Transoxania (Uzbekistan)

Justiceiro

After a few days of processing RAWs and catching up on sleep, I'm ready to begin posting some pics of my trip. This will have to go up a bit piecemeal, post by post for the whole trip over a couple of days so please bear with me.

General Info

Quick and Dirty- Uzbekistan is a newly independent country (since 1991) formerly being a constituent republic of the USSR. It has approximately 25 million inhabitants, and sits on what the greeks referred to as "Transoxania" -the area between the Oxus river (modern Amu Darya) and the Jaxartes river (modern Syr Darya). It's major cities are Tashkent, Samarkand (known as Marakanda to Alexander the great), Bukhara, Andijan, and (my favorite city name ever) Jizzax. Sounds like the name of an Alien from Star Wars.

It has hosted a number of civilizations; the Zoroastrian fire worshippers of Sogdia, Graeco-Bactrian descendents of Alexander the Great, Buddhist Oyrats, Moslem Arab invaders, Mongol Timurids, and finally the incursion of nomadic Uzbeks relatively recently. Uzbek (close to Turkish) is widely spoken, along with Tajik ( a sort of Persian) as well as Russian.


Preparing for the Trip

Uzbekistan is not the hardest place in the world to get to, but it sure ain't the easiest. All flights go into the capitol, Tashkent, which is serviced by Lufthansa, Uzbekistan Airways, and Aeroflot. From NYC the best way to go is direct with Uzbekistan airways, or through Moscow with Aeroflot. Tickets with both cost (for November) about $900- but, fortunate as I am to have a job that requires me to travel, I got both tickets with Aeroflot using frequent flyer miles (Aeroflot is in with Continental Airlines).


Aeroflot still uses the Sickle and Hammer in its logo.

Next were the visas; expensive and a pain in the butt. It was essentially $400 for both of us- I got mine for about $150, but citizens of Portugal need an invitation, so my wife had to get hers through an Uzbek travel agent. The consulate in NYC has recommendations, but we used Vladimir at ECVO travel in Manhattan. The number can be obtained from the website of the Uzbek Legation to the UN in New York.

All that secured, we bought 2 guides- The Oddysey Guide to Uzbekistan, and Lonely Planet Central Asia. You need both of these- Lonely planet is good for practical info, but doesn't go much beyond "Tamerlane is buried here." the Oddysey Guide is chock full of historical info and pictures, but doesn't tell you where the things it discusses are, or how to get there.


Flying to Tashkent

9 hours to Moscow, and a 10 hour layover in Moscow Sheremyetovo Airport- a real hole. You can't leave the terminal if you don't have a visa, and if you pay for anything in dollars they give you an exchange rate of 24 roubles to the $USD; when it should be 35. An espresso will set you back $5.


Hour two of our 10 hour stay in the "Kino Bar."

On top of that, the staff apparently hasn't been made aware of the Soviet Union's demise. The good part of this is that the Russian Frontier guard's uniform for women consists of a military jacket, miniskirt, and spike heels. Powerful stuff. Taking photographs of anything official is highly discouraged, so I don't have pics- but then again if you have to be put in handcuffs, it might as well be by a russian cop in a miniskirt.

The bad part is that, everywhere in the airport, you get Brezhnev era customer service. I have been told that Russia is a nice place, and that Russians are nice people (the Russians I know certainly are). If I was a Russia n00b, however, the airport would put me off visiting that country forever. The single most incivil, inconvenient, and asinine experiences I have ever had with officialdom anywhere at anytime.

If you are hanging out in Sheremyetovo airport for any lenght of time, probably the best place to do so is at the "Kino Bar" on the second level. It's crazy expensive, but you can people watch, and as it takes an hour to get any service it will eat up a lot of your forced wait. Also, as the staff don't appear to care about anything, you can order a coffee and then take over one of their tables for 5 hours, which is what we did. The bar is movie themed, so you get to watch a lot of movies dubbed badly in Russian, and revel in the Soviet version of American film posters.


Anybody remember this gem of a flick? Good girl by day, bad girl by night; Angel!

The flights between New York and Moscow are all on nice brand new Boeings, as the Russian Federation doesn't want to embarass itself in front of the neighbors. Central asians, however, are regarded (at best) as slightly disreputable and retarded cousins, so for the flight to Tashkent be prepared for an Ilyushin. If you are over 5'9", you are in for some hurtin'. Economy was jammed, and I sat sideways in the seat for the 4 hour trip to tashkent. Business was empty, but apparently Aeroflot doesn't understand the concept of Skyteam Elite upgrades, so I sat watching big roomy seats go empty while brooding about deep vein thrombosis.

Arrival in Tashkent

I am not sure why, but every international flight to Tashkent arrives at 3:30 AM. So we dragged our weary butts to a cab stand, where we paid $6 to get to the Intercontinental. This is extortionate, but unavoidable. (we later paid $8 each for a 4 hour taxi ride from Kokand to Tashkent)

Ahhh, the Intercontinental. Chock full of American diplomats with 24 hour armed guard and a nice "set back" from the road. As Uzbekistan is a very secure place, this is totally uneccessary, but I'm always amazed at what wuses the State Dept. can be some times. We immediately slept, and awoke to a beatiful, bright, and warm day. From our window we could see the Tashkent Radio tower, and an amusement park called "Tashkentland."


Tashkent Radio and TV tower, complete with revolving restaurant

Tahskent is actually quite modern and well developed. It was the 4th largest city in the old Soviet Union, after Moscow, Leningrad, and Kiev; with 2.3 million inhabitants. It has cosmopolitan restuarants, sophisticated inhabitants, and lovely parks. Unfortunately it has almost no buildings of historical importance, being a relatively recent newcomer to Central Asia.

It does have, however, Central Asia's only metro, wich is quick, easy, useful, beautiful, and costs 15 cents (160 sum) per ride. Photography is forbidden, but each station is unique and beautiful (so be discrete).


