Miles driven: 444
Time in Car:9 hours
Borders crossed: 0
After a great evening in Khiva and a stellar breakfast provided by our hostel, we took the long, pot hole-filled road to Samarkand. In its heyday, Samarkand was one of the most populous and wealthy cities in the world. Rule of the city has fluctuated from the Persians to the Turkic people to the Mongols. Even Alexander the Great conquered the pivotal Silk Road city. The ruler who most visibly left his mark on the city, however, was Timur the Great. Timur, or Tamerlane, built huge mosques, mausoleums, and Madrasahs (Islamic schools) in between his ruthless conquests of Central Asia. Subsequent rulers followed suit, resulting in some of the most richly mosaic-covered buildings in all of Central Asia and the Islamic world. The city has been painstakingly restored by both the Soviets and the current Uzbekistan government. It is beautiful. We arrived at night, checked into a hostel (complete with a lush courtyard filled with exotic birds for some reason), and grabbed some over priced beer and mediocre food from a glaring tourist trap.
Uzbek bread sold at the bazaar - like a giant, airy bageljn
The following morning, we walked to the Shah i Zinda. The mausoleum complex was started in the ninth century around the supposed burial spot of a cousin of Muhammad. Widely considered one of the most beautiful spots in the Islamic world, the vivid, geometric mosaics were stunning. After the mausoleum complex, we explored the bazaar. Unlike the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, this Bazaar felt like a true local market. Booths were teeming with melons, citrus, berries, spices, nuts, pickles, and various types of Uzbek bread. We walked around and sampled a few of the fruits and a loaf of excellent bread before heading to a local spot known for its plov. Plov is ubiquitous across Central Asia and consists of oily rice, veggies, and usually some type beef or mutton. Uzbekistan is known for having the best, and Osh Markazi is known for being one of the better spots in Samarkand. It did not disappoint.
Shah-i-Zinda
We walked off our carb heavy meal by taking the scenic route back to Bibi Khanym Mosque, a giant ruin of a mosque dating back to the 14th century and Timur. The size of the ruin showed just how wealthy the city was under Timur. Our next stop, the famous Registan Square, showed just how influential the city was.
The Tilla-Kari medrassa of the Registan is known for its gold leaf ceiling
The Registan Square consists of three madrasahs built by Timur and the subsequent rulers of the city. The buildings themselves are beautiful and even include Islamic mosaics depicting animals as well as human like faces. This is rare in the Islamic world given the tradition of abstaining from any iconography. Back during the golden age of the Silk Road, Samarkand and other major cities in Uzbekistan were the centers of Islamic scholars. They influenced even the West. For example, these institutions are responsible for giving us Algebra. Despite that annoyance, we really enjoyed the square. We followed the square by checking out Timur’s mausoleum and enjoying a much deserved beer. After relaxing at the hostel for awhile, we enjoyed a nice dinner with two teams we had been convoying with. Tomorrow would begin our journey into Tajikistan and the Pamirs. -FWY
Registan at night