Transoxania (Uzbekistan)

[Seefutlung]

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

[Antonio Correia]

Originally Posted by Seefutlung

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

Gary,

This is not a strange destination as holidays...
We have thought about going there too...
And we consider, I consider, we are mentally sane.

Once we have been in Bulgaria and we only ate lamb shops all the time because there was nothing else.
And we were lucky, because they had little to eat.

But this was in the communism time...

[Seefutlung]

Originally Posted by Antonio Correia

Gary,

This is not a strange destination as holidays...
We have thought about going there too...
And we consider, I consider, we are mentally sane.

Once we have been in Bulgaria and we only ate lamb shops all the time because there was nothing else.
And we were lucky, because they had little to eat.

But this was in the communism time...

But you Portuguese know of all the hot spots for vacation.

My friend told me of an American that visited a friend of hers in Tashkent ... he just sat in his hotel room all depressed keeping back tears. I see visiting the 'Stans as more of an adventure than a vacation ... like checking out the Amazon or the Congo.

In the US ... the 'Stans are definately off the average tourist map.

Gary

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by Seefutlung

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

Basically we checked out the map of Continental Airlines and its partners, to see how far away we could get with our rewards tickets. Continental has paired up with Aeroflot, so the whole former Soviet Union was available.

It was not that hard to get there- the visas beign the biggest pain and expense of the whole trip. We did two weeks for about $1400 for two people; this includes transportation and the christmas shopping that we did. It would be better to spend a month, though. There is a lot to see.

As will be obvious in the later sections of the travelogue that I will post, the people couldn't be nicer. Although the street scenes may be better in Turkey or North Africa, at least for shooting, the experience of a trip was probably the best that I have ever had. I think because, as far as tourism goes, its mostly virgin territory- they haven't had the opportunity to get fed up with us yet.

[schmoo]

I'm pretty speechless right now, but let's see what I can up with before I hit "submit."

Thank you so much for the travelog. I have never known anything about this part of the world and best of all it's nice to see that there are still people like you who go off the beaten path. Way off.

One day I want to do something similar... the price definitely can't be beat, and certainly the amount of culture that you experience first-hand is truly priceless.

So other than English, you only speak a bit of Russian. Who did all the talking? Or did I miss something? Language is one of the top reasons why I hesitate to go to many destinations.

[Antonio Correia]

Young Lady.
You speak one of the most common languages in the Planet Earth.

You are not to be afraid because you only speak English, if that is.

Apart from the language there is a language everybody understands: gesture.

We - my wife and I - we speak Portuguese (native), French, English and we make ourselves understand in Spanish.

In on our last trip to Morocco (French speaking) we were with other Portuguese who rely on us for speaking.

They too are afraid to travel alone cause they don't know the language.

But you are young and I'm sure you could manage somewhere on Earth with your native language.

You don't realize but it's an advantage !

Just dare !

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by schmooo

So other than English, you only speak a bit of Russian. Who did all the talking? Or did I miss something? Language is one of the top reasons why I hesitate to go to many destinations.

Well, like I said, I used to speak Czech 10 years ago or so, and after a few days it started to come back to me. Czech and Russian are similar enough on the basics that you can muddle through. Words like "where" (Kde, Gde), "Who" (Kdo, Gdo), "how much does this cost?" (Kolik Stoji, Skolko Stojit) are close enough that, even when I used a Czech word, it was enough for them to understand. Usually. It's not that hard. Even in places like Burma, where I spoke nothing, sign language can usually see you through until you reach an English speaker. How much does the train ticket to Rangoon cost? Make a Train noise, say "Rangoon" and then rub your fingertips together in the universal sign for "money." The train station guy rights a number down, and then you pay.

You just had a linguistic transaction without speaking a common language!


BTW, is that Tamara Lempicka on your Avatar? That's great!