Bodomzor Metro near the Intercontintal


Alisher Navoi Metro Station

My favorite is Kosmonavtlar, which has a sort of David Bowie-spaceman theme. But there were a lot of cops there, so I didn't snap anything. you can see some photos at this site.


Chorsu BazaarWe got up late Sunday morning and headed out for the Chorsu (crossroads) Bazaar. You can buy virtually anything here- from fresh produce, to chinese bicycle parts, to gold or spices.


Fresh Fruit at the Chorsu Bazaar


Spice vendor inside the main dome



The Chorsu is also a great place to eat. Uzbek food is pretty much a blend of Turkish and Western Chinese influences; a lot of Kebabs (called shashlik), as well as a rice dish called "plov." Everything is eaten with a flat round bread called "Non."


Fresh Non for sale

Shashlik cooks at Chorsu:







We ate Non, drank tea, had a Shashlik each, and it came out to about $3.50. Not too bad.


Meat at the Chorsu is very fresh


Where's the beef? Oh, there it is.

If you are not adventurous enough to eat at the bazaar, you can always duck into one of the restaurants, such as this Irish pub near Oibek Metro station.



The best restaurant in town is the Efendi Turkish place, its listed in the lonely planet and is excellent. Other restaurants are OK, but the best Uzbek food comes from Stalls or Chaikhanas (tea houses), or in people's homes.

The Center of town is Amir Timur Maydoni (Tamerlane Square); which used to be dominated by a Statue of Stalin, then Marx, and now another great bloodletter, Tamerlane.


Timur the Lame, Tamerlane, Tamurlengo, founder of the last mongel dyansty in Central Asia- the Timurids

Timur has become a sort of National Hero for the Uzbeks, along with Alisher Navoi (a 15th century poet). This reflects the sort of strange project that attempting to biuld nationalism in central Asia is. Timur was not an Uzbek, he was a an islamicized and turkified Mongol, and he ruled over the area in the 15th century, shortly after the Uzbeks began to arrive (they were not present in force at the time). His dynasty was eventually pushed out by the Uzbeks, with the last Timurid in the area, Babur, being driven out and travelling down to Afghanistan and India to found the Moghul empire. The modern Uzbek state has claimed him as their own, however, and made him the centerpiece of an imagined historical Uzbek greatness. Timur was not a nice fellow, sacking cities as far afield as India, Baghdad, and Russia, and literally piling up mountains of skulls in Mesopotamia. Oh well, those were the times.

More on Timur later when we discuss his capitol, Samarkand.


If you care too, you can also see a circus in the best Soviet tradition at a specially built venue near the bazaar.



Also great to see is the museum of Soviet Trains near the Toshkent Vokzal the train station.) Go to the Toshkent metro stop, walk upstairs, and look for the giant engines, you can't miss it. A real old school experience.



The trains range from 1914 to the late 1960s; steam to diesel. And you can climb all up in them. Admission is 100 Sum, about $0.08 USD.








The Author exhorts the Red Guards and Proletarians to build a road forward to really existing Socialism.



there's an abuyndance of train photos, you must excuse me, but I love Soviets and I love trains, so this park was like heaven for me.









Soviet Diesel Power

You can also play with the Park's resident cat, who is fat and friendly, both with the tourists and the park's resident hound. It's a friendly place.




I'v got to go, so this evening I will post the rest of Tashkent; the Russian Cathedral, and some hot Transoxanian Chick photos! Thanks for looking!

Antonio Correia

A nice description of your travel.
I think you do have more pictures and text.

I'll wait and read and look at them.

It's nice to know the World isn't it ? Different cultures, smells, foods, etc....:D
Saúde para ambos !

DoctorIt

Holy Cow J-man! Outstanding report - I think I learned more just now than in the silly European history class I had to take for a gen. ed. requirement as an undergrad!


I wish digicams were as prolific 15 years ago when I was a kid and spent a few summers with my grandparents in Praha. You would have loved the trip reports! Back when it was still Czechoslovakia, he was a good communist and worked as a foreman in a train/engine factory. He knew where all the old train yards and museums were in and around Praha, and we visited lots of them. Your star and sickle adorned locomotive shots bring back some good memories, thanks.

Seefutlung

I echo Antonio ... can't wait for more ...

Gary

Justiceiro

TransOxanian Express
Tashkent II

Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Most ethnic Russians that live in the Stans have returned to Russia, but many of them have remained behind. Some because they cannot afford to go back (usually older pensioners), some because their families have lived there since the 1930s, others because they are married to Uzbeks. Nevertheless, the population of Russians continues to dwindle.

The principal Russian Church in Tashkent is the Uspensky Sobor. Not as grand as its namesake in Moscow, but still quite nice.



Uspensky Sobor

Inside you can find Russians, usually women of all ages, praying and lighting candles.





Outside are a few beautiful onion domes. We reached here just as the sun was setting, so it was difficult to get sttrong light (the days are short this time of year).






The Russians pretty much built most of the Tashkent that you see today, and the city has a look and feel totally different from the rest of Uzbekistan. It is quite European.



European Style Buildings on Tashkent




Peoples of Uzbekistan


Uzbeks

Around 80% of the population of Uzbekistan are, naturally, Uzbeks. Uzbeks are Central Asian people who speak a derivative of Chagatai turkic. Linguistically all the turkic languages are similar, and relatively mutually intelligible. They originally lived in East Asia, and are linked to the Hsiong-Nu of the Han dynasty. They are related to the Seljuk and Osmanli turks as well, and arrived in Transoxania starting in the 13th century. They have markedly asian features, as opposed to the "Turkish" turks.


Typically Uzbek dude

There is a great deal of intermixing, so many folks do not easily fall into one distinct category according to the way they look, so communities here self-indentify linguistically rather than "genetically." Uzbeks dominate government and trade in Tashkent, but historically were nomads or farmers, so most cities are not predominantly Uzbek, and the most "Uzbek" looking of the Uzbeks are primarily rural folks. Uzbeks also live in Tajikistan, Kyrgysztan, Afghanistan, and China.

