecture.
10th century CE: Turkic tribes form the Karakhanid Khanate.
Architecture: The Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara is erected in the 11th century, surviving Genghis Khan’s later invasion.
Mongol invasion and the Timurid Renaissance
13th century CE: Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire conquer and devastate the region, destroying many cities, including the ancient city of Ahsiket. The area later becomes part of the Chagatai Khanate.
14th century CE: The Turco-Mongol conqueror Amir Timur (Tamerlane) establishes a vast empire with its capital in Samarkand. He revives and fortifies the Silk Road routes through his domain.
Architecture: Timur transforms Samarkand into a magnificent capital with grand architectural projects, including palaces, mosques, and mausoleums. Notable structures from this period include the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis and the Gur-i Amir mausoleum.
15th century CE: Timur’s grandson, Ulugh Beg, rules Samarkand. A renowned astronomer and mathematician, he turns the city into a center of science and learning.
Architecture: Ulugh Beg’s contributions include the Ulugh Beg Madrasah in Samarkand and his astronomical observatory.
The Uzbek Khanates and decline of the Silk Road
16th century CE: The Shaybanids, a nomadic Uzbek dynasty, conquer the Timurid territories and establish the Khanate of Bukhara.
Architecture: The Shaybanids, particularly Abdullah Khan II, continue architectural patronage. New madrasahs are built, including the Sher-Dor and Tilya-Kori madrasahs in Samarkand.
18th century CE: In-fighting leads to the decline of the khanates of Khiva, Kokand, and Bukhara. This fragmentation, combined with the rise of new European sea-based trade routes, causes the Silk Road to lose its prominence.
Russian conquest and the Soviet era
19th century CE: The Russian Empire expands into Central Asia. Russian forces annex the Kokand Khanate and make the Bukhara Emirate and Khiva Khanate protectorates. The Trans-Caspian Railway, completed in 1888, bypasses ancient Silk Road routes.
Early 20th century: The Bolshevik Revolution leads to Soviet rule. In 1924, the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic is formed. Islamic schools and institutions are suppressed, and the economy is reorganized around cotton production.
1966: A devastating earthquake destroys much of Tashkent, which is later rebuilt in the Soviet style.
Independence and the modern era
1991: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan declares independence and Islam Karimov becomes the country’s first president.
21st century: Uzbekistan focuses on national development and opening up to the world. The country, particularly its ancient Silk Road cities, becomes a destination for cultural heritage tourism, and efforts are made to revive its historical importance.
I settled myself at the restaurant with the internet for most of the 10th and traveled for most of the 11th. The transfers all went smoothly and the train ride was totally good.
To remember what I’ve been eating, every morning is a hotel breakfast and except for the first one in Nukus which was delightful, they’ve all been perfectly ok. The baked goods and the meats are not to my taste but the fruit is wonderful, there’s always tomatoes and cucumbers, sliced cheese, some kind of egg dish, usually a cooked vegetable, it perfectly ok.
For that second meal:
Oct 3 Nukus arrival at the Turkish place
Oct 4 Nukus best breakfast, fish platter, tomato salad, bread on the way to Khiva, arrival in Khiva beet salad
Oct 5 Khiva feast w/Tolqin kabobs, dumplings, Khiva quesadillas
Oct 6 Khiva quiet plov and tomato salad
Oct 7 Bukhara Uyghur lagman
Oct 8 Bukhara plov, tomato salad, fatty lamb w/Aziz
Oct 9 Bukhara pizza and tomato salad
Oct 10 Bukhara internet place dinner chalop=sour milk soup, fruit salad, good fried potatoes
Oct 11 Samarkand afternoon at the internet place then the train
Oct 12 Samarkand oily plov and tomato salad w/Bek (not Denis)
Oct 13 Samarkand chicken place (“kfc”), odd milk and cookies (that’s today, the 13th so I’m behind with pictures only one big day)
Oct 14 Samarkand delicious delivery borscht, Greek salad, chicken kabob
Oct 15 Tashkent chicken burger
Oct 16 Tashkent chicken burger
Oct 17 Tashkent Georgian food w/Dinara
Oct 18 Namangan strong plov and homemade tomato salad
It’s psst psst psst here kitty kitty meowww meowww all over town.
