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So far the smallest room we've ever stayed in, and the bathroom is flooding whenever you shower because the drainage does not work, oh dear, Disholdan hotel is small with a courtyard, but the family running it is nice and attends to all our needs. Hot as usual very hard to walk around in the schorching heat, our guided city tour was bearable in part due to the fact that the guide is hot, half Uzbek and half Russian Tatar, nice to look at for when you get bored of endless walking and sightseeing. Labilor is the restaurant we frequented in the city, serves plov, sashylik and ohter things but important is it's cheap. One night we have a wonder around to find MIR, a restaurant noted in LP, but they already done serving so we have to look at another place, to get there we walked on a nice pedestrian walkway lined with tall trees, hip hop music blaring near at the park. Angus my roomi is once again under the weather so missed most of the attractions but went out with us the last night in town and we had a look at the Registan and Tamerlane's tomb
lit up at night, the Registan was not quite lit very dissapointing. The city is huge compared to Bukhara and Khiva, the sights though are very impressive especially the Shah-i-Zinda and the Registan Square, we just sat there one time to absorb and let the scenery sink in to our senses, trully majestic. Lots of university students, they greet us in the streets, some wanting to practice their English.
Before Samarqand we camped in yurt huts in the Kyzylkum desert, it was grassy and full of blooming red wild poppies, apparently it rained so it was thriving with wildlife, we saw lots of them. Some opted for a camel ride, i decided to wait until Mongolia, there were a number of Russian tourists from Moscow staying at the yurts as well, they took interest in our truck and starts photographing it at all angles. Before we left the area we had lunch at Aydarkul lake, quite nice scenery, some even opted for a swim, a lot of trash though, empty bottles, etc.
I hope the locals learn to treasure their natural wonders as it trully is an amazing area.
THE KYZYLKUM DESERT:
Kazakh: Қызылқум), also called Qyzylqum,
is the 11th largest desert in the world. Its name means red sand in both Uzbek and Kazakh. It is located in Central Asia in the doab between the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya, and is divided between Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and (partly) Turkmenistan. It covers about 298,000 km² (approximately 115,000 sq mi).
The territory consists mainly of an extensive plain at an altitude up to 300 m (about 1000 feet) above sea level, with a number of the depressions and highlands (Sultanuizdag, Bukantau). Most of the area is covered with sand-dunes (barkhans); in the North-West large areas are covered with takirs (clay coatings); there are also some oases. There are agricultural settlements along the rivers and in the oases.
SAMARQAND:
(Tajik: Самарқанд, Persian: سمرقند, Uzbek: Samarqand, Самарқанд, Russian: Самарканд), population 412,300 in 2005, is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarqand Province. Despite its status as the second city of Uzbekistan, the majority of the city's inhabitants are Persian-speaking Tajiks. The city is most noted for its central position on the Asian Silk Road between China and the west.
It is located at latitude 39° 39' 15, longitude 66° 57'
35E, at an altitude of 702 meters. In 2001, after several abortive attempts, UNESCO inscribed the 2700-year-old city on the World Heritage List as Samarkand - Crossroads of Cultures.
Samarkand is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, prospering from its location on the (Silk Road) trade route between China and Europe. At times Samarkand has been the greatest city of Central Asia. Founded circa 700 BC it was already the capital of the Sogdian satrapy under the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia when Alexander the Great conquered it in 329 BC (see Afrasiab, Sogdiana). Although an Iranian-speaking region, it was not united politically with Iran from Alexander and his generals to the Arab conquest.
Under Abbasid rule, the secret of papermaking was obtained from two Chinese prisoners from the Battle of Talas in 751, which led to the first paper mill in the Islamic world to be founded in Samarkand. The invention then spread to the rest of the Islamic world, and from there to Europe (either through Spain or through crusaders).
From the 6th to 13th centuries it grew larger and more populous than modern Samarkand and was controlled by the Western Turks, Arabs
AYDARKUL LAKE
KYZYLKUM DESERT(who converted the area to Islam), Persian Samanids, Kara-Khanid Turks, Seljuk Turks, Kara-Khitan, and Khorezmshah before being sacked by the Mongols in 1220. A small part of the population survived, but Samarkand suffered at least another Mongol sack by Khan Baraq to get treasure he needed to pay an army with. The town took many decades to recover from these disasters.
In 1370, Timur the Lame, or Tamerlane, decided to make Samarkand the capital of his projected world empire, which extended from India to Turkey. For the next 35 years, he built a new city, populating it with artisans and craftsmen from all of the places he had captured. Timur gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity, and Samarkand grew to become the center of the region of Transoxiana.
