Thank you in advance for checking out this very long post, but there’s a lot to see in Samarkand, the ancient capital of the empire of Amir Temur (AKA Timur or Tamerlane).
First up, our great Uzbek train, samsas in a tandoor for lunch, and a great artisan garden along a highly rechannelled river. First, a papermaking factory, the property has evolved into a series of craft workshops. Papermaking, linseed oil grinding, textiles, and ceramics, etc…
Here’s some special attention to the ceramics…
Next up, a trip to a silk carpet factory. Saw the process from silk spinning and dying to tying the knots and salesmanship. Even the landscapes, lions, and other non-designy rugs and hand-woven silk…!
Forgive me in advance for not remembering the names of all our destinations. We went to numerous mausoleums, mosques, madrasas, and monuments. The first site, surrounded by a cemetery, featured the graves – inside mausoleums – of several prominent citizens and the relations of Timur. They all have similar architectural components, including arches, domes, ceramic tiles, and geometric designs…
So many pix! The end of this batch shows a map of the area, among other subjects…
A wall design in our little hotel in the old town, just adjacent to Amir Temur’s mausoleum, and a visit to Sam Craft, a local pub. That evening, we went to a light show at Registan Square, the main mosque/madrasa complex in Samarkand…
Our little hotel in the old part of town. And a visit to Amir Temur’s mausoleum. Prominently featured is Aziza, our tour guide, a charming woman who only two weeks ago gave birth to her third son. Amir Temur’s fake coffin is the dark marble, but his actual body – which was exhumed to study his skeleton and determine the shape of his face (countenance) – is down in the crypt at the end of this batch…
Next, we walked to Registan Square taking in the sites (including a pet shop) along the way. Registan features dozens of tourist shops, most just selling stuff, but some featuring local craftspeople. Note the woman doing embroidery! Also, some ancient coins, chess sets, etc…
A vast and impressive complex, we had some nice Turkish coffee, and learned about the difference between the actual ancient structures and the myriad restorations. There was a ceramic tile seller who was there primarily at the behest of the government to explain to tourists the different ways tiles are made in the restoration process…
This batch is all photos of the ruins of Samarkand in the late 19th & early 20th centuries before the extensive restorations transformed the area into the tourist Mecca that it is. Speaking of Mecca, that is the direction to which all mosques are built…
More miscellany at Registan…
After that full morning, we went to lunch, aided by a golf cart limosine. (Tho’ there are still some Registan pix.) After lunch we went to another market area, but at this point pix of nuts, fruits, veggies, meat, and miscellary have become less compelling…
Cute kids and ancient paintings are always good topics. While our tours for the day had ended with the mausoleum of the first president of independent Uzbekistan, Islam Karamov, five of us agreed to go to the ruins of the Observatory of Ulugh Beg, a Timurid Sultan, scientist, astronomer, and and victim of assassination. His observatory inspired several others, including the one we visited in Jaipur. Using his observatory, he was about to calculate the length of a year almost exactly, and is considered to be among the great early astronomers (see lithograph). We were toured around the museum by another Uzbek guide, then saw what’s left of the observatory…
Another long day ended with a demonstration at a family home on how to make Plov, a traditional Uzbek dish of meat, veggies, and rice. We also had a long conversation with the eldest daughter about her marital v. academic situation. She wants to finish university before being betrothed! Rushana (Roxanne) is only seven days older than Veronica!
