Day 2 From Tashkent to Samarkand

Day 2 – Tashkent to Samarkand

Time to head for the Silk Road… First stop Samarkand, a city I have been wanting to visit for ages, on the trail of Omar al Khayyam, the 11^th century Persian poet and mathematician, who wrote the Rubaiyat and created the x- and y axes in maths, but who also knew how to enjoy life (if you want to learn more read ‘Samarkand’ by Amin Maalouf).

Samarkand was founded in the 5th century BC and remained throughout the centuries a cosmopolitan, important city in Central Asia, due to its key role along the commercial highway of the Silk Road, connecting East and West. Western Turks, Arabs, Persian Samanids, Seljuk Turks, Chingis Khan, all took turns in governing the city. Amir Timur turned it into his capital in the 14th century transforming the city into the cultural and economic centre of that era.

After a 4 hour taxi journey, we reach the historical Silk Road city. It’s very different from ‘Soviet’ Tashkent. Women walk around in traditional dress, men wear the ubiquitous ‘doppilar’ black, four-sided skullcap and ‘oriental’ features are much more noticeable than in Tashkent, a reminder that Chingis Khan and his mongol mob wreaked havoc in this area of the world for a couple of centuries starting in the 1300s. The Registan is our first stop: 3 medressas (religious schools) all in one complex on one square…

The Ulugbek Medressa was built by Ulugbek in 1420, the Sher Dor (Lion) Medressa in 1636 by Emir Yalangtush and the Tilla-Kari (Gold-covered) Medressa  in 1660. The architecture is very similar to what I have seen in Esfahan in Persia, probably because the two regions share a common history, with Persia governing what is today Uzbekistan in the 9^th and 10^th centuries and Amir Timur, having conquered areas of Persia in the 15^th century.  We are surrounded by a sea of beautiful tiles and mosaics and wide courtyards. The dome of the Tilla-Kari Medressa is impressive, a melange of blues and gold leaf. The ceiling is actually flat and not a dome at all…

We head down to the Gur-e Amir and Ak-Saray Mausoleums, housing the remains of Amir Timur (Tamerlane), the celebrated Uzbek hero whose empire extended to Persia and beyond, and several of his relatives. Timur lies beneath a single block of dark green jade.

Once back at the hotel we discover that we have no hot water. I put on my Hawaianas and head for the communal shower (or should I say tap!) to bathe in what looks more like a broom cupboard, terrified by the thought of the critters that might be running around. We decide to change hotels, as the Russian hotel manager shows little understanding for us wanting warm water when nightly temperatures are 5 degrees… We have dinner at a rustic restaurant owned by Russians and run by Uzbeks. Hearty tasty food, quite good Uzbek wine (produced with Italian technology;-) and a piano and clarinet player accompanying the dinner.