In the 16th century, Shaybanids moved their capital to Bukhara, and Samarkand went into decline. After an assault by the Persian king, Nadir Shah, the city was abandoned in the 18th century.
In 1868, the city came under Russian rule, when the citadel was stormed by a force under Colonel Alexander Abramov (1836-1886). Shortly thereafter the small Russian garrison of 500 men were themselves besieged. The assault was
led by Abdul Malik Tura, the rebellious elder son of the Bukharan Emir, together with the Bek of Shahrisabz, and the attack was beaten off with heavy losses. Abramov, now a general, became the first Governor of the Military Okrug which the Russians established along the course of the River Zeravshan, of which Samarkand was the administrative centre. It later became the capital of the Samarkand Oblast of Russian Turkestan, and grew in importance still further when the Trans-Caspian railway reached the city in 1888. It became the capital of the Uzbek SSR in 1925 before being replaced by Tashkent in 1930.
MAJOR SIGHTS:
REGISTAN:
One of the most awesome sights in Central Asia, if not one of the most remarkable in the world, the Registan was the center of medieval Samarkand. It consists of three huge madrassas, forming three sides surrounding a huge square.
Ulugh Beg Madrassa on the west was finished in 1420 under Ulugh Beg himself, and contains mosaics with astronomical themes. About 100 students were taught the sciences, astronomy, and philosophy in addition to theology.
Sherdar Madrassa on the east was completed in 1636 by the Shaybanid Emir Yalangtush
as a mirror image of Ulugh Beg Madrassa, except with decoration of roaring lions.
Tilla-Kari Madrassa in between was completed in 1660, with a golden decoration and with a pleasant courtyard.
Bibi-Khanym Mosque:
Some argue that this gigantic ruined mosque was built by Timur's Mongol wife, Bibi-Khanym, while Timur was away campaigning. They claim that Bibi-Khanym was from India. According to one of the legends, the architect fell madly in love with her, and refused to complete the job unless she agreed to kiss him. The kiss left a mark, and the outraged Timur ordered both killed. There is no trustworthy source which mentions a wife of Timur who was known by the name 'Bibi-Khanym' (which literally means 'womens-woman or queen of all women' in Persian. Timur's senior wife, a powerful old woman called Saray-mulk-Khanum, in honour of whom the mosque was named, does not call to mind the beautiful heroine of charming fairy tale.
In any event, the mosque, with its main gate over 35 meters tall, is one of the largest and most grandiose buildings in Samarkand. It mostly collapsed in an earthquake in 1897, but it has now been heavily restored by
the USSR Government, obliterating what was left of the original tilework.
Shah-i-Zinda:
Perhaps the most beautiful of Samarkand’s sights is the “Tomb of the Living King". The complex is based on the grave of Qusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who brought Islam to this area. His shrine is one of the oldest buildings in Samarkand. The approach to the tomb is a vast necropolis built on the ruins of the ancient Sogdian city. The major tombs belong to Timur and Ulugh Beg’s extended family and favorites, and are covered in fantastic majolica tile work.
Statue of Timur in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Gur-e Amir Mausoleum
After the death of his grandson Muhammad-Sultan in 1403 Timur ordered the mausoleum built for him. With time, the Gur-e Amir became the family mausoleum of the Timurid dynasty. See main article at Gur-e Amir
Main Bazaar
Extending around and behind Bibi Khanym Mosque, things have been unchanged for centuries.
The Ruins of Afrasiab
Northeast of the Main Bazaar is the 2.2 sq km archaeological site of ancient Samarkand (Marakanda) or Afrasiab, mostly exposed to the elements. The Afrasiab Museum has some
NURATA HOLY FISH
AT NURATA BABA MAUSOLEUM 7th century Sogdian frescos. Of note is the purported tomb of Daniel, the Old Testament prophet. The restored building is a long, low structure with five domes, containing an immense 18-meter long sarcophagus. According to legend, Daniel’s body grows by half an inch per year, thus the long tomb.
Ulugh Beg Observatory
Ulugh Beg was probably more famous as an astronomer than a ruler. His works on astronomy were known even in Europe. In the 1420s, he built an immense, 3-story tall sextant, one of the largest ever constructed, in order to measure the positions of the stars with unprecedented accuracy. The ruins were unearthed in 1908.
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zara khalil
non-member comment
samarqand
samarqand is one of the most beautiful city in the world. any one who likes islami arcitecture ore musque shoul visit this magnifesent city. the food is just delicios and fresh.