Advertisement
Published: June 10th 2010
Edit Blog Post
crossing the Kyzylkum desert
stormy skies - but at least it didn't rain The drive from Khiva to Bukhara is mostly across the Kyzylkum desert and in places the desert is taking over the road and we have to weave our way between pile of sand. The other excitement is the rickety pontoon bridge we have to cross. In places the metal plates are no longer attached to each other and there are some steep changes in level. Anyway we survive and arrive in Bukhara only we seem to be on the wrong road. We can see the right road, its just the other side of the blockade. There's no way round the blockage but there is the ancient domed bazaar that connects the 2 roads. The police men are telling us we have to go back but the locals are all waving us through the bazaar so through we go.
Bukhara was one of central Asia's holiest cities and its centre is filled with 15th century Medressas. Again they were immaculately restore by the Russian so there is a slightly sterile, museum, show-piece feel to them from the outside Inside most are filled with souvenir stalls with traditional embroidery, carpets, hats etc. and this actually helps make them seem more alive. The
tile-work here is more ornate than Khiva with more colours, more mixed patterns and the occasional depiction of animals which is unusual in Muslim buildings. The whole place is a riot of colour and patterns.
The Royal Road from Bukhara to Samarkand is much greener, no desert just lots of fruit trees and lots of ploughed fields waiting to be sown with cotton. Its the irrigation of these cotton fields that has contributed to the disappearance of the Aral Sea. We pass several compounds with large mounds of white cotton stored under tarpaulins and lots of lorries transporting cotton around. There are big road works and diversions in Samarkand. We eventually get right next to the hotel but there is an enormous pile of sand blocking the road between us and the entrance. Luckily the workmen all find it very amusing and shovel out a narrow path so we can get through.
Smarakand was one of the main Silk Road cities on the crossroads between China, India and Persia. It was already a cosmopolitan city and the capital of the Sogdian Empire when Alexander the Great passed through in the 4th century - he was impressed. It grew
in strength and importance until 1220 when Genghis Khan came through and razed it to the ground. Today's grand city was built by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1370 as his capital so it contains many grand Medressas, shrines and market places. Again the Russian have rebuilt them all and when you see the black and white photos of how derelict they were you realise what an amazing job they did. The tile work here is even snazzier than Bukhara - all colours and patterns happily placed next to each other in a mesmerising display. Each new building was grander and bigger than the last with snazzier tiles and more colours. Inside the mosques and Timur's tomb there are kilos and kilos of gold decoration. There's no denying that they are spectacular - there are only a few buildings left but when the the city was at its zenith it must have been truly spectacular.
In keeping with the colourful patterned tiles the ladies all ware colourful multi-patterened outfit, the more gold glitzy bits the better. Newly married ladies wear a special gold hats adorned with golden tassels and dangling sequins. Everything is an assault on the senses.
Tomorrow, after
all the culture of the Silk Road cities, we head south into the mountains and back onto some good motorcycling roads.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.045s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0235s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Carol & James
non-member comment
'wow'!
Hi tupela, What an amazing journey - I'm very envious of you getting to these exotic sounding places that i've been wanting to visit too for years. The tile work looks brillliant - I'm surprised that the Russians went to so much trouble but there you are - its left some wonderful buldings behind. Not a lot of people around? - Hope all is going well with the bike and the journey. Looking forward to the next blog. Carol and James