[Antonio Correia]

Originally Posted by Justiceiro

Well, like I said, I used to speak Czech 10 years ago or so, and after a few days it started to come back to me. Czech and Russian are similar enough on the basics that you can muddle through. Words like "where" (Kde, Gde), "Who" (Kdo, Gdo), "how much does this cost?" (Kolik Stoji, Skolko Stojit) are close enough that, even when I used a Czech word, it was enough for them to understand. Usually. It's not that hard. Even in places like Burma, where I spoke nothing, sign language can usually see you through until you reach an English speaker. How much does the train ticket to Rangoon cost? Make a Train noise, say "Rangoon" and then rub your fingertips together in the universal sign for "money." The train station guy rights a number down, and then you pay.

You just had a linguistic transaction without speaking a common language!

Well said. That's the point.

[schmoo]

True! Thanks both of you for the vote of confidence! I have learned to really appreciate the fact that English is my native tongue - I would never want to have to learn it as an adult. As of right now I speak passable French and mediocre German, but even traveling in those two countries proved a little difficult and we occasionally had some unpleasant run-ins with people who scorned us... but Europe aside it seems quite challenging to be in a country of a different linguistic root.

That said... I'm really looking forward to each installment of your travelogue!

[germaine_sba]

This is sooooo interesting. Thank you for taking the time to write and post all of this. More, please.

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by germaine_sba

This is sooooo interesting. Thank you for taking the time to write and post all of this. More, please.

Sorry, I've been down with a serious flu most of the week. I'm back on my feet, but still rather tired. There's quite a lot more info to post.

Bukhara, Continued

Bukhara is a good deal less well preserved than Khiva, but its also a great deal more lively. Whereas one gets the impression that Khiva is a city under glass (think "Colonial Williamsburg, for US residents) Bukhara is a living, breathing city. It's also quite large, being the third in the country after Tashkent and Samarqand, with about 250,000 inhabitants.

Bukharan Jews

the first Jews arrived in Central Asia in the 7th century BC, during the period of the Babylonian captivity. Though Jews were once quite numerous in Central Asia, they were cut off from Ashkenazi (European) and Sephardi (Ibero-Mediteranean) Jewry for over 2,000 years, and developed their own religious practices and liturgical language. The language, Bukhori, was a tajik-persian dialect that was written with Hebrew characters much the way it was done with Yiddish in Central Europe.

Most Jews in Uzbekistan have taken advantage of the opportunity to emmigrate to a much more prosperous Israel following the end of the Union in 1991, but about 80 families still live in Bukhara. The girl who cooks at the Nodirbek hotel offered to lead us to the Synagogue through Bukhara's windy streets- which was lucky, as we never would have found it ourselves.

We walked south of the Nodirbek, and ultimately to a small, half deserted fruit Bazaar.



If you make it to this Bazaar, go through the small door in the rear right corner. then hang a left, the Synagogue should be close by.



Bukharan Door Latch

After a few doors, you should come across the Synagogue, which has a sign in Uzbek, Hebrew, Bukhori, English and, of course, Russian.





Synagogue Interior

The caretaker is a 65 year old (or thereabouts) rabbi. Doesn't look much like the traditional picture of a Rabbi (no beard), but he has outstanding eyebrows. Anyone famous who comes to Bukhara apparently stops here, as there are pictures of Madeline Albright and Hilary Clinton on the walls (that girl gets around!)


Forlorn Donkey near the Synagogue

Gaukushan Complex

From the Synagogue, one can wind back to the Lyub-i-Hauz square, and then head west along the main road that forms the south side of the square. You will pass the covered structure that once housed the Money Changers Bazaar- now a spot to buy curios and carpets.


Rugs at the Money Changers Bazaar

The famous "Bukhara Rugs" are actually Turkmen designs. As Bukhara is close to the border with Turkmenistan, there are a lot of the former "man stealing turcoman" types about (they were notorious slavers).


Money Changers Bazaar, viewed from the West



As you reach the end of the square beyond the Money Changers Bazaar, you will pass a statue of the controversial Faizullah Kodjaev, who was born in Bukhara. First head of the Bukhara soviet from 1923, He fought during the Russian revolution in Central Asia and narrowly escaped assasination by the basmachi leader Enver Pasha (the same one from turkey). He eventually clashed with Stalin (a particularly unhealthy idea) over economic policies that he thought were bad for the people of Turkestan. His struggles against Moscow lead centralization and his political slogans, such as "You cannot eat cotton" led to his execution in 1938 as a trotskyite wrecker and a rightist. He was officially rehabilitated in 1966, but remains an ambiguous figure for Uzbek historiography. Some see him as a traitor who sold out Bukhara to the Soviets, others as an idealist who fought for a modern and independent Turkestan.

