August 5, 2011

  • The Silk Road (Sort Of) Overland
    Thursday 4 August 2011

    I decided to go for the Lonely Planet’s Our Pick in the hotel section, Antica Hotel, and that was a good choice. Not long after getting off at Samarkand train station I had this large room with beautiful rugs on the wall and the floor, and a most amazing ceiling, which reminded me of the Summer Mosque in Khiva. Also, the room had its own direct access to a paradise-type garden. What a pity I’m not staying here more than one day! At $40 it’s a steal.

    The hotel was literally next to the Guri Amir Mausoleum (or Timur Mausoleum as it said on the sign), so I started pretty much straight away with my city tour of Samarkand.

    I know I said yesterday that Khiva pretty much beats everything I’ve seen so far. Well, that was yesterday. Today, I can say that Samarkand beats everything I’ve seen so far this summer. It’s just the sheer size and number of all the beautiful tiled buildings in turquoise and all shades of blue that you find all over the city. I’m so grateful my Uzbek visa came through in the end! What would a Silk Road tour be without Samarkand?

    Here are the monuments I visited today (following Bahrom’s expert recommendations):

    First, Timur’s Mausoleum or the Guri Amir Mausoleum. This monument looked like it was taken from a fairytale story, with its emerald dome and incredibly intricate beautiful tiling. The inside was equally impressive, and my young English-speaking guide did a good job of explaining who was buried here and the history of each person. The mausoleum was originally built for Timur’s grandson, but the fame of this monument comes from the fact that Timur himself is buried here (though he actually died of pneumonia in Otrar, Kazakhstan, where I was last week).

    Second, I saw the three medressas or schools, that are located together in an “ensemble” to use a word from the Lonely Planet guide and which go under the name of the Registan. Again, breathtakingly beautiful and very, very impressive. I’d probably say totally awesome if I was American. If you ever look for the heart of the Silk Road, I guess this is it. Because almost all of the ground-floor classrooms now are used as souvenir shops, the area has become very touristy and commercialised. But then again, if you’re at the heart if the Silk Road, the hustle and bustle of trading is probably exactly the kind if buzz you want to create.

    Third, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque was also very impressive. The difference here was that people were in the process of restoring some of the buildings so there were rocks flying down along some of the walls quite near where visitors were walking. Also, the inside of the mosque was in a state of disrepair, with large cracks in lots of places and almost all wall decorations in shades of white rather than turquoise and blue.

    Fourth, the Hazrat-Hizr Mosque was quite small but incredibly beautiful as well. The present mosque replaces an eight century mosque burnt to the ground by Jenghiz Khan. I really liked the incredibly colourful ribbed external ceiling and the beautiful view of some of the other monuments.

    Fifth, I visited Shah-i-Zinda, an avenue of mausoleums. I think there are about twenty mausoleums here arranged along a path. It’s, again, absolutely beautiful, but more than so, it’s incredibly moving to walk along this avenue. My favourite was the interiors of the Mulk Aka Mausoleum.

    By this time it was nearly sunset and to sum up my walk through Samarkand, I’ll give the Guri Amir Mausoleum full marks for enchantment, the Registan full marks for awesomeness and the Shah-i-Zinda full marks for making me feel moved.

    Just two comments before I sign off for today. First, if you are looking for vegetarian food in Uzbekistan (which seems to be incredibly difficult) and you find yourself in Samarkand, you can try the Art Studio Cafe next to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. They were prepared make some of their dishes without meat. For example, their meat-less cabbage soup was gorgeous. Also, they offer quite a few salads and side dishes like mashed potatoes or buckwheat. Second, if you – like me – are getting frustrated because no-one ever has WiFi in Uzbekistan, you can try the Malika Hotel next to the Guri Amir Mausoleum. They charged me 4,000 sums per hour ($1.60), which is a bargain if you’ve reached the point where you’re prepared to pay ANYTHING to get online.

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