Any Travels

Uzbekistan has some of the best preserved islamic cities in the world. Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva all have great historic centres, with a few almost unbelievably beautiful mosques and coranic schools. These are cities you cannot miss, if you are just a tiny bit interested in culture and or Islam. Uzbekistan has also part of one of the biggest environmental disasters in the world: Aral lake. This lake is slowly disappearing with al the nast consequences for the people living around it. It is a very unhealthy climate near the ex-lake. Worst of all is that this is a man made disaster.

The toughest thing about Uzbekistan is understanding why your tour guide is so reluctant to giving the clients a simple price quote. In truth, the Uzbek currency has a state determined value and a black market value. Uzbek people cannot explain this to you over the internet, phone, fax or otherwise for fear of the tax authorities showing up for an impromptu inspection and accessment. Travelling in Uzbekistan is cheap, but only if you show up dollars in hand and pay cash. Previously, travel agents could book your flights at the local rate. This is no longer the case and foreigners must pay first world prices. Save your cash and see the countryside by hiring a car. The last time I checked, the dollar in the bazaar was worth about five times as much as in the bank. Speak quietly and ask your tour guide to exchange some money. Expect to pay him or her a comission just like you will pay a little more than the local people for everything.

Places of Interest:

Bukhara
Bukhara is one of the most famous cities on the ancient Silk Road. Samarkand is maybe a bit more famous, but Bukhara wins hands down when it comes to atmosphere. This city is alive! The old part of town offers an incredible number of sights. The first or last stop of any visit should be the Lab-i-Hauz, a great place to relax, sit, drink tea (or something stronger) and wait for the fountains to start again.

Seen from the Lab-i-Hauz the Ark or Citadel is at the other end of town. Between those two are magnificent Koranic schools, impressive mosques and a big tall minaret with a history that will make you shiver..

Samarkand
The Registan square, reportedly the age old intersection of the trade roads, is the reason why people come to Samarkand. And with good reason. It is one of the most beautiful examples of Islamic architecture you will ever see, right up there with the Alhambra in Spain and the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. But there are a lot more monuments in Samarakand and around it. Although the old center has not really survived into modern times, you can find reminders of the greatness of the rulers of Samarkand, especially Ulughbek and Tamerlane, all over town. If one wants to enjoy Central Asian nightlife, Samarkand is the place to do it. The city offers most of the options of Tashkent, but at prices that will make one feel like one is still enjoying the budget of Central Asia.

Navoi
For those interested in the Soviet occupation of Uzbekistan, there is no better place than Navoi. This city, nearly a midpoint between Samarkand and Bukhara, was never under the jurisdiction of Tashkent. It was administered and supplied directly from Moscow. Locals who could not afford the trip to Moscow, even at the ridiculously cheap communist prices, would go to Navoi for access to goods available nowhere else in Central Asia. The modern city of Navoi is completely artificial, the grand boulevards, square parks and rectangular apartment blocks the height of Soviet perfectionist ideology. Don't try to spend the night as the local police are a bit jittery. This city remained closed to foreigners until 1996. Don't forget to take a picture of the "we swear they are not nuclear" factory smokestacks. Two camel treking companies operate out of Navoi.

Tashkent
Tashkent is a very attractive and vibrant city. The roots of the rich Uzbek culture shine through Tashkent's architecture, museums and metro stations. The uzbek folk are very friendly. The best way to get a full taste of the culture would be to visit the local markets, It is a social place which every citizen in Tashkent is bound to visit. The nightlife in Tashkent is evolving at an incredible pace. There are many night clubs as well as teahouses and cafes. The uzbek food is unique and very tasty! Some of the dishes that you have to try are the "plov", "samsa", "shaslik" and a lot more. But be careful! food bought at markets may upset your stomach (for a long time, even). so either take some pill or eat some local yoghurt to build on friendly local bifido-bacteria. Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan but does not have the special attractions Samarkand and Bukhara have. Most of it was destroyed by a huge earthquake in the seventies. The soviets took this disaster as an opportunity and called the working class heroes to help rebuild Tashkent. Thousants of volunteers went to the city to help and stayed afterwards, turning the ancient city into a modern, communist and rather Russian town.

The town is not unpleasant though. There may not be many sights, except for a few really good museums, but there are parks and fountains and the Stalinst like architecture is quite impressive. It is also an important hub if you wnat to go to Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan. There are cheap internal flights to Khiva, Bokhara and Samarkand, although the savety records of internal flights for Uzbekistan is only so so.

Some of the world's most audacious and beautiful examples of Islamic religious buildings are to be found in Uzbekistan's Bukhara, Khiva and, especially, Samarkand. Most of the monumental mosques, minarets, mausolea and monasteries date from the time of the Timurids, great appreciators of glitzy, glazed goth-ish glories. Uzbekistan's folk art has tended towards the portable - clothes, arms, jewellery, weaving, embroidery and rugs - in tune with semi-nomadic living. Islam prohibits the depiction of the living, so traditional arts developed in the form of calligraphy, combining Islamic script with arabesques, and the carving of doors and screens. Painting was revived under the Soviets and became a curious hybrid of socialist realism and mock traditionalism - try smiling Uzbeks at a teahouse with futuristic chimneys thrusting skywards in the background.

Uzbek men usually wear sombre colours, except for the bright-coloured sash which older men use to close their long quilted coats. Nearly all wear the dopy, a black, four-sided skullcap embroidered in white. Uzbek women are fond of dresses in sparkly cloth, often worn as a knee-length gown with trousers of the same material underneath. One or two braids indicate a married woman; more braids signify a single woman. Eyebrows that grow together over the bridge of the nose are considered attractive and are often supplemented with pencil for the right effect. Uzbek is the official language of Uzbekistan, though Russian is still the language of government and academia and Tajik is spoken in Samarkand and Bukhara.

Central Asian food resembles that of the Middle East or the Mediterranean in its use of rice, savoury seasonings, vegetables and legumes, yoghurt and grilled meats. In northern Uzbekistan meals often consist of pilafs, kebabs, noodles and pasta, stews, elaborate breads and pastries. Subtle seasonings and fancy sweets distinguish the cuisine of southern Uzbekistan. Tea is ubiquitous, usually served without milk. Despite their Muslim heritage, most Uzbekis drink alcohol, at least with guests. If you don't enjoy hard booze (commonly vodka), make your excuses early.

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