Tajiks

Tajik language is akin to Farsi, (its also called Dari) and is from an entirely different language family than the turkic tongues (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazahk, etc.) Tajiks are the descendents of the Sogdian/Zorastrian/Ancient Persian civilization that once spread from Transoxania to the edge of Mesopotamia. When the Uzbeks arrived they displaced the Iranian/Graeco-Bactrian local populace but never really penetrated the cities, so places like Samarkand and Bukhara are still dominated by Tajiks, and that is what is generally spoken in the streets there. Tajiks more closely resemble Mediterranean people than the neigbouring Turkic people. Although they are culturally Persian, unlike the Iranians they are everwhelmingly Sunni. Tajiks officially compose approximately 5% of the population,but other sources put them as high as 40%. they live mostly in Bukhara and Samarkand (the centers of Urban Tajik culture that are, ironically, outside of Tajikistan).


Young Tajik girl in Bukhara

Kazahks

Kazahks are a nomadic people that live in the desert area of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm provinces. They comprise 3% of the population and have different hats than Uzbeks (this is the only way I can tell them apart). Their language is Kipchak turkic rather than chagatai turkic, but this means nothin to me as I speak neither of them. They are related to the Karakalpaks, and live among them. In fact, I suspect that the division of Kipchak turks into Kyrgyz, Kazahk, and Karakalpak is more political than ethnic. I have no photos of Kazahks, because it was too cold to go to the desert area where they live. I did see the tall hats for sale though.

Karakalpaks

Karakalpaks are a kipchak people who live along the Amu Darya delta and the southern shores of the Aral sea. Their inhabit a theoretically autonomous region of Uzbekistan called Karakalpakstan- whose capital is the grim city of Nukus. Karakalpak means "black hat" but it is unknown why they are called this, as their traditonal hats are not, in fact, black.

they are basically Kazahks, as far as I can see, but Tashkent doesn't want to call them that.


Karakalpaks in Nukus


Koreans

Stalin deported large amounts of Koreans from Sakhalin during WWII, and their descendents still live in Central Asia. Kim-Chee is quite popular in the bazaars, and there are quite f ew Korean restaurants.


Korean Vendor in the Bazaar

Jews

There are 80 jewish families in Bukhara. They once numbered 7% of the population.

Russians

Russians comprise around 5% of the population, which is shrinking. They live primarily in Tashkent and Fergana. They tend to be the most secular social element in Uzbekistan, although most are Orthodox christians.


Russian Chicks do not wear head scarves and can commonly be seen in miniskirts.

General Notes on Ethnicity

Transoxania, being at the crossroads of civilizations for about 2,000 years, is a very mixed place. "Ethnicity" as a concept is relatively recent, having been introduced by Stalin and only being stressed since the early 90s as a method of nation building. Nationalistm in Uzbekistan is not strong, and most people identify themselves religiously and linguistically, rather than along traditional "national" lines. Thus a Sunni Tajik and a Sunni Uzbek are more closely related than, say, a Sunni Tajik and a Shi'ite Iranian- even though ethnically and lingusitically the Tajik and the Iranian are more or less identical.

Few people show "clear" belonging to groups on their faces as well. Most folks here are products of 2,000 years of cross cultural exchange. There are, in fact, no "typical" residents of Uzbekistan.


"typical" citizens of Uzbekistan


LanguageEveryone speaks Uzbek, and it is the principal language of education and administration. Tajik is commonly spoken in the cities. Russian is the real lingua franca here. I took one year of Russian ages ago, and I used to speak Czech 10 years ago, so I could fake basic russian (directions, bartering, simple conversation). If you don't speak Russian here, man, you are screwed. English is basically non-existent. And I mean non-existent- at least outside a few select areas. They speak some English in the capitol, and in Fergana. Also, most of the geeks that hang out in the 24 hour internet cafes (you can play "call of duty 2" for $0.50 per hour) speak english.

But in Nukus, Khiva, and outside the hotels there is nobody that speaks english. as most of your transportation is going to be minivans picked up in the Bazaar, learn some russian numbers and direction words (Skolko Stojit Taxi Do Tashkentu?) before you go.

Justiceiro

DoctorIt wrote:

Holy Cow J-man! Outstanding report - I think I learned more just now than in the silly European history class I had to take for a gen. ed. requirement as an undergrad!


I wish digicams were as prolific 15 years ago when I was a kid and spent a few summers with my grandparents in Praha. You would have loved the trip reports! Back when it was still Czechoslovakia, he was a good communist and worked as a foreman in a train/engine factory. He knew where all the old train yards and museums were in and around Praha, and we visited lots of them. Your star and sickle adorned locomotive shots bring back some good memories, thanks.

Your Grandpa worked in a train factory? That's so cool. I have to say man, Trains and socialism just seem to go together. The rational partof my Brain knows communism is bogus, but the propoganda and the big machines do indeed stir the blood.

Seamus

very interesting journey and great pics,

Justiceiro

But I digress....
Back to the Topic at Hand, that is to say, our trip.


To the Aral.... AND BEYOND!


I had meticulously planned our trip, even making a little calendar marking where we would be and having pictures of the moon phases for night photography. Our first planned action was to fly from Tashkent way out west to Nukus, the capitol of Karakalpakstan. From there we would charter a Taxi and drive to Muynaq, an ex-fishing port on the dissapearing Aral Sea, complete with graveyard of abandoned ships.

But it was not to be. The Uzbek Airlines flight to Nukus was sold out for the next 2 days. So we flew instead to Urgench, the largest town in the Khorezm province, between Karakalpakstan and Turkmenistan.


Uzbek Airlines

I was a little nervous about flying Uzbek Airlines, but it turns out that all their airplanes are brand new- we endend up on an RJ-85 so new it smelled like a new car. It was great. Two tickets from Tashkent to Urgench were about $150, including the service fee for some guy from the Hotel to stand in line and get them. This is much preferable to a train trip, as the train takes about 22 hours, and there are only two trains per week.

