The Random Wanderer

So, it’s time for my final blog (for now) from Uzbekistan. The final city that I visited in the country was the historic capital of the Timurid Empire, Samarkand. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I had fantasised about visiting Samarkand for a long time. Ever since I first saw them, images of the great Registan in the city had stuck in my head. Perhaps it’s just me but I deem the three madrasas of the Registan as the defining sight of Central Asian architecture. From the moment I arrived at my hotel, a stone’s throw from the Registan I was memorised. The sun faces and tigers of the Sher-Dor Madrasa stared back at me on the terrace of my hotel. This Persian-influenced architecture strikes you not only in its beauty but its sheer scale. In Khiva, the attractions are undoubtedly beautiful, nevertheless, the scale of the architecture does not compete, in Bukhara, there are some large structures but none quite as imposing as the Registan in my opinion.

Part of the Registan’s mysticism to me I think is due to its age. The three madrasas are built in 1417, 1619 and 1646, much older than almost all the structures in Khiva and many in Bukhara. They may be old, but they are perhaps more impressive. The Ulugh Beg Madrasa and Sher-Dor Madrasa which sits opposite each other, both incorporate Persian Architectural features. Of course, the artwork incorporates these features but also the structure of an enormous façade flanked by giant minarets. The Tilya-Kori Madrasa, however, follows much more of the design features you see in other Madrasas throughout Uzbekistan, featuring the outward-facing cells on either side of the main entrance to the Madrasa. This Madrasa formerly operated as a mosque; therefore, it contains an ornate gold and blue main hall. The slightly curved roof of this hall produced one of the best photos that I have ever taken in my opinion. This style of architecture simply mesmerises me and I can’t wait to discover other parts of this region.

Although, in my opinion, the Registan is the centrepiece of Samarkand, it is a city which has a lot more to offer. Unlike Khiva, and to a certain extent Bukhara, Samarkand is not a museum city. It is a city with architectural sites and museums. The city has a closer feel to Tashkent than to Bukhara and Khiva. This comes of course comes with the normal negative aspects of busy cities, nevertheless, a return to the amenities of a regular city is quite nice after a week in the desert. Strangely the one thing I struggled to find in Samarkand were cash machines and currency exchange places, which was so strange, in all other cities in the country they are absolutely everywhere, and then in Samarkand, I was wandering around aimlessly for an hour trying to get the money to pay for my hotel.

Despite this my time in Samarkand was great, once again I did a private walking tour around the city. In addition to the Registan, we visited the enormous, heavily renovated early 15th Century Bibi-Khanym Mosque, named in honour of the wife of Amir Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The mosque is simply vast, and the sheer size of the facades is difficult to comprehend, the best I can do to convey the size is this image of me standing in front of it. That day I also visited the under restoration Amir Timur Mausoleum, with its beautiful interior and the mausoleum Shah-i-Zinda, in honour of the cousin of the profit Muhammed, Qutham ibn Abbas.

My tour guide, Ulugbek, like the former Timurid ruler, also took me to a small flea market in a man’s house in a residential area of the old town. To a slight Soviet obsessive like myself, this was near heavenly. The Lenin’s sat on tables, boxes for shavers with interesting modernist designs and hundreds of badges and coins. I left the market with numerous badges, perhaps my favourite being a 1980s Soviet badge reading “ТУРИСТ-САМАРКАНД”, an appropriate memento I think from my time in the city.

Following the tour, which was really interesting and informative in the blazing heat of the city my guide took me to a little place, a part souvenir shop, and part coffee shop, Samaccino Coffee. When I entered, I did not expect to be there 3 hours later having spoken to Samat, the owner for hours. I enjoyed my hours in this little oasis from the heat, great Iced Latte, great chat, mostly about our car dreams and kindness. From sharing the Shashlik, with him and the other staff, to giving me more Soviet badges for free. It’s in these places where I feel at ease whilst travelling and definitely a memory I will cherish. I’ve said it before but will say it again, you can see all the beautiful places in the world, but it’s the interactions with people, for good and for bad which you remember most, all my favourite places I’ve ever visited are the places where I’ve met people and been able to enjoy the place in the hands of them.

Finally, I just want to speak a little bit about the places I haven’t previously mentioned I visited during my time in Uzbekistan. After my trip to Karakalpakstan was cancelled, I decided to do a day trip to the Chimgan Mountains about an hour and a half north of Tashkent, close to the Kazakh and Kyrgyz borders. The region is simply beautiful, with the great blue reservoir and the many peaks. On my trip, I went to the top station of the new Amirsoy Ski Station and its brand-new infrastructure. The top of the resort, well above 2000m was a refreshing change from the Tashkent heat and the view was outstanding, even if I was a bit nervous getting my photo taken on the overhang. I also took a different, old chairlift in another area of the mountains. I will accept that this chairlift provided me with one of the best photos of mountains I’ve ever taken from the top. Nevertheless, this barrierless chairlift was petrifying. The fact mothers were going up just holding their children absolutely freaked me out, and I like danger. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so silent with a guide on the lift down, I think we both decided at that point – never again.

Nevertheless, I’m really glad I did this trip and it really makes me want to return and explore the mountains of Central Asia in their entirety. In fact, I’m really glad I came to Uzbekistan in general. I had questioned myself slightly whether travelling to Uzbekistan solo was the right decision. I wasn’t fully sure how I was going to do everything I wanted to, there was political unrest and I had heard the stories of issues that tourists had had in years gone by. All I can say, with the one exception of my little run-in with the police in Tashkent, is that Uzbekistan is definitely a place to travel to. A place of people proud of their country’s history, kind and intrigued by my presence. I loved my almost three weeks in Uzbekistan and I’m sure I will return one day in the not-too-distant future.

Accommodation

In Samarkand, I stayed in the Minor Hotel, a stone’s throw from the Registan with a great view of the Sher-Dor Madrasa from the great roof terrace. Also has a decent breakfast and decent rooms with everything you’d need for a couple of days in the city.

Booking.com Link: http://www.booking.com/Share-MDnxoR

Things to do

Registan

Really goes without saying that the Registan is the place to see in Samarkand, both inside and outside. It really is a wonder of the world in my opinion. Just be aware of the 50,000 Som entrance fee.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque

Just vast, the largely intact main hall of the mosque, which you cannot enter for safety reasons but can peer inside, is a time capsule of Samarkand’s heyday

Shah-i-Zinda

A very holy site, and with this comes an atmospheric feel with prayers constantly being recited live. This combined with the beautiful architecture and great view across the city to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque makes it a must-see. If you visit here, have a quick visit to Samaccino Coffee and grab an Iced Latte.

Russian Quarter

For a completely different side of the city, I recommend visiting the Russian Quarter. The Imperial era area is more of a Russian regional city than Timurid Empire, and for me, I quite enjoyed wandering around.

Gur-e-Amir (Timur Mausoleum)

Despite the renovation work on the dome, the interior of the great Timurid ruler is worth seeing.