Month: August 2013

Uzbekistan: Down and out in Karakalpakstan

October 24, 2012

They usually begin in the middle of the night, those sharp stomach pains that awaken you from a peaceful slumber. If you’re on the road long enough, in a foreign country with unfamiliar foods, you’re eventually bound to be afflicted with some sort of intestinal problem. Was it the afternoon ice cream snack, the colorful carrot salad at lunch, or the strange Uzbek version of pigs in a blanket served at dinner? I’ve had my fair share of sickness while traveling, the worst being in Paris and Brussels (the French speakers have it out for me, I guess) and I tend to just spend the entire day in bed when that happens. That wouldn’t be an option this time, however.

We were headed to Nukus that morning, a little over 100 miles away from Khiva. With my stomach rumbling fiercely, I skipped breakfast and spent the three hour bus ride alternately popping capsules of Immodium and Pepto. (Want the secret to quickly losing weight? Food poisoning). While our bus rolled through the Uzbek desert, we watched “The Desert of Forbidden Art”, a documentary about Igor Savitsky and his efforts to stash Russian avant-garde art in the backwater town of Nukus, away from the watchful eyes of the Soviets. The 40,000 (!) pieces of artwork he did save are now housed at the Nukus Museum of Art. Visiting this museum was the main reason we were traveling to Nukus.

Unlike the Silk Road cities we had visited over the past week, Nukus is relatively modern, having only been founded in 1932. It is the capital of Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic of Uzbekistan that is home to the Karakalpak people (although they are quickly being outnumbered by Uzbeks moving to the republic). Aside from the art museum, there is not much for a traveler to see in Nukus. There are no grand mosques or mausoleums, nor is there a quaint old town; the city is entirely Soviet in construction, with the typical wide avenues, tree lined streets, and pre-fabricated apartment buildings.

We arrived at the museum shortly afternoon and were treated to a beautiful lunch spread, which, I unfortunately had to skip in favor of drinking Coke. I rarely drink Coke in the U.S., but when I’m sick abroad it is the first thing I turn to. It’s a nice taste of home, and the syrup always seems to calm my stomach.

We toured the museum for several hours. The artwork on display in this large building is only a small percentage of the collection, with the rest kept in storage rooms. Looking at some of these paintings, one could only wonder how the Soviet authorities could have possibly considered them anti-socialist (but then I guess if a piece of art wasn’t of the socialist realism school, then it was immediately suspect). It was hard to imagine that Stavitsky, a Russian painter and archaeologist, had managed to amass one of the second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art in the world (second only to the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg); one can only marvel at his dedication to his fellow artists and perseverance in saving their art for future generations.


The museum


My favorite

Uzbekistan: One day in Khiva

October 23, 2012

No one really knows when Khiva was founded, but the local legend is that it happened over 2,500 years ago when Shem, the son of Noah, found himself wandering through the desert after the great floodwaters receded. He stumbled upon a well, exclaiming “Khi-wa!” (sweet water) and this ancient oasis has been hydrating travelers since.

Legends aside, Khiva has existed since at least the 10th, and possibly 6th century. In 1619 it became the capital of the Khanate of Khiva and eventually grew into the largest slave trading center on the Silk Road. The slave bazaar held thousands of Russians, Persians, and Kurds who were unfortunate enough to be dragged from their homes or fields by Turkoman raiding parties and then sold to the highest bidder in the open air markets of Khiva.

The slave markets are now long gone, and today the inner city of Khiva, the Itchan Kala, is preserved as an open-air museum and UNESCO World Heritage site. The inner city is very compact, and after that grueling 9.5 hour bus drive the previous day, it felt wonderful to spend an entire day roaming this lovely area of Khiva. Some travelers complain that Khiva is “too tidy” and that the Soviets swept away all the dirt and grime that defined this city for so many centuries. Yes, walking around at times, the inner city was eerily quiet, but at other times it was lively, filled with wedding parties or groups of little kids following you asking for “bon bons” (candy) or pencils (unfortunately, I had neither on me).



