7NNT25: Day 3 – Tashkent to Samarkand
Soundtrack: “Know Your Product” The Saints
One thing that Uzbekistan has that Australia doesn’t is fast intercity trains, the sort that do the 300km from Tashkent to Samarkand in just over 2 hours. We were a little unsure at what economy class would entail, but need not have worried. As economy rail goes, it’s one of the best. There are comfy seats with a decent amount of leg room, the baggage space was a little tight but not as bad as some, and they provide free snacks and drinks. The snacks included a little bag with a pastry and a sachet of 3 in 1 instant coffee, icecream, and fruit cups, while the drinks trolley had hot water for folks wanting the 3 in 1, and a hot liquid that sadly, and inexplicably, wasn’t even an approximation of the black tea it was allegedly trying to be. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a cup of hot water with a slight tint. But it was free.
Samarkand is the old city, with archeological evidence of human settlement going back several thousand years, before Alexander the Great. As N, our new guide explained, Samarkand can be defined by four historic areas: the first ancient city, which existed right up until those pesky mongols levelled it in the 13th century; the old city, the area our friend Timur established, and which was then continued by his grandson Ulugh Beg, when the city was the jewel of the Silk Road, a centre for science, art, architecture, tiled buildings, and having many wives; the imperial Russian city, established when Tsarist forces annexed the city in the 19th century, which had over the years been mostly abandoned; and finally the Soviet areas developed in the latter half of last century.
Today’s tour was pretty much all about Timur, he’s kinda the big deal in Samarkand. He’s also buried there, the result of civil war and bad weather (he was supposed to have been buried further south). Today’s itinerary included a visit to his mausoleum, where N also explained the burial custom of having tomb stones on one level of the mausoleum, and the actual sarcophagus on a lower level. I’m not sure why this is, but will try to find out. Unfortunately the level with the sarcophagus is currently closed. N also talked about the “curse” of Timur’s tomb, how on Stalin’s orders a group of archeologists opened the tomb in June 1941, right before Operation Barbarossa when Germany invaded the USSR, and after studying his remains for over a year, they returned these in late 1942, where shortly after the Soviets lifted the Siege of Leningrad. It makes for a good story, if nothing else.
Samarkand may have the highest density of souvenir shops to residents in the world. Or at least it feels like it. Almost every corner of every historic site is occupied by someone selling shawls, scarves, plates, magnets, knives, paintings, and other tourist tat (though I’m yet to spot a snow dome). Wandering around the Registan square, behind every open doorway was a shop, giving the place the feel of a UNESCO World Heritage shopping mall.
Registan square was quite fascinating for its history, three beautiful and imposing buildings, covered in tiles, built centuries apart as places of learning. The Sher-Dor Madrasah facade is remarkable in its facade containing images of living beings and animals, which is quite a departure from Muslim tradition. We also had a look inside the “Friday mosque”, which is otherwise a small bazaar with some fabulous tiling on the ceiling. This mosque is carpeted, so removal of shoes is required, but no headscarves required. I felt a little sorry for the few people who actually use this mosque to pray, as it’s noisy and otherwise devoted to commerce. There are also some historic items on display — it seems the rule is if it’s encased in glass or you get told off for touching it, then it’s an exhibit, otherwise it’s for sale (Uzbekistan, like many places in the world, has few tourist shops with fixed prices.
Registan square is quite beautiful, so people come here just to have the backdrop for their fabulous photos, we saw what looked like school/uni graduates in full regalia, possibly a wedding party, and others all dressed up and posing. There were another small group dressed in flowing costumes with trains 10 or more metres long, jewelled head pieces, stopping at random spots to get their glamour shots.
The tour also took us to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, a huge complex Timur started, aiming to have the world’s largest mosque, but wasn’t complete at the time of his death. Again, N took us through some of the folklore, as the mosque is named after one of Timur’s wives there’s a story about her commissioning the mosque as a present for Timur while he was away fighting in India, only for her then to have to deal with a lecherous glazing expert in order to speed up completion. The story ends with Timur returning early, finding out that his wife was taken advantage of, and then trying to order her death only to be outwitted by her request to wear all of her dresses before she dies (she has a lot of dresses). The mosque itself was never properly completed, and due to some ambitious design, had numerous structural issues from the start. By the mid-16th century locals had stopped maintaining it, and by the time the Soviets arrived it was a ruin (sadly they couldn’t blame the mongols for this one). There has been a lot of reconstruction work since, and the entry arch is huge. In the courtyard is a large stone book stand, rumoured to have been built to hold the Koran we saw in the Tashkent museum.
It’s been refreshing to have a female guide, N, as the descriptions have been more nuanced, highlighting the achievements of women who were, by her account, regarded highly, almost as equal for a lot of Samarkand’s history: they were able to act as rulers, commission large building projects, make judgements, and hold positions of responsibility through the Timurid period, it’s only later in the 17th and 18th centuries that stricter interpretations of Islam started to hold sway, where women had to cover up completely. Both guides so far have shown us the garments of the period, with horsehair head covering, long robe with either arms fixed at the back (married woman) or at the front (unmarried), and N showed us more of the intricacies around the decorations. One of the good things the Soviets did was outlaw this practice, bringing in a much more egalitarian vibe that generally persists to the current day.
We also checked out one of the larger bazaars, full of spices and produce, lots and lots of sugar products (no wonder I’ve seen quite a few dental practices). These include large popsicles of crystalised sugar that has then been carved like a jewel, that is then put into a cup of tea. Even the small ones we’ve seen must be at least 6 teaspoons worth.
Lunch was at a restaurant not far from the main attractions, so a little touristy but the food was good. We went for the Uzbek traditional shasklik, grilled meat and vegetables on long metal skewers, accompanied by the ubiquitous achichuk tomato, cucumber and onion salad, and green tea, which is the staple drink in these parts.
Our last stop of the tour was the mausoleum complex, basically on the border of the ancient city and the Timur city. Here lies a lot of rich people from Timur’s circle: at least one sister, some generals, possible also some respected house staff and teachers. There’s also an empty one intended for one of Timur’s wives, but after he died she headed out of town when things got a bit chaotic and never came back. At the top is a mausoleum that apparently holds one of Mohammed’s cousins, whose tomb is tucked away behind a wonderful wood carved screen. What makes the complex most tour worthy, especially for L, is the original tiles show the development of pottery techniques, the introduction of terracotta and other clays, and glazing techniques being refined from just cobalt dyes to other elements.
Then it was check in at our hotel for the next few days, which is tucked away on a quiet street not far from modern Samarkand. Dinner was at a restaurant not far that has an extensive menu, including many gluten free dishes. I went with barak, Uzbek dumplings filled with beef, onions and garlic served with sour cream, fried with a crisp outside and delicious and aromatic filling. I followed this with mastava, a soup with rice and beef, wonderful tomato and herb flavours, and packed full of dill (I’m really beginning to like dill these days). I also had a glass of the local merlot, and I was surprised by how its colour was almost indistinguishable from the rose L ordered, quite light and clear rather than the heavy red/purple of Australian merlots. Taste was slightly dry, crisp and refreshing, nice but as the evening turned a little chilly, dining outside meant the wine was a little chilled too (the restaurant fortunately provided blankets for all guests.
Tomorrow (ha, I say, when it’s already tomorrow as I’m finishing this post, was too tired last night so I opened this up to several lines that were just me resting a thumb on the spacebar while nodding) we’re off to do some museums, taking in an old observatory, and generally staying out of the potentially forecast rain.