Filter Coffee #208

Guest Edition - On Travels Through Uzbekistan

Dear Readers, this edition of FC is a travelogue by Ashvini Ranjan who had written about Varanasi in 🔗FC 202.

I invite other readers to write guest posts on any topic of interest (not necessarily travelogues), just so long as it is not religious or political.

I hope you find this travelogue informative and entertaining. So, read on, and I will see you next week. Take care. Ciao!

🕌Uzbekistan, a Land of Many Facets

by Ashvini Ranjan

Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan the largest city was our first port of call. The flight which left Delhi at one in the morning landed at half past three at Tashkent airport. However well informed a traveller is and how well planned the visit is to a new place, there is an element of anxiety, the biggest being the designated person being present to receive us on arrival. What if he had overslept and did not show up? The anxiety is even more when the local language is totally unknown to the visitor.  As we wheeled the buggies with our luggage out of the airport, the young man carrying a placard with my name was a happy sight. I am Akbar your guide he announced. Wow, were we glad to see him! 

As we drove through the city towards our hotel at four in the morning, the streets were deserted. Yet, even at that hour, the decorative lights of the streets and buildings shone brightly. Our driver stopped at every traffic signal and did not move until the lights turned green. I was already beginning to like this place.

It was a nice bright morning when we stepped out after a few hours of rest. The weather was similar to Mysore in September and the lush greenery all round was pleasing. Akbar, our chirpy guide for the day, looked well and rested after the sleepless night to receive us at the airport. Though his English was grammatically correct, he spoke slowly with a Russian accent.

By the time my fellow travellers assembled and were ready to depart, I asked Akbar what he could tell me by way of introduction about his country. After a pause to understand my question, he accurately summarised in less than two minutes. If one were to narrate the story of Uzbekistan briefly, he said, it is all about mosques, madrasas and mausoleums.  Structures that were built to honour the departed or to display the ruler’s power and supremacy, not only over their on their citizens, but also the rulers in the neighbouring countries. It is also about frequent wars, destruction of cities and rebuilding them again and again. But to a visitor he said, each structure appears exceptionally well maintained and in the process of reconstruction, the quality improved from ruler to ruler. It is only in old photographs or painting one gets to see the state of damage resulting from these conflicts. This also reflects on the quality of craftsmen and accomplished artisans who lived during those times. Needless to say, the revenues from the Silk Route trade must have been a perineal source of income.  

As we departed on our tour of the city, Akbar reeled off data about the country, its population, the Russian connection and the contribution of its first President Islom Karimov.  He is like our Mahatma Gandhi he announced. However, he confessed that though Tashkent was the capital and the country’s largest city and the seat of administration, the real jewels of Uzbekistan were the cities of Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand. Tashkent is more a show case city of Uzbekistan with museums, shopping centres and tombs of recent times. The earthquake of 1966 reduced the city to rubble, and with it the many historical monuments.   

Following the disaster, the city was rebuilt and modelled on Soviet architectural styles. The four lane roads, manicured gardens and majestic statutes of its rulers. The design and architecture of the city’s new buildings blends well with the old structures without losing its original identity. It’s so different from what one would have imagined of a Central Asian city. Though 85% of the local population are Muslims by religion, the customs are more relaxed.  The women do not wear burkhas, nor do you hear Azam, the Muslim prayers being read five times a day.

Khast-Imom Complex houses the Quran of Caliph Uthman, the world’s oldest copy, which is said to date from the 7th century. The stately mosque endorsed Akbar’s introduction of the artistry of the structure.

Among the many attractions of Tashkent, it is impossible not to mention it’s bustling bazaars, with the aromas of eastern spices, ripe fruits and vegetables. The Chorsu bazar in particular in the centre of the city is a maze of little alley ways with merchants selling every conceivable item. It is a miniature version of the Silk Route trade of the past.     

To the Indian visitors, a visit to Lal Bahudur Shastri’s statute on Shastri Street was an emotional experience. Shastri died in Tashkent under mysterious circumstances on in January 1966 after signing the peace accord with Pakistan. Uzbekistan has named the street where his statue stands in his honour. 

KHIVA

Every historical place has stories intertwined with its local history that are told over generations. One that our guide shared with us was about the founding of Khiva city. It all started with a water well that the nomads found in the desert.  Whoever drank the water said ‘Kay Vakh’ meaning sweet water. The name Khiva originated from this. Soon, it became a stopover for the caravans that travelled through the desert, and eventually a settlement. The well still exists in a private home within the walled city called Ichon Qala, meaning inner city.   In a way I was happy that we first visited Tashkent city before visiting Khiva. The contrast was visible. It was like we had travelled a few centuries into time.  