Tombs on the walls of the inner city


Kalta-minor Minaret, the most recognizable feature of Khiva. It was left uncompleted after the death of Muhammad Amin Khan, although local legend states that construction was abandoned after it was discovered that the muezzin could see into the Khan’s harem from atop the minaret.


SIR! Please do not feed your baby to the camel!



Wood carving – from small cutting boards to giant doors.


Suzani


Weddings everywhere!


Inside the Pahlavon Mahmud Mausoleum. Mahmud is considered the patron saint of Khiva.



Check out that dress!



Night descends upon Khiva. The inner city quickly empties, leaving just a few lost tourists and the families who still live there.

Uzbekistan: Through the Kyzyl Kum to Khiva

October 22, 2012

The journey along the A-380 highway from Bukhara to Khiva was one of the longest stretches of driving we did on this trip. The distance between the two cities is only 285 miles, but the journey took us a grueling 9.5 hours due to the state of the highway, which wasn’t quite a highway at the time, but rather a packed sand and gravel road through the Kyzyl Kum desert. The highway was undergoing a major reconstruction project at the time (and probably still is, since the vast majority of workers spent their time waving at all the passing vehicles!) and so was in a particularly sorry state. A German company had won the contract to rebuild the road, and the portions of the road they had completed allowed us to quickly pass through the desert. Once we reached the under construction part, however, it was a slow, bumpy ride for hour upon hour. Despite the air-conditioned bus and tinted windows, the heat from the midday sun seeped through. The landscape was similar to the desert I had grown up in, with the exception that civilization in the Kyzyl Kum seemed non-existent, except for the occasional construction crews and stray dogs that lazed in the shade of concrete barriers.

Aside from the desert landscape, signs of the New Great Game abounded along this highway through the desert. We passed dozens of large Willi Betz tractor trailers driven by Eastern Europeans, transporting supplies for over 3,000 miles from Riga, Latvia to the U.S. military in Afghanistan. Supposedly these trucks only transport “non-lethal” supplies to Afghanistan, so I wondered what they were bringing to my military friends serving there. Bars of soap? Boxes of Frosted Flakes? Cases of Red Bull?

In other areas we passed huge fields of new pipeline that, once installed, will transport Turkmen and Uzbek natural gas to Europeans. While to many this is merely steel pipe, it was of great interest to me. I wrote my graduate school dissertation on these “New Great Game” pipelines and briefly worked in the oil and gas industry afterward, so to see this in action, outside the confines of boring technical journal articles, was fascinating.


Where the good road ends and the bad begins.


Lunch stop


Over the Amu Darya River



Cemetery with tombs above the ground due to the high water table of this river valley

We arrived in Khiva in the early evening, with enough time for a quick walk before dinner.


One of the city gates of Khiva’s “Itchan Kala”, the walled inner town.



Cutting boards for sale


As the sun began to set we climbed up to a viewpoint for a panorama of the city. It was beautiful.







This little kid asked me to take a photo, so I obliged.


Just goofing around


Goodnight, Khiva. See you in the morning.

Uzbekistan: Two days in Bukhara

October 20 & 21, 2012

Arrive in Bukhara today and you will be warmly welcomed. This wasn’t always the case, however. Consider the fate of Charles Stoddart and Arthur Conolly, two British officers who traveled to Bukhara in 1838 and 1841, respectively. Stoddart’s mission was to convince the Emir of Bukhara to sign a friendship treaty with Britain and release the Russian slaves held in Bukhara. Stoddart committed a major faux pas, however. Upon entering Bukhara, he did not dismount his horse, as custom required. Worst of all, he didn’t bring any presents for the Emir, and we know how much brutal dictators enjoy being showered with gifts! The Emir responded by throwing Stoddart in the “bug pit”, which is pretty much what you would expect – a fetid pit filled with various bugs (and rats, of course). Sounds pretty awful, doesn’t it? Next comes Conolly, who had arrived in Bukhara intending to free Stoddart, now imprisoned for three years and counting. (Conolly, by the way, was the man who coined the phrase “The Great Game” to describe the struggle between Britain and Russia for domination over Central Asia). Unfortunately for Conolly, the Emir ordered him to be thrown into the bug pit with Stoddart. On June 17, 1842, both men were beheaded on the square in front of Bukhara’s Ark.

