leyle
 | Off the Beaten Path in Uzbekistan 
 
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 | Delicious bread ...   |  | |
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 |  on February 10, 2007 |
... is not the only thing sold in the Shahrisabz bazaar. Gaily painted traditional cradles, a neat line in pressed and pierced tin bathroom fittings, a witch's brew of fermenting yoghurt, whole vegetables and fruit , padded coats wide enough to cover a family of four were some of the more unusual things we saw as well as the usual array of spices, nuts, fruit, honeycomb and all the other goods that a Central Asian bazaar has to offer. Not as crowded as some but, like all bazaars in Uzbekistan, this one is wonderfully untouristy, the sellers are (for the most part) friendly and welcoming without being at all pushy and you can spend a great hour or so wandering up and down the aisles of the covered bazaar, out in the open-air section and strolling along the shady main street as you make your way from the palace to the other historic buildings you have come to see here. leyle |
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| The colour of Heaven | | |
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| on August 20, 2005 |
Like virtually all the wonderful domes in Uzbekistan, those in Shahrisabz are as vivdly blue as the day they were built. The colours on glazed ceramic tiling are incredibly durable and it is hard to tell what is old and what is newly restored. Blue, the colour of water and the colour of heaven, symbolic of life on earth and paradise, is the universal choice, in every hue and shade from purest sky to almost jade green. Here in Shahrisabz, the tiles that cover the domes of the 15th century complex of mosque, madrassa and mausolea known as the Dorut Tilovat - Seat of Respect and Consideration, are clear, bright turquoise. leyle |
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| Drawn in stone | | |
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| on November 11, 2005 |
Mediaeval architects and masons were not the first master craftsmen to leave their mark on Uzbekistan. Thousands of years before the Silk Road was even thought or heard of in a continuum that lasted well into the early Middle Ages, the gorge at Sarmysh saw the shaley surface being used as a canvas for some astonishing works of art. Stretching over some 10 kilometres, the walls of the gorge are covered in thousands of petroglyphs of men and beasts in a parade that is remarkable both for its vitality and skilful representations of rituals and hunts as well as a veritable zoo of the animals that were to be found here. Getting here is not easy, and not something you can decide to do at the last minute. The gorge is situated some distance from the town of Navoi and as well as there being no public transport within reasonable reach, arrangements have to be made to enter the children's campsite that lies between the road and the gorge. Realistically, unless you are on a tour that includes a visit here on its itinerary, an expedition to the gorge is only possible by making the arrangements well in advance through a tour company and using hired transport. That said, and once there, it is quite marvellous and well worth the effort. leyle |
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| Temur's birthplace | | |
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| on February 10, 2007 |
The small town of Shahrisabz sits at the foothills of the Zerafshan mountains about 100km from Samarkand. The shorter mountain pass route takes you over the spectacular Tashtakaracha pass but this is often closed and is unsuitable for buses so it is possible you will have to go via the longer, lowland route - a journey of some 3 hours by car. Whichever way you go, the town is well worth a visit. Once known as Kesh, and renamed Shahrisabz (Green Town) by Temur whose birthplace it was, there are several important buildings here that date from his time. Two massive towers, part of the entrance, are all that remains of the great palace he built here but their size and scale are enough to give an idea of how vast the palace must have been, and the scraps of tiling that remain speak of a splendour that must have been quite dazzling in its opulence. An enormous statue of Temur stands in what would have been the centre of the palace, now a huge open plaza. It is possible to get day tours to Shahrisabz from Samarkand. Alternatively shared taxis leave from Suzangaran St, near the museum in Samarkand. The daily bus takes 4 hours on the lowland route which would make it a very long day. leyle |
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| Stay in a yurt | | |
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 |  on August 5, 2007 |
One of the highlights of our tour was our overnight visit to the desert area near Aidarkul Lake. I’ll describe this experience in full on my Nurata page (under construction) but I include an overview here as it may be a factor in whether you choose an organised tour or to travel independently (I’m fairly sure you could build it into an independent trip however). We left our comfortable bus at the small village of Yangigazgan (giving us a great opportunity for a close-up glimpse at village life) and rode the short distance to the camp in an old Soviet bus. We were allocated our yurts (four or five to a yurt, so you need to be prepared to share, as we did with the only other couple in our group). I would say this is medium-level camping – very basic toilet and shower facilities, but on the other hand you don’t have to erect a tent or join in the tasks around the camp. While we were there we had the option of a late afternoon camel ride across the dunes, and could fancy ourselves in a caravan of old! At night we enjoyed an very good dinner and sat for a while around the campfire, spotting shooting stars and distant galaxies. I’d really recommend this experience if you don’t mind roughing it just a little, as it showed us a different side to Uzbekistan away from the riches of the Silk Road. |
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| Memorial Complex of Hazrat Bakhouddin Nakshband | | |
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 |  on October 21, 2004 |
This memorial complex is located 12km from Bukhara. This is a non-Muslims off limit zone unless you can actually get a guide. This way you can easily go inside but not to all the different buildings. Bakhouddin Nakshband was buried here in 1389. He was the ofunder of "Nakshbandis" studies and revived again sunats of Muammad s.a.w. |
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| Old town-Bukhara | | |
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| on October 30, 2004 |
You should go out of the normal streets of Bukhara and enjoy the old part of it, far from big monuments close to streets often used by tourists. This sould be a different aproach of the city's architecture and youl have a whole different view of the building and how do local people live. |
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| Charvak water reservoir | | |
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| on October 30, 2004 |
Charvak is located in the Chirchik Valley on the surroundings of Tashkent. This is exactly located where the 2 rivers Ugam and Chirchik get together. This is a very relaxing place although I have to say the surounding landscape isnt that inspiring due to the nearest moribund chemical factory... either the way it makes a perfect day out escapnig the great turbulence and agitation of the capital Tashkent. |
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| Chirchik River | | |
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| on October 30, 2004 |
Chirchik River comes all the way down the Chirchik Valley passing the Charvak Water Reservoir until reaches Tashkent and keeps down southeast. Irrigation canals on the Chirchik River supply power for several hydroelectric plants. A big part of the scenery of the Valley is full of power plants and chemical facilities which give a porr image to this amazing site just a couple of hours from the capital. Right now, almost all the factories are closed to danger is no longer there and you can take bath but just aside a big factory or something. The water from the river runs from the mountains and its colour can tell its from pure spring. |
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| Visit the cotton fields  | | |
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 |  on May 16, 2003 |
When I re-visited my new Uzbek friends in Tashkent, we went to see what everyone kept busy at that time of the year One of my friends -who is a university student in Samarkand-, had been sent to the cotton fields for 6 weeks, like every student -no choice. The cotton harvest and trade is still controlled by Government, being their biggest cash cow. We went to visit the fields and helped picking a bit. It's amazing to see all that white stuff that popped up from the plants as far as you can see! |
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