Day 10 (July 8, 2023): Bukhara
Today was a transition day, from Samarkand with its half-million population, to Bukhara with its quarter-million population. Both offer up sights that mightily impress, but one senses a rivalry between them as, for example, between Calgary and Edmonton. Perhaps you will draw your own conclusions as to which city offers the best sights, after viewing this blog entry!
After another lovely and leisurely breakfast, we left the Hilton Garden Inn at 9:15AM for the Samarkand train station. Our high-speed ‘Afrosiyob’ train was due in at 9:38AM from Tashkent and was due to leave 9:44AM. As a result of some traffic snarls, we made it by the skin of our teeth. (Note to self: don’t stress poor Pam out like that again… on this trip. ;-) )
As was the Afrosiyob journey from Tashkent to Samarkand, the onward journey to Bukhara was very pleasant. A clean, comfortable, efficient service, and while there was no free food or beverage service this time, they did come around to sell ice cream cups, freshly-made fruit cups, and cappuccinos-lattes.
We arrived at the Bukhara train station at 11:30AM (Bukhara is the end of the line for the high-speed train), greeted by the typical mob of taxi drivers. We used our Yandex Go app to order a taxi and thereby avoided the taxi driver mob. Our driver spoke a little English, and we enjoyed the conversation with him for the 30-minute drive from the station to our hotel. He reiterated what others have told us: there are very few Canadians that show up in Uzbekistan. (As a side note, we have been approached by many Uzbeks to have our photo taken with them. Maybe they just think we look weird and would make a bizarre photo to show friends! :-) )
We are staying at the brand new Mercure Bukhara Old Town Hotel, which just opened in December 2022. They allowed us to check in early, which was greatly appreciated, as the afternoon heat was excruciating, hitting 40C.
We eventually ventured out at 2PM, searching a place that would launder our clothes, and then we started in on the sights. The two main sights on our afternoon agenda were The Ark and the Kalon Mosque & Minaret, both of which are massive sights. A few other places were also interspersed.
We made it back to the hotel at 6PM, feeling totally wiped out by the heat. A dip in the hotel’s pool and some 52C steam in the hamman helped renew us, and a lovely meal in the hotel restaurant topped off the day.
As for which place has the better sights — Samarkand or Bukhara — it’s hard to say. Each has a definite charm, and each has enough to see to boggle the mind!
Typical scenes from the Samarkand > Bukhara train journey: low-level mountains give way to agricultural land which gives way to bone-dry desert. Much of the mid-to-west of the country comprises desert. Here in Bukhara, we are less than 100km from the Turkmenistan border and 350km from the Afghanistan border.
The beautiful fountains at the Bukhara train station.
The Ark:
The Ark is a royal town within a town. It is the oldest structure in Bukhara, occupied from the 5th century until 1920, when the Red Army of Russia bombed it. For centuries, it was the residence of the Emirs of Bukhara. Today, about 80% of the area within its walls lies in ruin, but there are still many historic buildings within the walls that one can visit.
This is The Ark. Notice there isn’t a soul to be seen! Imagine a sight of this size and calibre in Europe in July: you’d likely pay $30 to get in, might have to have a reservation or wait two hours in a line, and battle hoards of tourists. We walked right in, paid $2, and had the place almost to ourselves.
Walking up to the entrance to The Ark.
The thick, sloping walls of The Ark.
This is the 17th century Juma Mosque. The wooden columns are described as having ‘carved stalactite heads’. The Americans helped pay for the restoration of this Mosque in 2009.
The Ark has several museums, including a Nature Museum. On the train to Bukhara, we were wondering about the wildlife of Uzbekistan. Well, we got our answer here! From a dozen types of snakes to wolves, they have a lot of different critters.
This is the vast reception and coronation court, but its roof was bombed in 1920. The last coronation that took place here was in 1910. The throne was made in 1669.
This area comprised the royal apartments.
Left, is a dervish costume. Unlike Turkey’s dervishes who twirl into frenzies, Uzbek dervishes back in the day bowed and bowed and bowed into frenzies. The other costumes were for members of the royal family.
This is a massive ‘samovar’: a metal urn, often of brass, with a spigot near its base, widely used in Russia to boil water for tea. In traditional samovars water is heated by means of a vertical tube, containing burning charcoal, running up the middle of the urn. This samovar was made in Russia in 1810.
Two of the more interesting pieces in the History Musem at The Ark are this nasty-looking whip, and a huge pin-like lock, used to bold The Ark’s main door.
Let’s pause here to focus on these two men, whose stories from The Ark are very tragic. Colonel Charles Stoddart (left) arrived at The Ark in 1839, on behalf of Queen Vistoria, to reassure the Emir that Britian’s invasion of Afghanistan would not be a threat. The Emir threw him into the infamous ‘bug pit’, accessible only by rope and filled with lice, scorpions and vermin. In 1841, Captain Arthur Connolly arrived to plead for Stoddart’s release. The Emir threw him in the bug pit, as well. They both remained in that pit until they were executed in the square outside The Ark in 1842, despite pleas from England. The photo below shows a later gathering of locals, but one can imagine a similar scene on the day of the execution of these poor men.
Pam, near the ramparts of The Ark.
This shows the Ark in its totality, taken from the water tower nearby.
The Bukhara Water Tower, at 33 metres, was constructed by a Russian engineer in 1927. It is now just a touristic viewing platform.
From atop the Bukhara Water Tower, this Paris distance indicator is as close to North America as the Uzbeks chose to mark. Halifax is 9289km as the crow flies.
The Bolo-Hauz Mosque is a functioning mosque, built in 1718. This is where the Emir would worship. The carved columns are some of the most beautiful in Central Asia.
Minaret of the Bolo-Hauz Mosque.
Mir-i-Arab Medressa and the Kalon Mosque & Minaret:
Note: Kalon means “great” in the Tajik language.
The Kalon Minaret was built in 1127 and at the time, was likely the tallest structure in Central Asia. It is 47 metres tall, with a foundation of 10 metres. It has somehow withstood many earthquakes. The invader, Chingis Kahn, was so impressed with the minaret, that he ordered his troops to spare it, while they ransacked the rest of the city.
This Kalon Mosque had its origns in the 16th century. It is big enough for 10,000 people to crowd into. Its courtyard, out back, has amazing tile work, which the Soviets found worthy of using as a warehouse until 1991.
There have been so many Medressas in Samarkand and here in Bukhara, each has been incredibly striking. Today, most are filled with souvenir vendors, such as these two, which are across the street from each other in Bukhara’s Old Town. Top: Ulegbek Medressa, built in 1417 - the oldest Medressa in Central Asia which served as the model for others. Bottom: Abdulaziz Khan Medressa, built in the 16th century, was built to outdo the Ulegbek Medressa across the street!
The Taki Zagaron is part of the covered bazaar complex in Old Bukhara. The multiple domes, which are typical of Isalamic architecture, were designed to draw in cool air.
The Taki Telpakfurushon is another part of the covered bazaar complex. The above two, along with the Taki Sarrafon, comprise all that remains of Bukhara’s covered bazaar area.
Comments
Post a Comment