But don’t worry, Mom, it’s not like that anymore. These days, the most uncomfortable situation a traveler will experience is to be repeatedly pestered by silk and pottery saleswomen.

We spent two days in Bukhara. This city was where I actually felt like I was on the Silk Road of yesterday. Don’t get me wrong, the Registan and Shah-i-Zinde of Samarkand were incredible. Bukhara doesn’t have anything imposing like the Registan, but here, in the center of the city, the vestiges of the Soviet era were kept at bay and the simple mud houses and traffic free dirt roads have remained unchanged for centuries.


Bukhara’s only remaining synagogue, which dates back to the 16th century. Bukhara once had a sizable Jewish minority population, but it has dwindled to about 300 now.


Jewish cemetery


Sasha & Son, the charming bed & breakfast we stayed at, was a former Jewish merchant’s home.


Some locals hanging out.


Nadir Divan-begi Madrasah, built in the early 1600s.


Statue of Nasreddin, Muslim folk hero


Nadir Divan-begi Khanaka


Lyab-i Hauz (Persian” “by the pond”). Ponds such as this used to exist throughout Bukhara as the city’s principal sources of drinking water, but the majority were filled in by the Soviets to prevent the transmission of water-borne illnesses.


Traditional clothing and veil worn by Uzbek women in in the presence of unrelated men, prior to the eradication of this custom by the Soviets.


Of all the beautiful carpets in Bukhara, this was the one I wanted. Unfortunately, way too pricey (to the tune of $1,200).


Master knife maker


Shopping for tonight’s dinner



The Po-i-Kalyan Ensemble:







Inside the Kalyan Mosque, completed in 1514.




This couple asked to take their picture with me, so I obliged them, and they allowed me to take a photo of them. I felt like a celebrity in Central Asia because so many locals asked to take their photo with me. But why? I have no idea. Maybe I looked like an alien from outer space.



The Kalyan minaret, built in 1127. This is one of the few structures that Genghis Khan ordered his men to spare as they ransacked and destroyed the city. It also served as an execution tool; criminals were flung to their deaths from the top of the minaret. This practice continued until the early 20th century.




The massive walls of Bukhara’s Ark fortress.



Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, built 892-943!



Demonstration on how to make plov, follwed by eating plov! 🙂 It was incredible; I had four servings! (If you can’t tell already, I love plov).



Chor-Minor (“Four Minarets”) formerly part of a large Madrasah (long since demolished)

And on our last day in Bukhara, we drove outside the city to this palace, formerly the summer home of the Bukharan Emirs.



The next morning, after being rudely awakened by the call of a rooster (seriously, does he realize it is still pitch black outside?!) I packed my bags again, had a quick breakfast, and headed down the long, bumpy road to Khiva.

Uzbekistan: The bazaars and caravanserais along the Silk Road to Bukhara

October 19, 2012

Another five hours of driving today. Visiting all these Silk Road cities necessitates a lot of driving, but I’m not one to complain about a road trip; I’m perfectly content to put my headphones on, choose a playlist, and let the scenery roll by. And an air-conditioned bus certainly beats the camels that previous Silk Road travelers relied upon.

As usual, the long drive was broken up by a few stops along the way. We visited a huge outdoor market located in Mirbozor. I think the locals were quite surprised and amused to see a group of 17 Americans and Canadians pile off a large tour bus. Not your typical everyday occurrence, I’m guessing.

The bizarre itself was an incredible mishmash of Safeway, Home Depot, Walmart, and a food court. Here was nearly every product you might need, all laid out on tarps to protect from the desert dust. Need a bottle of Fanta? An axe? Perhaps some homemade sour cream? The market was vast, and I could have spent hours here, but our visit was a quick half hour. Much like the market in Khujand, we were asked “Otkuda, otkuda?” “Ya iz Ameriki” “Ah, Amerika”.


Tasty Uzbek carrot salad. This stuff is great!