Finally one passes the art museum, and reaches the Gaukeshan Maddrassah complex.


Gaukeshan complex

For an interesting view of this Square, take a look at a cool pano set up shot by someone else.


Gaukeshan Minaret detail

This complex is kind of cool. Not on the level of a lot of other stuff in Bukhara, but it does have one very interesting place- on the south side of the square is an old caravanserai that hosts, in addition to the usual knick knack sellers, it is also host to the Bukhara Center for the Development of Creative photography.

The center, with very meager resources, maintains a gallery, does workshops, and hosts exhibitions of local and visiting photograpgers. As I was perusing their stuff (I eventually bought three photographs for $20) I met the head of the center, Shavkat Boltaev. An Iranian who speaks only Russian , Uzbek, and Tajik, he was quite an interesting fellow. We were soon joined by Zilola Saidova, a charming woman who spoke perfect unaccented mid-American English, which she learned as an exchange student in Indiana.


Zilola Saidova

She shot one of the three photos that I bought prints of.


the Author chills with other photogs


Here are some examples of the work of the three photographers I talked to.




photos by shavkat Boltaev


photo by Muiddin Juraev


photo bu Zilola Saidova

Zilola invited me back the next day for an exhibition opening.

When we arrived for the exhibition, we discovered a great deal of dancing and tea flowing everywhere. At one point a woman from Uzbek Television and her Camera crew acosted me and fired of rapid questions in Russian. Zilola intepreted for me. Basically I talked about how great my trip was, and how much I loved their work (both statements true).






After the exhibiton was over and everyone had gone home, we hung around with them in their staff room, with a couple of students, for about 4 hours, drinking Tea and shooting the breeze. They fed us, of course. I think Uzbek people are constitutionally unable to have someone in their place of work or home without attempting to stuff them with food.

They have the most extensive library of photobooks in Uzbekistan (about 35 of them) which folks can come and read. They attempt to do ecuational outreach, but don't have a lot of cameras, so that's limited. Digital technology was almost totally unknown to them- there is no DSL in all of Uzbekistan (dial-up only) and the instruments were basically out of their reach financially- they survive on what the gallery can sell, and some grants from folks like the Soros foundation. all there equipment is totally manual old Canons, and some Zenit and Kiev gear, of course.

We talked about different photographers, and the art in general, and I discovered that they had never heard of Weegee. Since Fedex operates in U-stan, I am going to fedex them a Weegee photo book for their library.

They are really lovely people. They said that they would love to meet photographers from other countries, so if you are in Bukhara, stop by. You will get great Tea, and lovely conversation. Aslo, Uzbeks tend to press gifts into your hands as you are leaving the house, whcih you can't refuse. In this case it was a clay figurine of Nasreddin Hodja. Terribly hospitable.

Anyway, I am quite tired (still under the weather), but I promse a more interesting and longer post tomorrow.

[Antonio Correia]

[Justiceiro]

The Capmakers' BazaarThe Bazaars in Bukhara, as mentioned before, don't really compare to those in Turkey. But they do have some nice covered archways, and the prices are quite reasonable.





You can get silverwork...



carpets (I even saw one with the face of Lenin woven into it, but my wife refused to let me buy it)...


Shopping for textiles

In addition to goods, there are also services available.


Shoes repair

Musical instruments...



Hats and suzani (a sort of tablecloth)




Another textile hall


Saddle near the Lyub-i-Hauz

I put off buying anything for a few reasons. The first is that I still had a ways to go, and lugging a carpet can be heavy work. The second is that I wanted to wait until the great bazaar that I expected at Samarqand.

The Shakristan

The Religious center of Bukhara is the Kalan Complex, which includes a Mosque, impressive minaret, and Madrassah. Every town has such an urban core, and it is known as the Shakristan. The Shakristan is a neigborhood that usually contains the principal market, minaret, and mosques.


