Stunning Samarkand

Following our adventures in the more desolate, rural parts of Uzbekistan, cut off from wifi and with it, the rest of the world, we arrived in the country's 3rd largest city, Samarkand. Immediately it became clear that in some ways, it was a mix of the two previous cities we'd visited, it had the size and more modern feel of Tashkent with its wide boulevards and green parks, but also the rich history and beautiful old monuments that you find in Bukhara. One man is solely responsible for Samarkands development and its multitude of impressive monuments and unsurprisingly you find his name all over this city (and the rest of the country) and that is Amir Timur, also known as Tamerlane. Perhaps not so well known to us clueless westerners, he managed to do in the 14th century what Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan did before him: conquer pretty much anyone he ran into. Around a century after Genghis Khan, Timur used his legendary strength and genius tactics on the battlefield to pillage and plunder his way to an empire stretching from Turkey to Iran to Delhi. He made Samarkand his capital, and it stayed the capital of Uzbekistan until the Soviets promoted Tashkent to that honor. As a result, the city was granted a gorgeous mausoleum for the man himself (Gur-E Amir mausoleum), a majestic plaza with three heavily decorated madrassas (Registan), a necropolis (Shah-I-Zinda) with mausoleums for all kinds of people that surrounded Amir Timur and a massive mosque built by order of Timur, that cost the lives of many workers and didn't manage to stand for too long (Bibi-Khanum). The architecture is based on older Iranese buildings, similar to what we saw in Bukhara but with more intricate and more colorful mosaics inside and out, with lots of variation and eye for detail. Sadly, these old buildings were not really earthquake-proof, and you guessed it: Samarkand is right on top of some shaky ground. An exceptionally destructive earthquake in 1897 left plenty of buildings in shambles and a lot of what you can see nowadays is reconstructed.   We stayed in one of the fancier places of all hotels on our trip: B&B Antica, located in some old houses surrounding a great courtyard bam smack in the middle of Samarkand. It is run by two sisters, one that speaks perfect English and one German, supported by an army of Uzbek housemaids to do all the cleaning and made the best breakfast we've had. Since the city has a select number of must-see monuments backed by a bucketload of history, we decided to get us a private tour guide like the real culture geeks we are. This turned out to be a great decision, as we managed to do all the sightseeing properly in less then a day, with our knowledgeable English-speaking guide telling interesting background stories and answering all our burning questions about Samarkand, history and Uzbek culture and customs.   

Registan (aka sandy place, but that doesn't sound nearly as good), the most well known of Samarkands buildings.

 

 

Ulugh Beg madrassa, The middle of three madrassas of the impressive Registan at nightfall, with the dome of the 'covered in gold' mosque sticking out on the left. 

 

There was a massive bazar in Samarkand, where hundreds of people everyday came shouting to try and sell their vegetables, candy, nuts, dried fruit and spices. Everyone haggling as if their lives depend on it.

 

Non bread was sold there as well, just like about anywhere. At least they found a use for those old prams!

 

Registan. Massive, impressive, and constantly in restoration since it was built starting in the 15th century.

 

Inside dome of the 'covered in gold' mosque. Literally kilos of gold.

 

The mihrab of the same mosque, in the direction of Mecca towards which Muslims pray.

Intricate beatifications in every nook and cranny.

 

With often some trees in the middle for some shade. Inside Ulugh Beg madrassa.

 

Still Registan.

Rye bread and Hagelslag in front of Registan at night.

 

Overview of the colorful and interesting street of mausolea that is Shah-I-Zinda.

 

Just chillin'

Close up.      

The massive (reconstructed) Bibi-Khanum mosque. Also known as mosque of fear after Timurs ruthless treatment of the builders in pursuit of the worlds biggest mosque. It worked, but only for a while, as Timurs unrealistic plans started collapsing soon after construction was finished.

A massive stone book stand for the world oldest Khoran, looted by - you guessed it - Amir Timur. In front of Bibi-Khanum mosque.

Arguably the most stunningly beautiful of Samarkand's monuments, Gur Amir was built by Amir Timur as a mausoleum for his favorite grandson who died suddenly. Now it holds the tomb of the king himself, as well as a couple of his sons and grandsons (including Ulugh Beg).

 

Impressive inside and out, its architecture inspired many other buildings, including the Taj-Mahal.

 

After Samarkand we had a couple of travel days where we were taking it slow, not in the least so that Maria got a chance to recover from a nasty cold. Now that both of us already felled by fever, we hope to survive the rest of our crazy travels without any physical issues. Meanwhile, after the most crowded and retarded border crossing I've ever had to go through, followed by a pretty comfy and modern overnight train ride, we arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan, but more on that the next time!