KHOREZM

Urgench is modern and lame. It is, however, the transport hub for all Khorezm, so you will likely end up here. Urgench is a great spot to use as a point of departure for Nukus to the North, or to Khiva- an ancient town that is 20 minute away by taxi.


Urgench

We grabbed a taxi for $8 from the Airport to Khiva. You should be able to get this for $5, but we hadn't figured this out yet. It's really not that far. You can be dropped off at the gate to the Ichan Kala, the "old City," which has existed here since the 6th century.


Khiva Gate

The area is perfect for photography. Dry, with blue blue skies. The old city is also almost totally preserved. This Itenerary, Khiva-Bukhara-Samarkand, is recommended because each town gets bigger and grander, but less well preserved. Start off small with Khiva and work your way up to the Registan in Samarkand.

Khiva has a number of Mosques and minarets, the most famous of which is the "Kalta Minor." It's actually unfinished, being built to about a third of its intended height before the Khan building it died. I still find it the prettiest Minaret in Transoxania, however.


Kalta Minor

the Khanate of Khiva lasted from 1510 until 1920, when the last Atrakhanid Khan was overthrown by the Soviets, although it was a czarist protectorate for many years. It attracted Russian attention due to its strategic position along the Amu Darya, and its role as the center of the Central Asian slave market. Many Russians were bought and sold here.


the Old Slave Market

The city is a maze of mud brick walls, tiny alleys, and hidden interior courtyards.



The Itchan Kala is surrounded by Earthen walls;



They are composed of Mud, Brick, and straw, baked in the sun.



Outside the walls is a nice Melon Market, near the south gate




Khiva is a popular spot for weddings. We saw three wedding processions in one day come down the main street by the Kalta Minor.




First to arrive, outside the gates of the Ichan Kala, are the family and friends.






Then the Bride shows up, and meets the groom outside the gate. She walks the whole way with her face downcast.



They walk along the main street, towards the direction of the central mosque.



Eventually, they reach the grave of Pahlavan Makhmud, a Sufi mystic, where the bride and groom drink from a fertility promoting well.



Near this well is a complex of palaces known as the Tash-Khauli palace. This is where the Khan held court.


Iwan column, Tash-Khauz, Khiva


Window at the Tash-Khauz palace


Khiva was a center of intellectual achievement in the 16th and 17th centuries. It's most learned resident was a Persian named Al-Khorezmi, so called because he hailed from Khiva, the capital of Khorezm.



His name, al-Kwarizmi, gave rise to what we call his invention, the algorithm. So if you hated trigonometry class in high school, this is the city from which your troubles ultimately came.


There is a camel here in the town square. His name is Misha, and hes terribly flatulent.





Colorful Khiva


Kalta Minor Pigeon





The tallest structure in town is the Islam Khodja minaret. If you pay the gatekeeper about $0.75, you can climb to the top (they nickel and dime you for everything). It's 140 some feet (45 meters) up.


The Islam Khodja Minor

The path up to the top is very narrow, and very steep.



While climbing up it, I came upon two Uzbek teenagers just kind of standing there in the corridor. I thought they were descending, but as I tried to let them pass me, they just stood there. So I continued, squeezing past them, and eventually emerging, blinking into the bright sunlight, through a trapdoor into the cupola of the minaret. There I startled two other teeneagers in a rather delicate situation. Uzbekistan, being Asian and Muslim, is an extremely conservative society. Girls and Boys don't even hold hands in public.

Nevertheless, if you want to make out with your girlfriend, apparently you pay a few hundred sum and climb your way to the top of this minaret, Khiva's version of lovers lane. After they determioned that I was a foreigner who couldn't tell their parents what they were doing, they carried on smooching. Always and everywhere, love finds a way.


The "make-out minaret" at night




Next to the Kalta Minor is an ex-Medressah (religious school) that is now a hotel. It didn't appear to have any residents, but the proprieter didn't want to rent us a room because he had a Japanese tour group coming in (or so he claimed). A local said it was because they couldn't get the heating working. If the heat is on, however, ou can stay in one of the students old Hujra cells for $50 per night.

We stayed at the Hotel behind the Medressah, which was $20 for a double including an awesome breakfast.


More Khiva at night






Here are some dawn shots from our hotel.



This one I submitted for the last Dgrin challenge, but was unjustly hosed. A pox upon thee Dgrin!





A final look at Khiva



Tomorrowl; how not to get to the Aral Sea in three easy steps!


(or should I say steppes?)

DoctorIt

Justiceiro wrote:

This one I submitted for the last Dgrin challenge, but was unjustly hosed. A pox upon thee Dgrin!

Fine, but I wish a hundred Misha's upon you!


great night shots there - the colored lighting they use for the Mosque's/etc is pretty dramatic.

cmason

There is a camel here in the town square. His name is Misha, and hes terribly flatulent.

I think I wet my pants laughing after I read that..!!

Keep it coming

JenGrace

Wow I've loved reading this and looking at your pictures! I especially like the photos of the locals. Keep 'em coming!

Justiceiro

I did it all for the Nukus
Nukus

How to get around in the sticks

U-Stan has an excellent train corrider from Bukhara, through Samarkand, up to Tashkent. They even have two high speed trains; the Registan and the Sharq. But outside that, you are pretty much on your own.



There are two ways to get out of or into the Khorezm or Karakalpakstan Region. You can take the overnight Train on Fridays or Sundays, you can take a bus, or you can take a Mashrutka. Lonely Planet insists on calling these Mashrutnoye- but that word is never used. Basically its a van stuffed full of people. Sort of like a Turkish Dolmus. Using a seat belt is considered insulting to the driver, so most vehicle simply lack them. People also drive like maniacs. You'll just have to get used to it.

We went back to the Urgench Bazaar to catch a Mashrutka to Nukus, about two hours away.

Here's how it works- you go the the Mashrutka lot (it's unmistakable- look for about 100 vans in the same place). Yell "Nukus" or "Tashkent" or "Bukhara." Either you are in the wrong place, whereupon they will direct you to the Mashrutka stand that handles that destination (there are usually a few stand per city). If you are in the right place, a crowd of people will descend on you attempting to fill their Mashrutka. It's a buyers market, but the prices are pretty standardized. Never pay more than $15 for the longest ride (Urgench to Bukhara). a 2 hour should run you $5; a 5 hour about $8.