Bukhara's "main bazaar"- not touristy, but they sell everything one might need

The Madrassah at the Kalan complex is still active, so women can't enter while men are studying there. In fact, it is pretty much the most important MAdrassah in Central Asia. Students go there from all over the stans. As I have a policy of not going anywhere where my wife is not also allowed in, instead we settled for the defunct Ulug Beg Madrassah nearby.

The entrance is a "museum" that's actually something of a hopped up gift shop, but there isn't much of a hard sell. Once you navigate that, you can enter the courtyard with the hujra cells. Students used to live and study there.


Ulug Beg Madrassah courtyard, Bukhara

Ulug Beg the Astronomer Khan of Transoxania, who was one of the timurids, also built an impressive Madrassah in Samarqand (the capitol at the time). This structure was built in 1417. It is less well kept than some others, but everything is original, including the tile. Given the evidence of cranes and scaffolding lying in wait, this will likely soon change.


A view from inside one of the Hujra cells


Between the Ulug Beg Madrassah and the Kalan Complex

The Mosque and Madrassah at the Kalan Complex are relatively recent to Bukhara, built in 1514. The site has hosted a mosque since at least the 10th century, but they kept suffering repeated calamaties.


Kalan Mosque entrance and Kalan Minaret


courtyard of the kalan mosque


ablutory fountain (I think)




the Mosque and Minaret in better light

Kalan Minaret

The Kalan Minaret is one of the oldest surviving structures of the city, built by the Karakhanids in 1127. It rises to 150 ft (46 meters) tall.

The greatest tragedy to befall the city was the arrival of Genghiz Khan and his mongol hordes in 1220. I read a recent laudatory biography of him that was quite interesting, but apart from the pax mongolica that he imposed, there was a lot of awfulness associated with him. The mongols were very dangerous people.

They would ride into a town, and if any resistance was offered, (and there almost always was, as every prince was slain regardless) they would engage in an orgy of rape, pillage, and destruction, slaughtering the inhabitants to a man (those that is, that they did not enslave to use as arrow fodder and human shields for the next seige), and tear down all the buildings, leaving only piles of bodies and bricks. Then they would ride off over the horizon.

This, however, was only a ruse. After a little time had passed, and the survivors they hadn't managed to find emerged from the wreckage, they would ride back and kill them too. Very thorough folks.

The Kalan Minaret was the only building in the city that was spared. Apparently for Ghengis, accustomed only to the flatness of the steppe, this building opened the possibility of vertical dimensions he had never conceived of before. He thought it the most fascinating construction he had ever seen, and ordered it not to be destroyed. He did, however, throw the Emir and the Friday Mosque's Koran from the top of it, and order the city's sack.

After the Mongols departure, this was the only structure visible for miles.

A few views of the Kalan Minaret







The Ark

Every city of any size in Transoxania has, or had, an Ark- the local word for a citadel or fortress.


the South, or main gate, of the Ark

The Ark in Bukhara is the most notorious in Central Asia. The was the seat of "The Butcher of Bukhara"-Nasrullah the Mad.

As Ármin Vámbéry wrote about him in 1873:

"One must be able to form to oneself an idea of the society of the Bukhara of the day, crippled by boundless hipocrosy, crass ignorance, and unscrupulous tyranny, and sunk in the swamp of immorality in order to imagine the mixture of cunning and stupidiy, of pride, of vain-glory and profligacy, of blind fanaticism and loathsome vices which make up the character of Nasrullah Khan"

He was principally known for cruelty; for cleaving his closest advisor in half with an axe, for abducting, ravishing (boys and girls, he was broadminded), and killing the Khan of Kokand's entire family and, on his deathbed, ordering and observing the execution of his wife and daughters to insure their continued chastity after he shuffled off this mortal coil. They were simply the last of a long line of folks that he had executed, including the unfortunate Conolly and Stoddart.

Stoddart was sent to Bukhara to fend of Russian influence in one of the early rounds of the great Game (a term, ironically, invented by Conolly, who became one of its victims). He made a number of critical errors while approaching (quite literally) the Emir .

1st- he accosted him upon his return from Friday Mosque, a particularly bad time to speak to infidels, particularly when they address a walking Emir and do not dismount from horseback, which Stoddart did not.

