August 4, 2011

• The Silk Road (Sort Of) Overland
  Sunday 31 July 2011
  
  The people at the Roslan Guesthouse put together a tailor-made tour for me today. I wanted to see Sayram, Otrar and Turkestan before leaving Kazakhstan and that is exactly what happened today. It was a 12-hour tour and I paid $170 for that, which is good value compared to the $100 I paid for the 6-hour trip to see Shakpak Ata.

  As I said yesterday, I love it when I’m on the receiving end of something that is well organised. Everything went like clockwork and I particularly liked the taxi driver who drove very sensibly and didn’t do any hair-raising manoeuvres or crazy driving.

  First, I saw a number of monuments in Sayram, a Silk Road stop dating back around 3,000 years. The main monuments here include the Mausoleum of Ibrahim Ata, but I actually liked the Kydyra Minaret the best. It probably dates back to the tenth century and it was possible to climb up the narrow, winding steps to the top of the 15 metre minaret. What was interesting about Sayram was that there were big groups of pilgrims visiting these mausoleums, one group after another. This city obviously has spiritual significance.

  The next stop was the Otrar Museum (after almost two hours of driving). The English-speaking guide – who yawned several times during his presentation and didn’t like it when I interrupted him with questions – claimed his museum had the oldest and most significant exhibits in Kazakhstan. His English was excellent, though. I’d say a stop at the Otrar Museum is worthwhile, but in contrast to the museums in Turkey (including Hagia Sophia and the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations!) there were absolutely no photos allowed. Why, I wonder. A pity, since I really wanted to take photo of this amazing-looking headstone for a tomb in the form of a vicious-looking warrior.

  There’s not much left of the old Silk Road town Otrar – where the scientist Al Farabi was born (AD870) and Timur died of pneumonia (AD1405) – as Jenghiz Khan completely demolished it in the thirteenth century. However, I walked around the old ruins for a while and there were remains of the palace mosque and a bath house among other things. All those remains are, however, “post-Jenghiz” the Lonely Planet guide claims. I only saw three other visitors at this archaeological site while I was there. Historical tourism hasn’t really taken off in Kazakhstan yet.

  Very near to the Otrar ruins are the Aristan-Bab Mausoleum. The restored tomb is from 1907 so the main building on the site is obviously not that old, but I really liked this place. There were also many pilgrims here so this place had a life of its own.

  However, the highlight of the day was the visit to Turkestan late in the afternoon. The Kozha Ahmed Yasaui Mausoleum in Turkestan is the most significant Silk Road site in Kazakhstan, and the mausoleum, which was kind of completed in 1405 according to my guide, is sill intact. It was also never properly completed, so there are bits sticking out at the front, which makes it quite unique.

  I really liked my guide. He had moved to Turkestan for this job and when I asked him what he thought about his job, he said he loved it because he could serve the people visiting, including foreigners. He said it with such genuine conviction. It’s great when you come across this kind of attitude – a wonderful contrast to the cynicism and negativity many express when talking about their job. His languages were Russian, Kazakh, Turkish and English. He’ll probably go far.

  The drive back to Shymkent took over two hours and I enjoyed watching the passing landscape. However, I failed to get the perfect shot of the “endless Kazakh steppe” in spite of trying for well over an hour.

  A big thank you to Russim in Almaty who made this well-organised weekend tour so utterly successful! Tomorrow morning, I’m taking the train to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

  • 11:45 am
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