Urgench Mashrutka Stand

You can also take buses, but these are less frequent and usually not as comfortable.

We got a ford Van with about 12 people for the two hour ride to Nukus. During the trip we passed miles of Uzbekistans famous cotton fields. Back in the 1950s the leadership of the USSR decided to make the Kara Kyzyl and Kara Kum deserts giant cotton fields, to "make the deserts bloom." They diverted the Amu Darya from its course to the Aral Sea into thousands of canals.

This project was designed to turn this:



Into This:


Cotton is King

This had the unintended, but entirely forseeable result of causing the Aral sea to shrink, as cotton needs an enormous amount of water to graw, making the desert a less than ideal lcoation for it. The cotton monoculture began to throttle the UZbek economy as long ago as the late 1970s.


the Aral Sea in 1964


The Aral Sea in 2003

The Sea has lost 80% of its volume, and 60% of its its Area, as well as splitting into the North Aral and South Aral sea. Within 15 years, the South Aral will be gone, forever. A saline rain falls across the region, leaving salt in its wake, as well as pesticide residues.

This has destroyed the ecology of the region, and devestaded its people and cities. It has the highest levels of TB and birth defects in the former CIS. Additionally, the former island where the soviets conducted biowarfare experiments in the 1960s is now connected to the mainland, allwoing free passage of animals and microbes.


Nukus looks like a ghost town that hasn't quite been abandoned. The city now survives on subsidies from Tashkent.


abandoned apartment block


Nukus City Park


public school


City Park Ferris Wheel

We got a room at the better of the two hotels in town the "Hotel Nukus." It was awful the worst in the country we thought at the time (we were wrong). for $20 bucks we got 4 russian TV stations, hard as rock beds, a usable but unpleasant bathroom, and breakfast. Or so we were told. When we woke up the next morning we discovered that the cafe was being rebuilt. The same guy that told us that was the guy that told us that breakfast was at 8 AM the night previously. Soviet attitude lives. Still, at least we had heat.

Avante-Garde Art in the Desert

One very cool thing that Nukus has, that in fact makes it worth the whole trip, is the Igor Savitsky museum. During the 20s, the Soviet Union had some outstandign avante-garde art happening. Some of the best paintings of the 20th century were made in this time and place. But then Stalin had to come along in the 1930's and ruin everything, as he always did; declaring "Socialist Realism" as the only legitimate art, and sending the Avante-Gardistas to the gulag, or executing them.


the Savitsky Museum

Igor Savitsky was an ethnographer studying the Karakalpak people out in the middle of nowhere, who loved Avante-Garde art. Over the Stalin years he collected 85,000 pieces, and essentially got away with it because Nukus is too far away for Moscow to notice.

I walked through this building, stopping at every third painting to ooh and ahh, it was fantastic (and I usually hate art museums). Check out their website here. The Director of the museum. Marina [SIZE=-1]Bobonazarova, speaks excellent English, and may be able to help you with transport and home stays. We met with her to arrange a Taxi to Muynaq. The phone of the travel agent she usually calls was disconnected for non-payment; and she told us that Muynaq has only three ships left. The rest were sold for scrap. "No Money for preservation." She lamented. The best place to see ships is in Aralsk in Kazakhstan.

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]If you are in Nukus, stop by or give her a call. [/SIZE](998-61)222-25-56 is the number.
[SIZE=-1]
We inquired as to where we could get breakfast and she told us that, after the Soviet Union collapsed , there were no more food shops, so we would have to go to the Bazaar.

We ended up eating at the Cafe Aral, near the Mashrutka Stand. It's two blocks south, in a powder blue building.
[/SIZE]
So we waved goodbye, and found another Taxi back to Urgench. On the way back we saw sheep, and a 3,000 year old structure the Zoroastrians used to use to expose their dead to the elements. Awesome.



Tomorrow, Bukhara!

DoctorIt

Wow.

Thinking about the Aral region always makes me sad.

Justiceiro

DoctorIt wrote:

Wow.

Thinking about the Aral region always makes me sad.

Never underestimate the human capacity for folly.

every time I consider possible ecological problems in the US, I think that surely someone will do something before its too late. Yet here, salt literally crusts the ground, and they are still growing cotton.

Blind, willful, absolute folly.

Still, they are so poor, what's the alternative? Disrupt the economy even more than the break-up of the Union did?

coldclimb

Wow, what an awesome thread! Love the pictures and the detailed descriptions and explanations! Great stuff!

photocat

Why O why have I never been there? Beautiful and darn interesting...
More pleeeze

Awais Yaqub

wow a lot to see there
great photos thanks for explaining them !

ChrisJ

Great stuff, really enjoying this thread.

I particularly like the overhead shots of the Aral Sea. Nice trip to the space station?

Seriously, great stuff here. It's a part of the world I may never get to visit...

Justiceiro

ChrisJ wrote:

I particularly like the overhead shots of the Aral Sea. Nice trip to the space station?

Authorization for the space station was the easy part. The tough bit was building the time machine so I could get a picture before I was born, in the 60s!:D

Justiceiro

Bukhara

The first task was to get from Khiva to Bukhara. This has to be done from Urgench. If you have time, you can spend a great deal of a day driving out to some desert sites like abandoned fortresses and 2,000 year old ghost towns, but 14 days isn't enough (someone please find me a job with European amounts of vacation!). We had originally considered spending the night at a Yurt encampment in the Kyzyl Kum desert (a real name, not a Snoop Dogg creation)- this can usually be arranged from Bukhara or Khiva, along with transport to the site via camel, but in the winter the Nomads had apparently packed up and moved to a warmer location.


One last glance at Misha the Camel


I think we were about one month off of the best time to visit. Summer in the Kara and Kyzyl Kum can reach 50 degrees celsius, so its best to come in Spring or early Fall.