Khiva was an important city that connected China in the East and Rome in the West. It did brisk business during the hey days of the silk trade and was also known for its notorious slave trade. Khiva contains some of the best-preserved examples of Islamic architecture in Central Asia. The monuments are well preserved and are a tourist delight. Having a good tour guide, as we did, adds to the charm of the place and the memories can be lasting. Khiva is rightly called a museum city with 79 mosques 64 madrasas preserved over centuries. It deserves being listed as a world heritage city by UNESCO.

A ten-metre-high brick wall encircles the inner city with private dwellings that exist even to this day. The inner city stretches over two Kms and has several narrow lanes crisscrossing the town. We had arrived in the noon and the shadows falling on the ancient structures were lengthening by the minute. The monotone mud walls seemed to come to life with the shadows in motion with the setting sun. 

BUKHARA

Is the next important trading post on the Silk Route. This too has been listed as a heritage city by UNESCO with over 140 protected monuments. What sets Bukhara apart from other cities in Uzbekistan is its tag as an intellectual centre of the Islamic world. Poets Firdausi and Rudaki, as well as philosopher Ibn Sina, who are equated to Newton and Shakespeare, lived in this city. Bukhara is also a home of some of the most skilled artisans. It is vibrant city, with performing artists showcasing Uzbek dances, music and clothing.

The events are centred around Lyab Haux (meaning by the pond) with restaurants and shops. The Kukeldash Madrasah, the largest in the city, and the Khanaka Madrasah on either side of the pond adds to the vintage setting of the city centre. There are remnants of the once vast market complexes that attract tourists in hordes not only to buy carpets and textiles, but also get a glimpse into a past when the place was used to rest camels after crossing the desert.

SAMARKHAND

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, which enriched itself from the trade on the Silk Route.  The city is noted for being an Islamic centre for scholarly studies. Modern-day Samarkand is divided into two parts: the old and new city. The old city includes historical monuments, shops, and old private houses, while the new city includes administrative buildings along with cultural centers and educational institutions.

The old city contains some of the finest monuments of Central Asian architecture from the 14th to the 20th century, including several buildings dating from the time when Samarkand was Timur’s capital city.

Among the latter structures are the mosque of Bībī-Khānom, a building that was commissioned by Timur’s favourite Chinese wife, and Timur’s tomb itself, the Gūr-e Amīr mausoleum, built about 1405. To the second half of the 15th century belongs the Ak Saray tomb with a superb fresco of the interior. Rīgestān Square, an impressive public square in the old city, is fronted by several madrasas: that of Timur’s grandson, the astronomer Ulūgh Beg, and those of Shirdar and Tilakari, which together border the square on three sides. Samarkand has several other mausoleums, madrasas, and mosques dating from the 15th to the 17th century, though they are not as impressive as the structures from Timur’s day. The principal features of Samarkand’s ancient buildings are their splendid portals, their vast coloured domes, and their remarkable exterior decorations in majolica, mosaic, marble, and gold. The historic city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

To an Indian traveller with a little knowledge of history, Temur the Lame also known as Temurlang is a villain who committed atrocities against the Hindus. But in Samarkhand, Temur’s birthplace, he is considered a hero. During his reign, Samarkhand prospered immensely and is the site of his mausoleum (the Gur-e Amir). The Bibi-Khanym Mosque (a modern replica) remains one of the city's most notable landmarks. The Registan was the ancient center of the city. The city has carefully preserved the traditions of ancient crafts: embroidery, gold embroidery, silk weaving, engraving on copper, ceramics, carving and painting on wood. In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.

In 1370 the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), the founder and ruler of the Timurid Empire, made Samarkand his capital. During the next 35 years, he rebuilt most of the city and populated it with the great artisans and craftsmen from across the empire. Timur gained a reputation as a patron of the arts and Samarkand grew to become the centre of the region of Transoxiana. Timur's commitment to the arts is evident in the way he was ruthless with his enemies but merciful towards those with special artistic abilities, sparing the lives of artists, craftsmen and architects so that he could bring them to improve and beautify his capital. He was also directly involved in his construction projects and his visions often exceeded the technical abilities of his workers. Furthermore, the city was in a state of constant construction and Timur would often request buildings to be done and redone quickly if he was unsatisfied with the results.