It's late June in Tashkent, 11am, 32° in the shade (90°F), UV index off the charts, 24% humidity. A really nice day for this time of year. We walk to Café Breadly from our house through the mahalla where the workers from the regions have been busy on on all the various house construction/remodel projects since … Continue reading Day 1: Uzbekistan
Tag: travel
Day 2: Kokildor-Ota Khanaka
15th century Termez was a city on the brink of transition. The Timirud epoch was in full swing, decedents of Amir Timur fighting amongst themselves to maintain the vestiges of his once great empire, and putting their own personal stamp on things with monumental construction projects all over Central Asia. The Sayyids were still hanging … Continue reading Day 2: Kokildor-Ota Khanaka
Day 3: Fayoz-Tepe
While Kara-Tepe may be the more exciting Buddhist monastical complex, located well within the sensitive border zone, requiring advance permission, nice view of Afghanistan, and shrapnel mixed in among the ancient pot shards, Fayoz-Tepe is decidedly the more monumental of the two. They're even within sight of each other, and date from the same period, … Continue reading Day 3: Fayoz-Tepe
Day 4: Ming O’rik
With such an impressive history dating back to the very dawn of humanity, Uzbekistan's smaller, but nonetheless significant architectural sites are often forgotten in favor of the three big silk road highlights. The Khiva, Samarkand, and Bukhara travelers see today represent only a fraction of the thousands of years of history worth exploring in this … Continue reading Day 4: Ming O’rik
Day 5: Kara-Tepe
The most extensive Buddhist monastical complex yet discovered in Uzbekistan, the Kara-Tepe archeological site is spread over three sections and dates from the second century AD when territory united under the Kushan Empire enabled Buddhism to spread from India northwards along the silk road. The three sections represent three distinct architectural periods, with the uppermost … Continue reading Day 5: Kara-Tepe
Day 6: Chapel of St. George the Victorious
In 1865, Tashkent was a city under siege, pestered by a Russian Imperial Force of 1,500 men under the command of Mikhail Grigorievich Chernyaev. After making an unsuccessful attempt at taking the city in October 1864, Chernayev retreated to Shymkent for the winter where he was able to plan his second attack for the next … Continue reading Day 6: Chapel of St. George the Victorious
Day 7: Minor Mosque
Situated along the left bank of the ancient Angor canal running through the center of Tashkent, the Minor Mosque is a brand new example of monumental architecture in the post-independence era of Uzbekistan. The first President of the Republic, Islam Karimov, ordered its construction through an executive order that a mosque should be built within … Continue reading Day 7: Minor Mosque
Day 8: Kampyr Tepe – Alexandria Oxiana
In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great was extending the reach of Hellenic influence eastward during his conquest of Central Asia in the area known in the classical era as Transoxiana, that is the land beyond the Oxus, an area today shared by Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Wherever Alexander went, settlements and fortifications were … Continue reading Day 8: Kampyr Tepe – Alexandria Oxiana
Day 9: Zangiata Complex
In 12th and 13th century Tashkent there lived a well respected Sufi mystic, Sheikh Ay-hoja Zangi-Ata, literally "Dark Father" owing to his dark complexion, who was revered by the local people, and subsequently by 14th century Uzbek national hero, Amir Timur. Having hailed from abroad, likely from a noble family in Saudi Arabia, Zangiata spent … Continue reading Day 9: Zangiata Complex
Day 10: Buddhist Stupa of Zurmala
We never got our Uzbek cotton field experience until we decided to visit the archeological wonderland of Termez and vicinity in June 2018. After a short drive from the 3rd century AD Buddhist monastery of Fayoz-Tepe into the dusty countryside, we turned off the main road and down to the end of a dirt track … Continue reading Day 10: Buddhist Stupa of Zurmala
Intentionally International 