2nd- he bore a letter, not from the Queen, but from the viceroy of India- indicating that Nasrullah was beneath the royal dignity.

3rd- He later barged into a royal audiance without invitation and took his leave of Nasrullah by turning his back and walking away.

Consequently, he was thrown into the bug pit. A 21 foot deep hole in the jail, where he was later joined by the unfortunate Arthur Conolly, who had been attempting to rescue him. After spending three years in captivity, they were hauled to the surface, brought in front of the Ark, and beheaded in a public festivity.


the square where Stoddart and Conolly met their grisly fate

If one is brave enough, there is a rickety abandoned watertower that had an old tea house at the top of it across from the Ark. You can get great shots of the citadel if you ascend it. Best to do it one at a time, however, as the stairs can sway a bit.


the elevator, unfortunately, has been out of service for some time


you can still take the stairs


The ark Gate

The Emir and his wives would watch ceremonies (such as the quite common public execution) from the paranja section of the Ark's South Gate. It is now a curio shop that sells, in addition to kitsch, a few ancient Fed knockoffs of Leica cameras.


The best sea in the house


From inside, the women could see out, but no one could see them. Latticework for this purpose is not uncommon in central asia.





The Ark's defensive walls


One of the last chapters of the Ark's history took place in the 1920's, when it was the seat of the Czarist educated puppet ruler, Alim Khan, grandson of the notorious Nasrullah. He wasn't too keen on the idea of the inclusion of Bukhara into the greater Union of Soviets, so the Bolsheviks responded by bombing 80% the Ark into rubble by introducing air warfare to Central Asia for the first time. The destroyed section of the Ark is still rubble.


80% of the Ark looks like this



Two cute little girls near the Ark, not relevant to the story, just cute


Next, the outskirts of Bukhara!

[Justiceiro]

Just south of the Ark is the very nice Bolo Hauz mosque, with a fetid pool, as well as a lovely Chaikana where, after surviving the rickety tower, one can calm one's nerves with a cup of green tea.



A dressed up couple heading for the Chaikana

Samanid Mausoleum

Another structure to survive the Mongol assualt of 1220 is the Samanid Mausoleum, which dates from the 10th century (it was partially buried, which spared it from mognol notice). Before it was "dug out" by the soviets, it windows were in a sort of well, and people would whisper questions to an imam hidden inside, who would then hand out written answers on the other side.


Samanid Mausoleum and pool



There is a lovely park near the mausoleum, where one can occasionally see grazing sheep.



Also, about 15 minutes walk to the west, one will find the "Chasma Ayub" (spring of Job) where, according to legend, the prophet struck the earth with a rock and brought forth fresh water.


Ladies outside the Chasma Ayub


The next morning we made arrangements with a local guide to take us to a number of sites outside of Bukhara.

I woke up a few hours before we were to meet Ilker (he's an English speaking guide who hangs around the ark) and Fahreddin, from the Hotel, asked me if I would like to go get some bread with him (it was quite early in the morning). I agreed to do so, and we walked out into the pre-dawn darkness of Bukhara's winding streets.

After about 10 minutes we arrived at a small bakery, led which announced itself not with a sign, but with a mouth watering aroma of freshly baking non.


ISO 3200 on a kit lens, take that, Nikonians!



They basically mold out the non into a disc and slap it up into the inside of a beehive shaped oven, where it sticks until it is done. Then you collect your fresh hot bread!





Chor Bakr

Ilker is available for $20 per half day, which inludes car and gas, as well as tour guiding in very good english.

the first place that he took us was Chor Bakr, a 16th century mausoleum complex built for an important Bukharan sufi family, the Jubayris.


Chor Bakr Courtyard


the Chor Bakr is currently being restored


Minaret reflection


The sky was incredibly blue that day. Great light for photographs.