We'd done a plane, we'd done a Taxi, so we decided to try our hand at a bus.

People in Uzbekistan are pathologically honest and friendly- but this does not apply, to categories of people that seem to be villains everywhere; Frontier Guards, Taxi Drivers (except in NYC), and so on. When you arrive in Urgench, Taxi drivers will offer to take you to Bukhara for $50, and tell you that there are no buses. This is not the case. A bus ticket costs around $7, and there are multiple buses. A taxi ride to Bukhara shouldn't cost more than $16 anyway.

The bus, however, is long and less than entirely comfortable. They also have no bathrooms, so ladies be forewarned.

the route travels south, along the Amu Darya for a while, near the border of Turmenistan.


the bridge on the Amu Darya- be very careful shootin bridges, the cops get nervous.

The bus was full of some interesting individuals, but I don't have any shots, unfortunately. At this point, I was still getting the feel of when it is appropriate to shoot someone or not, and I very much want to avoid beng an asinine tourist (I'm sure you have all experienced the same issues).

There was a woman who looked just like Teresa Salgueiro from Madredeus (man, those Portuguese left monuments everywhere, if you know what I mean.) There was also a dude that was a dead ringer for Crispin Glover. In fact, he may have been Crispin Glover, I wouldn't put it past him.

Before starting a journey, a traditional Muslim practice is to ask for God's blessing and safe protection. This is done by placing your hands together, palms up (as if you were attempting to catch a pool of water from a faucet), then running them over your face, as if splashing imaginary water on yourself. I saw this done before train journeys, meals, and among friends before departing. Right before we left, the man in the seat opposite me was teaching his baby son to do this, and guiding his hands through the appropriate motions. I wish I had snapped it, then again, I am glad I did not. The most remarkeable images are the ones that aren't captured.


About 4 hours into the journey, the men of the bus staged a sort of "pee mutiny", and when the bus stopped for a document check, they all (30 or so of them) fled the vehicle and relieved themselves in a field. I joined them. My wife did not (I don't know how those ladies managed!).



I'm getting a little bit talky, eh? How about some photos?




After 9 hours, we arrived in the dead of night at Bukhara, found the hotel that we had planned to stay in all locked up (we never made reservations anywhere) and went down the street to the Grand Nodirbek Hotel. $20 a night (breakfast included)- a real steal. This was one of the best places we stayed in All Uzbekistan. Friendly and helpful staff, cheap rates, and well placed about 20 feet from the Lyub-i-Hauz, the center of Bukhara.

The outside, like all buildings in Bukhara, is rather non-descript. But inside your rooms open up onto a lovely and peaceful courtyard.


Grand Nodirbek Hotel Courtyard

We were the only foriegners staying there.


Half-Awake Portuguese Lady


The desk attendants speak English of varying degrees, the most able being the young Student Fahreddin. Fahreddin is witty, intelligent, studies English at the unviersity, and is looking for a nice girl.


Hey Ladies!

Fahreddin will take care of all your needs. IF you need to get a guide, find out information about some aspect of the town, find the old synagogue, or talk about how much he loves Santa Claus (odd, for a muslim) talk to Fahreddin.



There are a great deal of pools and canals all throughout Bukhara. This led the russians to describe it, not as the "Venice of the East" (how many venice's are there, after all?) but as "mightily afflicted by pestilence, and plague." The 700 or so pools, once used for drinking, washing, sewage, and disposal of offal and deceased family pets, were mainly filled in by the Soviets, but the ones tha remain have been cleaned up and are now pleasant and fresh, and home only to Ducks. Each Mahalla (residential district, also community association) had its own Hauz which all the houses faced onto. The Lyub-i-hauz is surrounded by Medressahs and Mosques, as well as Chaikhanas, tea houses where one sits outdoors on a giant "bed-like" structure.


The Lyub-i-Hauz at dawn


the Nodirbek Khanaka (monestary) on the west side of the pond

On the opposite side of the pool from the Khanaka is a Madrassah, also built by Nodirbek (or Nadir Beg), the vizier of the Emir of Bukhara at the time (1622). It was originally intended to be a Caravanserai, or sort of Hostel for travelling merchants, wich would have generated a nice bit of income for the vizier. But one day the Sultan paid a suprise visit as the building was near completion, and remarked "Nadir Beg, what a wonderful demonstration of charity and piety, I am so glad that you hv build a Madrassah for the edification of the people of Bukhara." Chagrined, but unable to gainsay the Emir's word, the vizier was forced to operate it as a religious school, at a substantial cost to himself.

A small amount of revenge was obtained by him, when he made the fresco for the front of the Madrassah, it contained a very turkic (indeed, almost pagan), but not very islamic, depiction of a Sun God like figure.



today the madrassah hosts a number of craft shops.


Old men playing backgammon. Hey, nice hat!

For those of you who would like to have your picture taken astride a camel, but were put off in Khiva by Misha's unfortunate condition, you can climb atop one of the cheesy statues of camels that adorn the Hauz.


The auther fulfills his life long ambition to ride a camel while wearing a sheepskin hat.

the hatmakers bazaar, wherein the author purchased the aforementioned hat

Bazaars of Bukhara

One note about Bazaars, all over Uzbekistan. The main reason we had chosen U-stan as a destination was because of its placement on the Silk Road, and the former fame of the market in Samarkand. Honestly, Samrkand is a sort of magical word, for me at least, and I had always wanted to see it.

But the bazaars of yesterday no longer exist. This is not to say that they do not have bazaars, they do. And they are, to the first time experiencer of a bazaar, quite impressive- a cacophany of sights, sounds, smells, etc.


Fruit at the farmers Bazaar in Bukhara

Farmers still bring in all manner of produce from the countryside, and neighboring countries.




Cotton for sale



Melons trucked in from the Fergana valley


Textiles are a riot of color


Herbal Tea


A guy teaching a cat to walk on its hind legs

The Bazaar in Bukhara wasn't too bad (the Bazaar in Samarkand actually sucked). But the Bazaars of Uzbekistan do not hold a candle to the Souqs of Marrakesh, or the covered bazaar of Istanbul. If you are expecting these, you will be dissapointed.

