Clare’s Recce Tour to Uzbekistan – Simoon’s New Destination

When I told people I was going to Uzbekistan, I was often met with odd, sometimes confused looks.  Few people had heard of the country let alone the location, which seems to be a mystery to many!  Uzbekistan is located on the central axis of the ancient Silk Road in Central Asia, just south of Kasakhstan and north of Turkmenistan. This location on the silk route as well as its more recent Soviet occupation has moulded the country into a fascinating mix of cultures, heritage and history – the perfect new destination for Simoon!  The countries’ landscape ranges from the vast Kyzylkum desert in the west, to the fertile plains of the Ferghana Valley in the east, with the terrain getting progressively more mountainous as you reach the Kyrgystan and Tajikistan borders on the eastern fringes of the country.  Our journey started in the capital city of Tashkent, a city strongly influenced by its Soviet predecessors. The city had a much calmer and more orderly air about it than I was used to with our Middle Eastern and North African cities – the wide boulevards, the vast Independence and Amir Timur squares and the chandeliered metro stations all made it abundantly clear that this was going to be a very different experience.
After a brief stay in Tashkent we headed southwest by train to the city of Samarkand.    Our first stop in the city was stunning Registan Square (see image) which is renowned as being one of central Asia’s most impressive examples of Islamic architecture where the Persian influence in architecture and style is very apparent. When much of the restoration of the Square happened in the 1980’s many of the craftsmen were drafted in from Persia to complete the intricate mosaic tiling covering the medressas.  From the Registan we continued our tour of the city to view the other sites such as the Bibi Khanum mosque, the Siab Bazaar, and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis.  The Shah-i-Zinda sits on the crest of a hillside and holds a collection of mausoleums of the who’s who of Uzbekistan through the ages.  Although it is possibly not as iconic or as well known as the Registan it was one of my favourite sites in the city, with each individual mausoleum decorated slightly differently to the taste of its interred inhabitant.  It was probably also because we visited it just as the sun was setting; there were few visitors and we wandered in relative peace and quiet from one mausoleum to the next.
The next day of our somewhat whistlestop tour took us further west to Bukhara.  Bukhara has a very different feel to Samarkand or Tashkent; it has a slower and more relaxed pace and has a real endearing quality – I instantly liked this city.  Its most prominent site, the Arc (fortress) – see image – is an imposing fortress that housed the city’s elite from as early as the 5th century until as late at 1920 when it was bombed by the Red Army – unfortunately much of the Arc’s interior was destroyed in this attack however parts of the Royal quarter are still intact and house a number of museums.  Throughout the day we toured around this relatively small city on foot and also visited sites such as the Kalon Mosque and Minaret, the Chor Minor and the Ismael Samani Mausoleum.   For the shopping lovers amongst us and if you are keen to get involved in a bit of haggling, Bukhara also has some beautifully hand painted pottery and craftwork, of which the quality was probably the best that I came across on the tour.
Then it was on to the walled city of Khiva, a city historically known for its slave trade (and general barbarity!), which lies in the heart of the Kyzyl Kum desert almost 500km northwest of Bukhara. The journey is an arduous 10 hours by bus through the desert however from the moment we arrived in Khiva I knew the long journey was worth it.  It was early evening, the sun was setting and I stepped through the Ichan Kala (inner wall) for the first time and felt transported.  With barely a soul on the streets I roamed around the winding alleyways of the city with the only sound being the wood craftsmen at work in their workshops (wood carving seemed to be the speciality of the city).  On my wanderings I stumbled across the Juma Minaret, which we would climb to the top of the following day for some fabulous panoramic views of the city. 
The next day we discovered the other sites of Khiva including the Kuhna Ark; this was the Khivan rulers own residence and fortress which was first constructed in the 12th century and later expanded in the 17th century.  The Kuhna Ark held buildings such as the Khan’s mint, stables, harem, mosque and jail.  As you wander around this museum like city you get a real sense of its long history and what it might have been like to live there at the time of the Khan.  We also had the opportunity to visit a carpet workshop set in a small converted Madrassa in the old city, which had been originally set up by a young NGO volunteer from the UK (he has since written a very interesting and insightful account of his time in Khiva – A Carpet Ride to Khiva by Christopher Aslan Alexander).  The use of natural dyes, original Timurid designs and the fact that you could watch the skilful weavers at work made for a very interesting addition to the tour. Unfortunately, that evening it was time to leave Khiva and we departed for the neighbouring city of Urgench for our flight back to Tashkent.   Travelling around Uzbekistan has convinced me that it is the ideal next destination for Simoon; the country combines a perfect mix of culture and history and with easy link ups to its neighbouring countries of Kyrgystan and Turkmenistan.  Watch this space for tours in either Autumn 2011 or Spring 2012….
If you are interested in Uzbekistan do let us know and we can answer any queries or send you the most up to date information on our upcoming tours.