Chor Bakr dome


Nakshibandi Mausoleum


Entrance to the Nakshbandi Complex


Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari (1318-1389), founder of one of Sufism's most influential and largest orders. This is probably the most important religious structures in present day Uzbekistan, as Sufism is very influential there and this is the home "turf" of the Imam of Bukhara, who is technically second to the imam of Tashkent (in the eyes of the government), but Tashkent is an upstart, whereas Bukhara is an ancient city long renowned for religious learning. The imam of Bukhara can be seen on the grounds fequently.


the imam of Bukhara (in the white turban)


Nakshbandi Minaret

This is an important place of pilgremage for muslims all over the world, particularly Sufis. Imbedded in the mausoleum of Nakshbandi is a piece of the black stone of the Ka'baa of Mecca.


The Black Stone

The Nakshbandi call this place, "the second Mecca", but I think that may be a bit of hype. I'm not sure.


praying at the tomb of the Sufi Master


fountain next to mausoleum. According to our guide, the Emir of Bukhara had this filled with sweetoned lemon drink (basically lemonade) which worhsippers exiting the mosque could drink.


Detail of roof on "Iwan" (outdoor section of mosque for summer praying)

The Palace of Alim Khan

A few miles down the road from the Nakshbandi complex is the palace of the unlucky Alim Khan, last Emir of Bukahra. By the time he took over Bukhara was run under a protectorate system, and was about as independent as the princely states of India under the British Raj. Nevertheless, until chased off by the Soviets, whereupon he fled south to Afghanistan literally dropping off, one by one, his favorite dancing boys in order to slow his pursuers (he did, after all, retain some of Nasrullah's tastes.) But, Czarist pawn or not, the man knew how to live well. So we visited his palace.


entrance to the Summer Palace, Alil Khan's "Versailles"


Ilker, our guide


Courtyard and Iwan


Maintenance being done on the dining room


museum worker



parlour


game room


detail of gold painted wall panelling


Uzbek cradle on display in the folk art museum that is currently housed in the palace


detail of door latch


colored glass window


Exterior pool of Alim Khan's Palace

Alim Khan's harem had 40 women in it so one can imagine (particularly when one takes into consideration the ever present dancing boys) that he did not chafe much under the czars thumb. His harem often bathed unclothed in the Khan's pool, and when he had taken his fancy to one of them, he would toss her an apple. Alim Khan fled Bukhara in 1920 after the establishment of the Bukharan People's Republic, and died in Kabul in 1944.

I've got to go cook prepare dinner (I've been smoking a pork since 6AM) so we'll finish off with Bukhara and get on to Samarqand tomorrow!

[DoctorIt]

You could have stopped 2 posts ago and still had one of the best journey posts to date! Your background knowledge of this trip is unbelievable, you could totally publish a travel guide to the area.

Did you know most of this history beforehand, or are you just a sponge when traveling?

[Seefutlung]

Once again ... I echo Eric with his observations and question...

Gary

PS- Great Stuff
G

[Justiceiro]

Originally Posted by DoctorIt

You could have stopped 2 posts ago and still had one of the best journey posts to date! Your background knowledge of this trip is unbelievable, you could totally publish a travel guide to the area.

Did you know most of this history beforehand, or are you just a sponge when traveling?

Honestly, for the dates I have to go back to source material. I can't remember of the top of my head wether a madrassah was built in 1412 or 1411.

During the trip I carry a notebook, and write about 2-3 pages in every night. This is critical for recording a trip, because there are things you will forget if you wait more than 24 hours.

I make little photobooks of all my trips now, with info along with the pictures. I find it makes the trip a more enjoyable experience down the road. For example, If I read my notes and pictures from my 2004 Prague-Istnabul trip, I remember stuff I never would If I just had the pictures.


Before the trip I read as much material about the place as I can lay my hands on- standard history as well as guides.

For Central Asia, the best two history books are Peter Hopkirk's Setting the East Ablaze, which covers the bolshevik period, and his The Great Game. They are both still in print. There is also the serious book from the 1930s by Rene Grousset called Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia, but its almost unreadable. It's basically 600 pages of lists of people with strange ethnic names.

Reading stuff beforehand not only makes it easier to write about afterward, but its a great help in determining where to go.

As far as bringing books with me, we travelled with two: Lonley Planet and the Oddysey guide to Uzbekistan. Both of these books are seriosuly flawed, but they sort of address each others problems, and they are pretty much all there is.