From the Biennial website: “Bukhara Biennial is a transformative and evolving platform for contemporary art and culture launching in September 2025 in the city of Bukhara, a UNESCO Creative City of Craft & Folk Art.” If you’re interested you can read about it and if not-so-much, no problem. I had no idea it was going to be here!
The theme is Recipes for Broken Hearts departing from a local legend where “the father of modern medicine Ibn Sina invented the recipe of the staple Uzbek dish, plov, to cure a prince’s sickness caused by an impossible love for the daughter of a craftsman.”
There were plenty of people around, I guess I just waited for a clear shot. Those silver floaties are part of an art project.
Pots, bowls, and cups on the outside, plates and platters on the inside.
An imagined prayer space made from palm scrap.
The Bukhara Museum of Fine Art joined the theme.
I thought it was interesting how they built these display boxes, to avoid hammering into the old walls.
There are shops and displays in each of those alcoves.
Below are drapes celebrating the historic canal that bisects the old city fed by the Zeravshan River and largely responsible for Bukhara’s prosperity. The Zeravshan River used to be a major tributary of the Amu Darya.
In a related note, remember back at the beginning of my trip when I went to the isolated and desolate Nukus area. Most people go there to visit the Aral Sea, once the 3rd or 4th largest inland lake, now shrunk to almost nothing and virtually dead. I chose not to go there because you must travel many hours on rutted, rocky, unpaved roads. Here’s what google’s AI has to say: “The Amu Darya River used to flow into the Aral Sea, but now little to none of its water reaches the sea due to massive diversion for irrigation projects, particularly those for cotton cultivation during the Soviet era. This diversion has led to the severe shrinking of the Aral Sea. The river’s historical path was also altered, but the primary cause of its current “dead” state near the Aral Sea is water diversion for agriculture.”
All the items on this menu are “Brutal”.
And this is the Simurgh on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi madrasah, part of Lab-i Hauz complex.
Surrounding the historic center are these side streets of hotels, all pretty small, maybe originally homes.
I have been eating a modest breakfast at the hotels and one more meal around 3-4. By this day I was longing to feel full, so I got this pizza and I ate it. Not that it was good, but I was happy.
This is what’s left of the Jewish Quarter in Bukhara. There are only a couple hundred Jewish people left from what was once 20,000-30,000 and they don’t have a rabbi but a layman can do services. There is a small museum and a residence available for a tour that takes about 20 minutes, which I did do.
A room from a house once used as both a synagogue and a mosque.
The cellar that led to the museum.
The man doing the tour was a Muslim and anxious to present an Uzbekistan that was always welcoming and tolerant of all people and all religions.
This guy is the legendary folk hero Khoja Nasreddin Efendi (1208–1285). You can click the link and also read more on wikipedia of course. He “is a character commonly found in the folklores of the Muslim world, and a hero of humorous short stories and satirical anecdotes.” We are reading his stories in my zoom group!
The internet in my hotel has been so bad, it shows up for two minutes and then disconnects for ten. What an agonizing drag. So I went to this restaurant below where the connection was better, slow but still, there, so I was grateful.
Yesterday’s guide picked me up around 10:30 and we raced through this itinerary. Fortunately I had the next day free so I could go back. This is looking like a theme here, go-go-go through the historic center and then go back to quietly get the feel. This is what the guide was going to show me of the Historic Old City. You can guess how much of it I’ll remember!