And then back on the bus for some more driving, with a quick stop at the Rabati Malik Caravanserai in the Navoi Province. Built in the 11th century, this caravanserai provided protection and shelter to Silk Road travelers. It was composed of walled-in courtyard lined with merchant stalls. Here, travelers could purchase supplies, feed and water their animals, and relax safely within the confines of the caravanserai, without fear of being attacked by bandits.





All that remains of the interior




Water reservoir that supplied cool drinking water to the caravanserai.

Before arriving in Bukhara that evening, we visited the studio of the Narzullayev family, who specialize in the Gijduvan school of ceramics. There are various schools of ceramics throughout Uzbekistan (i.e. Rishtan, Tashkent Gijduvan) each with their own preferred colors and designs. The art of ceramics is passed down from family member to family member, and the Narzullayev family is currently headed by its sixth generation of master craftsmen and women.









Not only potters, also musicians!


Uzbek suzani embroidered by hand

We made it to Bukhara by early evening and would be spending the next two days there.

Uzbekistan: Tamerlane’s Samarkand, Day 2

October 18, 2012

Tamerlane was a man of many talents. When he wasn’t conquering foreign lands and stacking the skulls of his enemies into massive pyramids, he was building his beloved Samarkand into an epicenter of architecture and culture. He did this by sparing the lives of artisans, engineers, musicians, poets, and scholars who lived in the cities conquered by his armies and bringing them to Samarkand. And so these men from Iran, Iraq, India, the Caucasus, and Central Asia built Samarkand according to his wishes.

Our first visit of the day was to Bibi-Khanym Mosque. Completed in 1404, several years after his conquest of Delhi, the mosque was built with Indian stone transported overland by captured Indian elephants. The mosque fell into disrepair over the centuries and what we see now is mostly a modern reconstruction. Despite this, it is still impressive.





Stand for the Koran




I wonder how this kid broke his arm?


Well that explains everything.




Schoolchildren, a dude with cattle, the usual.

Then we went to the Registan, which is basically the most famous part of Samarkand. The Registan is to Samarkand as Red Square is to Moscow as the National Mall is to Washington, D.C. You get the idea. The Registan is a public square framed by three madrasahs (Islamic schools) where, centuries ago, the residents of Samarkand would gather to listen to royal proclamations or watch public executions.


(this was actually taken the evening before)



The Sher-Dor (Having Tigers) Madrasah, built 1619–1636



Love this


“As-salamu alaykum.” (Peace be upon you)



So beautiful




Ulugh Beg Madrasah built 1417–1420 during the reign of Tamerlane and named after Tamerlane’s grandson. Ulugh Beg was a well-known astronomer and mathematician.




We had an opportunity to visit with a master musician who also builds Uzbek musical instruments. This was the entrance to his shop.



We then went to Ulugh Beg’s Observatory.


Newlyweds everywhere



Completed in 1429 and later destroyed by religious fanatics in 1449, the observatory was rediscovered in 1908 by an archaeologist. The above is giant sextant.


In the afternoon we visited the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, which was by far my favorite place in Samarkand. While the Registan was imposing, Shah-i-Zinda felt intimate. “Shah-i-Zinda” translates to “The Living King” in Persian, so called because Kusam ibn Abbas, the cousin of prophet Muhammad is supposedly buried here. The earliest structures here are from the 11-12th centuries, with the rest of the complex dating from the 14-15th centuries.





When I die I’d like to be entombed in something simple like this, OK?



And for our last visit of the day, we stopped by a nearby silk carpet workshop where we learned all about the process of making these beautiful carpets by hand. The dyes used here are all natural, coming from plants and insects. The young women who work here undergo a four month training program after which they can stay on as weavers. Weaving a silk carpet can take several months and it appears to be incredibly tedious work, but many of the weavers had iPods to keep them company.



The tools have not changed much over the years.


Dyed silk





So did I come home with one of these beautiful carpets? Unfortunately, no, as they were a bit outside of my price range. Hmm, to pay off the student loans or purchase a silk carpet? The student loans win…for now.