But there are plenty of other reasons to visit. The bazaar is a "real" bazaar in that it is where the locals shop, and there are very few tourists about. There are almsot no visitors at all, and scams are refreshingly rare, and the people genuinely friendly. It's not Turkey- then again, it's not Turkey, so there you are.

More later on this evening!

Seefutlung

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

Antonio Correia

Seefutlung wrote:

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

Gary,

This is not a strange destination as holidays...
We have thought about going there too...
And we consider, I consider, we are mentally sane.:D

Once we have been in Bulgaria and we only ate lamb shops all the time because there was nothing else.
And we were lucky, because they had little to eat.

But this was in the communism time...

Seefutlung

Antonio Correia wrote:

Gary,

This is not a strange destination as holidays...
We have thought about going there too...
And we consider, I consider, we are mentally sane.:D

Once we have been in Bulgaria and we only ate lamb shops all the time because there was nothing else.
And we were lucky, because they had little to eat.

But this was in the communism time...

But you Portuguese know of all the hot spots for vacation.

My friend told me of an American that visited a friend of hers in Tashkent ... he just sat in his hotel room all depressed keeping back tears. I see visiting the 'Stans as more of an adventure than a vacation ... like checking out the Amazon or the Congo.

In the US ... the 'Stans are definately off the average tourist map.

Gary

Justiceiro

Seefutlung wrote:

So what ever possed you to find Uz-stan as a vacation destination? I have a friend from Tashkent (now in Germany) and have been thinking about a similar trip ... but I'm not normal ... you seem totally sane.

Gary

Basically we checked out the map of Continental Airlines and its partners, to see how far away we could get with our rewards tickets. Continental has paired up with Aeroflot, so the whole former Soviet Union was available.

It was not that hard to get there- the visas beign the biggest pain and expense of the whole trip. We did two weeks for about $1400 for two people; this includes transportation and the christmas shopping that we did. It would be better to spend a month, though. There is a lot to see.

As will be obvious in the later sections of the travelogue that I will post, the people couldn't be nicer. Although the street scenes may be better in Turkey or North Africa, at least for shooting, the experience of a trip was probably the best that I have ever had. I think because, as far as tourism goes, its mostly virgin territory- they haven't had the opportunity to get fed up with us yet.

schmoo

I'm pretty speechless right now, but let's see what I can up with before I hit "submit."

Thank you so much for the travelog. I have never known anything about this part of the world and best of all it's nice to see that there are still people like you who go off the beaten path. Way off.

One day I want to do something similar... the price definitely can't be beat, and certainly the amount of culture that you experience first-hand is truly priceless.

So other than English, you only speak a bit of Russian. Who did all the talking? Or did I miss something? Language is one of the top reasons why I hesitate to go to many destinations.

Antonio Correia

Young Lady.
You speak one of the most common languages in the Planet Earth.

You are not to be afraid because you only speak English, if that is.

Apart from the language there is a language everybody understands: gesture.

We - my wife and I - we speak Portuguese (native), French, English and we make ourselves understand in Spanish.

In on our last trip to Morocco (French speaking) we were with other Portuguese who rely on us for speaking.

They too are afraid to travel alone cause they don't know the language.

But you are young and I'm sure you could manage somewhere on Earth with your native language.

You don't realize but it's an advantage !

Just dare !

Justiceiro

schmooo wrote:

So other than English, you only speak a bit of Russian. Who did all the talking? Or did I miss something? Language is one of the top reasons why I hesitate to go to many destinations.

Well, like I said, I used to speak Czech 10 years ago or so, and after a few days it started to come back to me. Czech and Russian are similar enough on the basics that you can muddle through. Words like "where" (Kde, Gde), "Who" (Kdo, Gdo), "how much does this cost?" (Kolik Stoji, Skolko Stojit) are close enough that, even when I used a Czech word, it was enough for them to understand. Usually. It's not that hard. Even in places like Burma, where I spoke nothing, sign language can usually see you through until you reach an English speaker. How much does the train ticket to Rangoon cost? Make a Train noise, say "Rangoon" and then rub your fingertips together in the universal sign for "money." The train station guy rights a number down, and then you pay.

You just had a linguistic transaction without speaking a common language!


BTW, is that Tamara Lempicka on your Avatar? That's great!

Antonio Correia

Justiceiro wrote:

Well, like I said, I used to speak Czech 10 years ago or so, and after a few days it started to come back to me. Czech and Russian are similar enough on the basics that you can muddle through. Words like "where" (Kde, Gde), "Who" (Kdo, Gdo), "how much does this cost?" (Kolik Stoji, Skolko Stojit) are close enough that, even when I used a Czech word, it was enough for them to understand. Usually. It's not that hard. Even in places like Burma, where I spoke nothing, sign language can usually see you through until you reach an English speaker. How much does the train ticket to Rangoon cost? Make a Train noise, say "Rangoon" and then rub your fingertips together in the universal sign for "money." The train station guy rights a number down, and then you pay.

You just had a linguistic transaction without speaking a common language!

:D:Dclapthumbthumb

Well said. That's the point.

schmoo

True! Thanks both of you for the vote of confidence! I have learned to really appreciate the fact that English is my native tongue - I would never want to have to learn it as an adult. As of right now I speak passable French and mediocre German, but even traveling in those two countries proved a little difficult and we occasionally had some unpleasant run-ins with people who scorned us... but Europe aside it seems quite challenging to be in a country of a different linguistic root.

That said... I'm really looking forward to each installment of your travelogue!

germaine_sba

This is sooooo interesting. Thank you for taking the time to write and post all of this. More, please.

Justiceiro

germaine_sba wrote:

This is sooooo interesting. Thank you for taking the time to write and post all of this. More, please.

Sorry, I've been down with a serious flu most of the week. I'm back on my feet, but still rather tired. There's quite a lot more info to post.