Holy Bukhara, homeland of Ibn Sino (Avicenna), loved city of all saints and worldwide known philosopher – cheery Khodja Nasriddin, lively, noisy and luxurious capital of Emirs, rich man of all nationals and patrons. Full day city tour in Bukhara: visit to Citadel Ark (IV c.) – city in a city, Bolo-Khauz Mosque (beginning of XX c.), Ismael Samani Mausoleum (the tomb of representatives of Samanids’ dynasty at the end of IX –beginning of X cc.), Poyi Kalon Ensemble (Pedestal of the Great) – religious heart of sacred Bukhara that consists of Minaret Kalon (XII c.), Kalyan Mosque (XII c.) and Miri Arab Madrasah (XVI c.), Ulugbek Madrasah (1417), Abdulaziz Khan Madrasah, Magoki-Attori Mosque (XII-XVI cc.), Kosh-Madrasah Ensemble that consists of Madari-Abdullakhan Madrasah, Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble (XIV-XVII cc.), Nodir Divanbeghi Madrasah, (Abdullakhan’s mother) and Abdullakhan Madrasah.
From my hotel it’s a 2 minute walk to the edge of the historic center. From unesco.org:
“The historic center of Bukhara, which is situated on the Silk Route, is more than 2,000 years old. It is the most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia, with an urban fabric that has remained largely intact. Monuments of particular interest include the famous tomb of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of 10th-century Muslim architecture, and a large number of 17th-century madrasas.”
The rug seller here kept pointing, look, look, and then I found it. Everyone likes to find some nature in the city. The hanging up in the ceiling is part of the Biennial contemporary art event which I will talk about at length tomorrow.
The Magoki-Attori Mosque is one of the oldest surviving architectural monuments in Bukhara. The guide told an entertaining story about how the local people buried the mosque in sand to save it from Genghis Khan’s destructive rampage, but I couldn’t find any confirming story online.
In the foreground are the remains of an original caravanserai, the place where the silk road caravans would rest, eat, and share news before moving on. Behind the remains is a later version that remained active through the years of caravans passing through Bukahara.
A Hammam, oh goodie, but…
…but women’s hours are 8-9pm, that’s it, and not for me.
Outside the walls of the giant, ancient fortress called the Ark of Bukhara.
The Ark of Bukhara, initially built and occupied around the 5th century AD. I was running out of gas looking up at those steps and declined the opportunity to visit the fortress wall.
We decided to head out for lunch and on the way we passed these guys. I slowed way down to admire what they were eating and they instantly passed me a spoon! YUM!
This was our version of the same dish, plov, which I like to eat with the tomato and cucumber salad. This one was ok but the surprise one above, from someone else’s plate was better. I’ve had plov in every city now and will continue to try it I’m sure. It’s the national dish of Uzbekistan and every guide’s wife makes the best, and if he doesn’t have a wife it’s his mother who makes the best.
We took this cart back to the main complex and I collapsed in my room for the rest of the night.
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About the Ark Fortress. Don’t Look If You Hate AI!
The Ark of Bukhara’s timeline spans over 1,500 years, from its ancient origins as a city-within-a-city to its destruction by the Red Army in 1920. The citadel served as the residence for Bukharan rulers and was repeatedly rebuilt after invasions and conquests.
Early history
4th–3rd century BCE: Archeological evidence suggests that the earliest foundations for a fortress were laid on the same site during this period.
5th–6th century CE: The Ark was formally established as a citadel and is mentioned in historical sources as the residence of the Bukharan ruler, the Bukhar Khudat Bidun.
713 CE: The Arabs conquer Bukhara and convert a Zoroastrian temple within the Ark into the city’s first mosque.
10th century CE: During the Samanid period, the area outside the Ark’s western gate is developed into Registan Square, the grandest public space in the Islamic world at the time.
1220 CE: The Mongol army under Genghis Khan captures Bukhara. The inhabitants who take refuge in the Ark are killed, and the citadel is looted and destroyed.
Dynastic seat of power
16th century CE: The Ark begins to take its present form under the Shaybanid Uzbek dynasty. Over the next three centuries, new buildings are constructed within its walls.
1742 CE: Nadir Shah of Persia constructs an impressive new entranceway on the western side of the Ark.
1753 CE: The Manghit dynasty establishes its rule. The Ark continues as the center of power and becomes the seat of the Emirate of Bukhara.
19th century CE: The Ark gains a notorious reputation for its dungeon, the Zindan, where political prisoners and foreign visitors are held in horrific conditions.