I don't understand why travel guides are almost universally useless. That must be the most fun job in the world, so I can't imagien why they are so poorly done, in the main.

[Justiceiro]

a last look at the detail on the dome at Chor Bakr


Chor Minor

"Chor Minor" means "four minarets," and its obvious why this building is so named. It's actually quite recent- built by a wealthy Turkmen in 1807 to serve as part of a Madrassah complex (the Madrassah has since dissapeared).



What is interesting about it is its unique design. The Mosques and Madrassahs of Transoxania are often accused (with some justice) of being on a grand scale, but very much repetitive. The monumental architectural tradition of Central Asia was quite conservative, particularly during the 19th century when this structure was built.



The Chor Minor is actually the most radical architectural design of that period in Uzbekistan, and it is quite beautiful. The madrassah was destroyed by an earthquake in 1860, and the gatehouse suffered extensive damage (one of the four towers collapsed). The Soviets did some good restoration work in 1968, but the gracelessly stamped the date of the reconstruction on one of the domes (look at the center dome for the numbers "1968.") In historical preservation, as in all other things, the Soviet presence was both beneficial and destructive.



As this was one of my favorite buildings in Bukhara, I'll throw in an egregious amount of photos:







While walking back to our hotel from the Chor Minor (located to the South of the Lyub-i-Hauz) we heard the odd and atonal blaring of strange trumpets in a nearby alley. We emerged onto a street choked with a traditional wedding procession.



Drummers and trumpeters were escorting the groom to the house of the bride to be. In a strange holdover from Zorastrian days, the pair then circle a fire three times (this is not a typical muslim custom) before they are joined together.




As the trumpeters advance through the neighborhood, the following crownd gets biger and bigger. This sort of reminds me of the procession in the Portuguese village were I was married (minus the trumpets), the whole neighborhood turns out to gawk at the spectacle.




The horns didn't seem to have any sort of controls on them, so I am not sure how they carried a "tune," but they mostly did.





So that is pretty much it for our sojourn in Bukhara. That afternoon we arranged tickets on the "Sharq" fast train between Bukhara and Samarqand (about $8 per person, 4 1/2 hours).

The train left at 6 AM, and as we were sitting in the train station it began to snow. The desert can be quite cold during the winter months. The train left well before sunrise, so we witnessed that during our traversal of the desert.



The Snow had not followed us to Samarqand, yet.

Samarqand

the first thing we did after stashin our bags at the hotel was to head down to what many consider Samarqand's second greatest sight- the Shah-i-Zindah (Tomb of the Living King).


Shah-i-Zindah with snow covered mountains

It is believed that Qusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the prophet who brought Islam to the area, is buried here. Thus the desire for both the powerful and the commoners of today to be buried near here, that they might stand with him when resurrected upon the day of judgement.




Timur, who ruled a vast portion of the muslim world from Samarqand, is not buried here. But much of his family is.



At the entrance they will ding you for another $5-8 per couple, extra if you want to take photos. This whole thing was really irritating. It's not so much the fact that you have to pay, and I would hesitate to say that the state has commercialized the place (hard to do when you get so few tourists) but it certainly isn't for lack of trying.


the main "lane" in the tomb complex


However, a tip from a Anglo-New Zealand couple; if you enter the graveyard at the top of the hill, you can come into the mausoleum complex from the back and thus avoid paying. As you will have to shell out for every other damn thing, you might want to try this. Also, the graves on the top of the hill are quite interesting.


I've got to clone out that branch!

The couple were great folks and, I was pleasently surprised to discover, smugmuggers. (we are everywhere, resistance is futile) This is their website.

The tomb complex is covered in magnificent blue tile, and each of the interiors are somewhat different, although some are in better repair than others. Bring your tripod (I, foolishly, didn't).






Kufic inscriptions above complex gate



contemplation at the Shah-i-Zindah Mosque


I've got to work, so more on Samarqand later!

[Psymatic]

First: What an incredible thread!!!!!!
Second: What a expieriencing trip!!!!
Third: What a wonderfull and intresting read!!!!!

Great Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike and Ploy

[vangogh]

An amazing travelouge!! Thanks so much for giving all those fantastic photos and such an indepth commentary. Superb!

Nicola