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Travelling along the Central Asian section of the ancient trading routes between China and Europe. Visiting the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. There are a large number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on this trip, covering religious buildings, fortifications, bazaars and the scientific and cultural aspects of the country.
HOW TO GET THERE
ROUTE
TASHKENT
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and the biggest city in Central Asia. Most of the old buildings in the city were destroyed by the earthquake of 1966, and had to be rebuilt/remodelled in the following years. In Tashkent we toured a number of sites in the Old City part of Tashkent including the Khast-Imom Complex where the world famous 8th century Quran of Caliph Uthman has been preserved. In Khast-Imom we visited the Madrasah of Barak-Khan, Tilla Sheikh Mosque, Mausoleum of the Saint Abu Bakr Kaffal Shashi and the Islamic Institute of Imam al-Bukhari.
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| TASHKENT- Plov: rice,vegetable and meat dish cooked in wood fuelled iron pot |
We had lunch in the Plov Centre where the local rice,vegetable and meat dish is cooked on massive wood burning stoves, and served in an elaborate hall. We then walked round the huge Chor-Su Bazaar where stalls of tourist trinkets were sandwiched between the mounds of vegetables, fruits and spices.
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| TASHKENT- Chor-Su bazaar |
We finished with a ride on the Tashkent Metro to the ornate central station with tiled portraits of Soviet Cosmonauts, arriving back in the city center to visit the Applied Arts Museum which had examples of local ceramics and artefacts.
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| TASHKENT - Metro station tiled mural showing Yuri Gagarin, the 1st man in space. |
SAMARKAND
Our silk road journey out of Tashkent travelling to Samarkand was by fast train, a Spanish version of the bullet train travelling at speeds up to 160mph.
Samarkand has some of the most beautiful examples of Islamic architecture and culturally significant sites of world heritage status. Over the course of two days we visited Registan Square, the remains of the Bibi Khanum Mosque, Siyob Bazaar, Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis, the Gur Emir Mausoleum – the shrine of Emir Tamerlane, and the Tomb of Saint Daniel. |
| SAMARKAND - Registan Square |
In the hills up above the city we visited the remains of the Ulugbek Observatory which contain the bottom third, underground section, of the 40 metre sextant used by 15th century astronomers to map over 1,000 stars - an amazing feat at that time, more than 100 years before Galileo was born.
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| SAMARKAND - Ulugbek observatory- left model of original exterior and interior ; right remaining underground section of sextant |
This is also the location of the remains of the Afrasiyab Palace where you can see the 7th century frescoes depicting emissaries from across Asia, including Chinese, Indian and Persian representatives paying tribute to the Sogdian King Varkhuman.
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| SAMARKAND - 7th century mural of Asian emissaries paying tribute to King Varhuman |
We took a trip to the outskirts to the Koni Ghil village- a large complex of buildings and riverside walkways to show the traditional way of making Samarkand paper from mulberry trees.
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| SAMARKAND - Koni Ghil village, stripping Mulberry branches to make paper |
On display alongside the craftsmanship of the local artisans were various waterdriven machines which were copies of Chinese inventions made centuries before they were seen in Europe- an example of ancient technology transmitted along the Silk Road.
We also looked round the elaborate newly constructed Samarkand Eternal City which puts the rest of the world’s shopping mall/entertainment complexes to shame with its mimicry of the ancient architecture of the country.
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| SAMARKAND- the ‘Eternal City’ shopping mall completed 2022 |
BUKHARA
Bukhara is just a couple of hours further on from Samarkand by fast train. Bukhara is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, established more than 2,500 years ago. During the 9-10th centuries it enjoyed its heyday as a centre for science and culture. The architecture and cultural highlights of the city are an equal or some even surpass those of Samarkand and these include the Lyabi-Khauz Ensemble, Magoki-Attori Mosque, the gate of the Chor-Minor Madrasah, the bazaar’s trading domes, Kalyan Mosque, Miri-Arab Madrasah, Ulugbek and Abdulazizkhan madrasahs, Ark Fortress, and Bolo-Khauz Mosque.
The Kalyan Minaret constructed in the 12th century, at 150 ft tall is the highest in Uzbekistan, and impressed Genghis Khan so much that it was spared when his army flattened the rest of the city. As well as the traditional use of the minaret by the Imam to call the congregation to prayer, this was a watchtower and also lit at night as a beacon for travellers that could be seen for many miles on the desert approach to the city. The most gruesome use of the minaret was to hurl wrong-doers and adversaries to their death.
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| BUKHARA - clockwise from top left: Kalyan mosque & minaret;Bahauddin Naqshbandi complex; Emir’s Summer Palace;Chor-Minor gate |
KHIVA
Khiva from Bukhara is the hardest leg of the trip. No fast train yet as they’re still working on setting it up! This means a very slow 8 hour trip on an old train or as we did a 5.5 hour road journey across the desert. Well, it was worth it as Khiva has more of the old Silk Road about it - a walled fortress city with fabulous ancient buildings, bazaars and old adobe houses still used by artisans and their families. The many stand out religous sites to visit include the Mukhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasah, Kalta Minor, Juma Mosque, Islom Khoja minaret and the Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum.
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| KHIVA - clockwise from top left: Toshhovli Palace reception room; City walls;Kalta Minor minaret; Pakhalavan Mausoleum. Centre - Islom Khosa minaret |
In addition we visited the Toshhovli Palace. This was built in the mid nineteenth century with lavish internal decor, and contains a large harem that housed the Khan and his four wives in separate lodges. We were entertained there with music and singing by three ladies in traditional dress.
Our Silk Road trip ended here as we flew out of nearby Urgench International AirPort.
Have a Safe journey home!