1860s CE: As part of “The Great Game” between the Russian and British Empires, two British officers are imprisoned and executed in front of the Ark.
Destruction and modern era
1920 CE: The Ark is bombed by the Red Army under the command of Mikhail Frunze during the Russian Civil War, leaving a large part of the citadel in ruins.
1920s CE: The Ark ceases to be a functional fortress and becomes a museum and archive for the new Soviet government.
1993 CE: The Historic Centre of Bukhara, including the Ark, is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
2000s CE onwards: Restoration efforts continue on the Ark. Today, it stands as a symbol of Bukhara’s history and houses several museums.
The above picture will get repeated later in the day representing an unexpected delight.
The driver from Nukus and Khiva picked me up early in the morning and we drove one hour to the Urgench airport, back where I started this phase of the journey, for a one hour flight to Bukhara. By car or by train it would take seven hours through the empty desert so the flight was a nice option.
I talked before about the omnipresent white Chevy sedans in Nukus and Khiva. In Urgench and the surrounding area we find another model, a white Chevy micro-van.
The driver was anxious that I take a picture of this monument. I’m waiting now for google to tell me who he is. I cannot-should not-won’t tell you how frustrating the internet has been in Bukhara. I’m three days behind with pictures and taking all of today, my fourth day in Bukhara off, having deep breaths and waiting for the internet to respond.
And here we have the airport. I showed an arrival picture on the first day. We’ve taken steps on every flight so far, and I’ve checked my bag on these small planes. I haven’t felt unsafe for minute.
Guide Aziz Bakaev picked me up at the airport in very nice car that was not a white Chevy sedan. It was luxurious even, with super-comfy seats, excellent ventilation, and aces on the suspension. We took a tour of three important sites outside town after which he dropped me off at my hotel
The three sites were Bakhauddin Nakshband complex, Summer Palace, and Chor Bakr. Oh so many names and the guide spoke them all in one flat second and I never did get the knack of remembering one from another.
I’m starting to get a feel for the historic buildings though. We have mosques, minarets, madrasas, palaces and their attendant needs – harems, guest houses, etc., administration, mausoleums, and caravanserai.
Sufis stayed in buildings called khanakas, which looked to me like the madrasas, to live, study, and pray. Bukhara is a major hub for Sufism and is home to several sacred sites associated with Sufi saints. I’m sure I’ve seen at least some of them. I don’t know how many Sufis live in Bukhara but mostly it is a pilgrimage route to see the “Seven Sacred Sufis of Bukhara”. Let’s see if it comes up when I try to figure out what’s what in these pictures.
First stop, Bakhauddin Nakshband Memorial Complex
We had some excitement because the wife of the president of Uzbekistan was here with a large entourage. I couldn’t catch a picture but they were all women except for the guards and guides, and they were all dressed exquisitely.
Below you can see the white flag and horsehair hanging above a tomb. This symbol represents that a saint is buried here. The complex has been a place of pilgrimage for many generations for Bahouddin Muhammad ibn Burhoniddin Muhammad al-Bukhori, who lived from 1318 to 1389. He is the seventh of the Seven Saints of Bukhara and founder of the Naqshbandiya Sufi order.
This covers a well. Wells are important and often sacred.
I don’t remember what this is…
I got the camera turned around trying to take a picture of the ceiling. This is where the ladies pray so I tried to keep quiet but the ladies in there, about 6 of them, were calling me over and they all wanted a picture with me, I must have been as exotic to them as they were to me. Anyway, we smiled and laughed and it was fun.
And here we have some early sufis.
Next stop the Summer Palace aka Sitorai Mokhi-Khosa (uzbek: Sitorai Mohi xossa) also known as the “Palace Like the Stars and the Moon,” is a country residence of the Emir of Bukhara built in the late 19th to early 20th century, the last Emir used it for about six years. Currently, it houses a museum of decorative and applied arts.
There were a lot of decorative and applied arts for sure, silver work, this kind of embroidery, tons of gifts from dignitaries to the Emir, elegant clothing, etc.