Bukhara, Continued

Bukhara is a good deal less well preserved than Khiva, but its also a great deal more lively. Whereas one gets the impression that Khiva is a city under glass (think "Colonial Williamsburg, for US residents) Bukhara is a living, breathing city. It's also quite large, being the third in the country after Tashkent and Samarqand, with about 250,000 inhabitants.

Bukharan Jews

the first Jews arrived in Central Asia in the 7th century BC, during the period of the Babylonian captivity. Though Jews were once quite numerous in Central Asia, they were cut off from Ashkenazi (European) and Sephardi (Ibero-Mediteranean) Jewry for over 2,000 years, and developed their own religious practices and liturgical language. The language, Bukhori, was a tajik-persian dialect that was written with Hebrew characters much the way it was done with Yiddish in Central Europe.

Most Jews in Uzbekistan have taken advantage of the opportunity to emmigrate to a much more prosperous Israel following the end of the Union in 1991, but about 80 families still live in Bukhara. The girl who cooks at the Nodirbek hotel offered to lead us to the Synagogue through Bukhara's windy streets- which was lucky, as we never would have found it ourselves.

We walked south of the Nodirbek, and ultimately to a small, half deserted fruit Bazaar.



If you make it to this Bazaar, go through the small door in the rear right corner. then hang a left, the Synagogue should be close by.



Bukharan Door Latch

After a few doors, you should come across the Synagogue, which has a sign in Uzbek, Hebrew, Bukhori, English and, of course, Russian.





Synagogue Interior

The caretaker is a 65 year old (or thereabouts) rabbi. Doesn't look much like the traditional picture of a Rabbi (no beard), but he has outstanding eyebrows. Anyone famous who comes to Bukhara apparently stops here, as there are pictures of Madeline Albright and Hilary Clinton on the walls (that girl gets around!)


Forlorn Donkey near the Synagogue

Gaukushan Complex

From the Synagogue, one can wind back to the Lyub-i-Hauz square, and then head west along the main road that forms the south side of the square. You will pass the covered structure that once housed the Money Changers Bazaar- now a spot to buy curios and carpets.


Rugs at the Money Changers Bazaar

The famous "Bukhara Rugs" are actually Turkmen designs. As Bukhara is close to the border with Turkmenistan, there are a lot of the former "man stealing turcoman" types about (they were notorious slavers).


Money Changers Bazaar, viewed from the West



As you reach the end of the square beyond the Money Changers Bazaar, you will pass a statue of the controversial Faizullah Kodjaev, who was born in Bukhara. First head of the Bukhara soviet from 1923, He fought during the Russian revolution in Central Asia and narrowly escaped assasination by the basmachi leader Enver Pasha (the same one from turkey). He eventually clashed with Stalin (a particularly unhealthy idea) over economic policies that he thought were bad for the people of Turkestan. His struggles against Moscow lead centralization and his political slogans, such as "You cannot eat cotton" led to his execution in 1938 as a trotskyite wrecker and a rightist. He was officially rehabilitated in 1966, but remains an ambiguous figure for Uzbek historiography. Some see him as a traitor who sold out Bukhara to the Soviets, others as an idealist who fought for a modern and independent Turkestan.

Finally one passes the art museum, and reaches the Gaukeshan Maddrassah complex.


Gaukeshan complex

For an interesting view of this Square, take a look at a cool pano set up shot by someone else.


Gaukeshan Minaret detail

This complex is kind of cool. Not on the level of a lot of other stuff in Bukhara, but it does have one very interesting place- on the south side of the square is an old caravanserai that hosts, in addition to the usual knick knack sellers, it is also host to the Bukhara Center for the Development of Creative photography.

The center, with very meager resources, maintains a gallery, does workshops, and hosts exhibitions of local and visiting photograpgers. As I was perusing their stuff (I eventually bought three photographs for $20) I met the head of the center, Shavkat Boltaev. An Iranian who speaks only Russian , Uzbek, and Tajik, he was quite an interesting fellow. We were soon joined by Zilola Saidova, a charming woman who spoke perfect unaccented mid-American English, which she learned as an exchange student in Indiana.


Zilola Saidova

She shot one of the three photos that I bought prints of.


the Author chills with other photogs


Here are some examples of the work of the three photographers I talked to.




photos by shavkat Boltaev


photo by Muiddin Juraev


photo bu Zilola Saidova

Zilola invited me back the next day for an exhibition opening.

When we arrived for the exhibition, we discovered a great deal of dancing and tea flowing everywhere. At one point a woman from Uzbek Television and her Camera crew acosted me and fired of rapid questions in Russian. Zilola intepreted for me. Basically I talked about how great my trip was, and how much I loved their work (both statements true).






After the exhibiton was over and everyone had gone home, we hung around with them in their staff room, with a couple of students, for about 4 hours, drinking Tea and shooting the breeze. They fed us, of course. I think Uzbek people are constitutionally unable to have someone in their place of work or home without attempting to stuff them with food.

They have the most extensive library of photobooks in Uzbekistan (about 35 of them) which folks can come and read. They attempt to do ecuational outreach, but don't have a lot of cameras, so that's limited. Digital technology was almost totally unknown to them- there is no DSL in all of Uzbekistan (dial-up only) and the instruments were basically out of their reach financially- they survive on what the gallery can sell, and some grants from folks like the Soros foundation. all there equipment is totally manual old Canons, and some Zenit and Kiev gear, of course.

We talked about different photographers, and the art in general, and I discovered that they had never heard of Weegee. Since Fedex operates in U-stan, I am going to fedex them a Weegee photo book for their library.

They are really lovely people. They said that they would love to meet photographers from other countries, so if you are in Bukhara, stop by. You will get great Tea, and lovely conversation. Aslo, Uzbeks tend to press gifts into your hands as you are leaving the house, whcih you can't refuse. In this case it was a clay figurine of Nasreddin Hodja. Terribly hospitable.

Anyway, I am quite tired (still under the weather), but I promse a more interesting and longer post tomorrow.