I never learned to pronounce Shakhrisabz. It is the birthplace of Timur, Uzbekistan's epic hero, as Manas is the epic hero for Kyrgyzstan. However, Timur is a real historical figure, while Manas' existence hasn't been proven. Tamerlane was born in 1336 and ruled an empire that stretched from Turkey to India. He is known in the West as Tamerlane. We visited Shakhrisabz on October 20, 2021.
We stayed the night in the brand new Kesh Palace Hotel. Its breakfast room and lobby were decorated with murals, depicting camel trains and dancing girls.
The trip's delicious but unusual breakfasts continued.
Our first sightseeing stop was the Kok Gumbaz Mosque, built by Uleg Beg, the grandson of Timur, who was also a great astronomer.
The mosque included a minaret from which the mullahs (priests) call the people to prayer many times each day.
There were special areas for women at the mosque, which were crowded during our visit.
I adore Central Asian designs, which, as required by Islam, include no representations of people or animals. The Central Asian designers raised geometric and floral art to a new high.
While we sat in the
mausoleum, as Abdu told us about the history of Timur, an imam entered the
small shrine and intoned a vignette from the Koran for us. His voice was rich and rhythmic. He also said a prayer for us, wishing us
health and good luck on our journey. As
the imam spoke, Abdu held his hands up, in cupping shape, in front of his face,
and then, when the prayer was done, made a motion of raising his hands above
his head and turning them down. Abdu
said that Moslems hold their hands in cupping shape to scoop up all the
blessings that are said during a prayer, and then uncup their hands over their
heads, as if to let the blessings wash down over them.
Our next stop was the Amir Timur Park, with its huge statue of Timur and the remains of the Ak Saray (White Palace), built in the 14th century and one of Timur's most expansive undertakings.
Near the entrance to the park, we passed a band of three brothers on their bikes.
The oldest brother gave us a smile and thumbs up sign.
As we repeated the thumbs up sign, the two little brothers repeated the sign, as well! The trio reminded me of Jonny's little boys.
The locations in the world with the best crafts I have ever seen include Uzbekistan, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, India, China, and Morocco. This shop, near the Amir Timur Park, included gorgeous hand-embroidered and appliqued fabric.
We also stopped at an art gallery, with paintings depicting Uzbekistan history.
We fell in love with this painting. It showed the blue and tan city, with light shining on the
top tier of houses and a large camel walking in front. I begged Dave for the
painting, to put in our bedroom, and he finally agreed. Abdu called the artist to learn the price,
which was $500. The painter arrived,
riding a bike. We paid for the painting
in cash, and the artist rolled it into a tight cylinder and delivered it to our
hotel. It will be the perfect souvenir
to remind us of Central Asia.
The palace complex, behind the statue of Timur, included a massive portal covered with incredible blue, white, and gold ceramic
tile mosaics and standing over 213 feet high.
We saw at least four or five wedding parties walking through
the ruins, accompanied by parents, bridesmaids, and groomsmen. The brides were
dressed in white dresses with enormous hooped skirts. They had jet black hair and dark eyes and
were each very beautiful!
Parts of the palace had been left unrestored, from the 1300s. I admit, rather guiltily, to preferring the "touched up" version.
By early afternoon,
we began our drive up and over the high mountains to Samarkand. Near the top, we
stopped for lunch at a café.
Abdu took us to see the
large ceramic ovens where lambs are roasted with juniper leaves and
spices and to watch the clerk slice the lamb and sell it to drivers stopping for "take away.". I have been eating beef, rather
than lamb, throughout the trip, but this lamb was delicious.
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