Now comes the big excitement of the day – Chor-Bakr, a memorial complex built over the burial place of Abu-Bakr-Said who died in the year 360 of the Muslim Calendar (970–971 AD), and who was one of the four of Abu-Bakrs (Chor-Bakr) – descendants of Muhammad. The complex includes the necropolis of family tombs, and courtyards enclosed with walls.
BUT they were making a Movie! It’s about the last Emir of Bukhara so I have to watch out for it. It was pretty obvious something was going on since below is the entrance to the complex.
Another well.
Here comes the cast!
And here’s the set.
I was so taken with the people and their costumes that this is the only picture I took of the site.
Now I’m going to try to remember what I’ve eaten these last four days!
Yesterday was such a go-go day I needed to take it easy in the morning and thought I’d head out around lunch time, which I did, but I didn’t last long. I was wandering through a more residential area to a quiet restaurant recommended by the lovely young woman at the front desk of my hotel. Above and below is an example of the courtyards found in most buildings especially those used as guest houses.
Sorry this all looks so plain compared to yesterday, I think along with my legs, my eyes were tired too!
And following are two buildings currently converted into guest houses.
This building is also a guest house. What the sign says: “Traditional Residence, Architectural Monument, XIX Century, Taken Into State Protection”
Here’s where I ate another yummy-good tomato salad and plov, the national pilaf-type dish of rice, vegetables, and some bits of meat on top.
I went out to one of the gates where you can buy a ticket to walk on the wall but by the time I got there I was already too hot and too tired for more walking in the full-on sun, and although I tried to imagine coming back when it was cooler… I knew deep-down that was wishful thinking.
This is I think a very good summary of the sites and short history of Khiva. The pictures are great and the text is concise and to the point. Actually, you can click around in this site for all kinds of interesting reading.
This day I was out of the heart of the inner city and we can see how radically the decorations have dropped off.
Heading back to my neighborhood.
Another view of the restaurant attached to my hotel, the Kheyvak. Notice the curtained platforms where people can eat in the traditional way.
And here’s the courtyard just out my door. I’ve got an early day tomorrow, off to the airport at 7:15 giving me 15 minutes to have a coffee and some food.
Ah, I forgot about these, a very old door and a sewer cover for Ingalill who collects them.
I spent most of the day with the guide, Tolqin, and for the whole morning I thought well, I have a free day tomorrow so I’ll go back to all these fabulous places and take pictures at my leisure. After lunch I realized this was not a good plan because there was just too much and it turns out I was too tired to go back anyway, but I hope these give the idea, just imagine it all multiplied by three, and I included a couple pictures from the internet too.
A two hundred year old wooden gate. Fortunately/unfortunately when I started to compose a little summary of Khiva’s more than 2,500 year history, google’s AI did it better: “Khiva has been destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times throughout its history, a fate common to most ancient Central Asian cities that served as important Silk Road trade posts and were subjected to numerous conquests. While it’s impossible to give a precise count, the city’s resilience is evident in its surviving architecture, with the current walls dating to the 17th century and the well-preserved Ichan-Kala (the inner city from late Medieval times) being a UNESCO World Heritage site.”
This is an internet aerial photo where you can see a bit of the wall, one of the four gates leading into the city, and prominently featured is the unfinished minaret, called Kaltaminor, begun in 1852 and meant to be the tallest minaret in the world, construction stopped in 1855 when Muhammad Amin Khan, the force behind the plan, died in battle in Iran.
We had a glorious lunch on the second floor balcony of a nice restaurant but one that was not big enough to hold the tour group hordes populating other more well-known places. We had a lamb and a beef kabob, both excellent, a sampler plate of dumplings, and four kinds of Khiva Quesadilla, everything delicious.
Good idea, after lunch I decided I’d better start taking some pictures.
Women making bread in much the same style as I’ve seen in so many places. You roll or pat out some dough and then you whack it against the side of a red-hot oven. Here they heated the oven by burning dried cotton stems, and that was different.
A silk carpet workshop open for visitors. There were other workshops too especially wood carvers but I didn’t stop in. Also there are shopping stalls along all the walking streets in the center of the center of town, all what you’d expect, all just for you and at a very special price, just for you. I should add there are no children following you and no one asks to sell you something more than once. It was very calm actually.
So many brides as is often the case in picturesque places and also in holy places, and Khiva is both. The brides and grooms take two sets of pictures I learned, always one set in traditional wear and another set in western style white gowns.
One of the inner courtyards. I haven’t spoken yet about the extremes of weather in this part of the world, Nukus included, with soaring heat in the summer months and deep freezing cold in the winter. You can see how they spend all the time outside when the weather permits and when it’s too cold people of means will retreat to a heated yurt.
This type of glazed tile decorated palaces, mosques, the madrasas, homes probably, I lost tract of where I was, there was so much of it.
An inside room in one of the palaces I think. There is an old palace and a new palace, both quite grand.
Most of the vendors were on the street so she must be special?
The king’s reception room. I don’t remember which royal family built it.
This is about 1/4 of the Friday Mosque below, an internet picture. It’s being refurbished now so I decided to use this picture because it’s cool looking and one of the oldest original structures, first documented in the 10th century, rebuilt in 1788.
I’ll talk more about Khiva tomorrow!
I talked about the brides before, and here’s a lovely one on the steps of my hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel was good! This is the mostly savory table, there were sweets too, and they made eggs to order.
“The State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I.V. Savitsky”
The building straight ahead is the main space, currently closed for renovations as it has been for the last few years. The building to the right is open but what is available to see is greatly reduced. From an article in The Guardian written in 2019: “The lost Louvre of Uzbekistan: the museum that hid art banned by Stalin. This museum in a bleak outpost has one of the world’s greatest collections of avant-garde art, rescued from Stalin’s clutches by an electrician. But now it needs a rescue of its own.”
I came an entire day out of my way from the next closest place I wanted to visit to see this museum and the remarkable collection of Russian avant garde art, but it was not to be. The main building is under renovation and the second building has only a couple pieces of the rescued art. I think the agent that booked this side trip might not have been fully aware of the degree of the shutdown.
I think there were only two rescued pieces on view, this being the main one, “The famous Bull painted by Vladimir Lysenko, who was also imprisoned, had to be taken down the day the KGB arrived. Savitsky renamed it Fascism Advances and put it back up the next day. It was only during perestroika that any of this could be spoken about.”
(My version of this picture is so full of glare, I’m using one from the article, and I might need a copy for my wall – Fascism Advances.)
There were other pictures and artifacts on display and here are some examples.
We, myself, Driver Davron Saidov, and Guide Tolqin Rajjaboyev (feel free to reach out to him! +99895051692) began our journey through the desert passing by Chilpik Kala, Toprak Kala, Ayaz kala, and Kizil Kala.
First we find Chilpik Kala, a Zoroastrian Tower of Silence where the dead were left to be exposed to the elements. Once only bones remained they were put in an ossuary. “This Zoroastrian ritual was practiced to prevent the contamination of the sacred elements of earth, water, and fire by decomposing bodies.”
Notice the line of green trees marking a river’s flow. To the right, desert forever, to the left, irrigation.
You need cement to make concrete and I don’t remember if this is for cement or concrete but in any case it’s an important facility.
Next we find the three fortresses each with its own very long history that I won’t repeat here.
“Kyzyl-Kala Fortress, one of the oldest monuments in Uzbekistan’s Karakalpakstan Region, confirms the existence of a once-powerful and developed civilization in the Kyzylkum Desert. The outpost, whose name aptly means “Red Fortress”, remains steeped in legends which awaken near-visible images of the life which once transpired on this desolate site.”
Toprak Kala, I think the most important of the fortresses but I forget the details and anyway I got so distracted by…
…I got so distracted by these adorable painters that I wasn’t paying attention!
My guys: Tolqin and Davron and our white Chevy, where 90% of the cars on the road look exactly like this one, white because of the climate, Chevrolet because they make them in this style in Uzbekistan, and imported cars are priced out of reach. Tolqin and Davron, they were both lovely, kind, knowledgeable, and willing, lucky me.
We had lunch in a yurt situated beside a river, and we ate a heaping platter of fried fish from that very river as well as local bread and very delicious tomato salad. (I’ve had that tomato salad a couple more times, always delicious. Turns out they grown acres of hot-house tomatoes here so they ripen on the vine.)
There are three fortresses on this site all from different eras. It’s all like a movie, can’t you just picture it.
See those people walking into the fortress? I didn’t do that either.
Across the road, here’s the family friendly encampment of yurts available for rent.
With the fortress in view, you can ride a camel if you want.
Here’s our last gate (I didn’t show all the gates…) as we leave Karakalpakstan, nearing Khiva, our destination for tonight. My hotel in Khiva is called Kheyvak, perfectly situated inside the ancient walls, surrounded by the old city.
The formalities of getting out of LAX went very well – I have nothing to complain about Turkish Airline except they don’t have Economy Plus, BUT I had an empty seat for the longest leg and was able to sleep easily, off and on, throughout the 13 hours. I just made the connection in Istanbul, arriving at the gate as they were boarding. After arrival in Urgench I went with a driver directly to Nukus which took another 3 hours.
The driver spoke only a few words of English but we communicated fine with google translate. The system can provide a written translation of Uzbek but doesn’t know how to speak it yet, so we used Russian. It seemed the driver could speak both fluently.
We drove for more than 2 hours through fields and fields of cotton. There were also rice fields, some corn, orchards I never identified, what might have been hay, grape vines, and I probably missed some of the crops. It felt quite prosperous, and then we hit the planes of nothing reminding me a little of what the I5 looked like before they started irrigation.
This is the Welcome to the Independent Republic of Karakalpakstan gate, an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan established in 1991, a year after Uzbekistan established independence from the USSR, although if you want to buzz through wikipedia you’ll see there is, of course, a long and interesting history of this area.
We made a toilet stop at a market-cafe-gas station place with the nicest toilets, it was great, and they had a huge bird cage which was fun to look at.
After settling into the Jipek Joli Art hotel (the room is lovely, the bathroom is great, the bedding is especially comfortable) I decided to walk the few blocks to check out the State Museum of History and Culture of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. It was small but interesting and particularly fun because there was a young woman, a few months from graduating university, who was practicing English by showing me around. She was a delight, and on a side note, I was nuts for the kids (yes I asked before I took this picture).
They had an example of the traditional house below, and a large selection of clothes. There was also a lot of paintings, jewelry, stuffed animals, ceramics, models of ancient forts and artifacts found there, and more.
Looking up at the roof of the traditional home.
After the museum I went for some food at Sofram, the place recommended by the hotel. It was comfortable, friendly, but also it was a Turkish restaurant with a special room frequented by tour groups-my least favorite, and I didn’t get to sample what was unique to this place.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I slept for a couple hours, did this, and now I hope to sleep until morning!
I’m off in a couple hours for the grueling .. but I’ll get over it .. 20 hour flight to Urgench in Uzbekistan (LA-Istanbul-Urgench) and then 3 hour drive to Nukus. Here is the first post where I told about Uzbekistan. Then a friend in Japan asked me “but why Uzbekistan?” and I replied as follows:
I have never been anywhere in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan).
I have a friend who worked for the State Department and was posted in Uzbekistan for 2 years. She says it is a good country to visit – the government, although authoritarian, is stable, the people are very friendly to travelers, and the excellent train system makes it easy to get around. It is also where the great cities of the Silk Road are located.
Here is what AI has to say:
“The major Silk Road cities in Uzbekistan include Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, renowned for their rich history, stunning architecture, and vibrant culture that highlight the region’s past as a central hub for trade and scholarship between Europe and Asia.”
I’ll be there for three weeks and able to visit all these cities, other cities, and the countryside. I am going on my own but my friend in the State Department knows the travel agent in Uzbekistan who makes all the travel arrangements for the US Embassy and she will be helping me.
It’s going to be a while before I can write again, but stay tuned!
