Postcard from Samarkand
We arrived in Samarkand after an uneventful but expensive night in Tashkent. We managed to find a hotel (actually our taxi driver took us to a different one than the one we wanted) and were able to negotiate the price from $40 to $15 for the night. We then went out exploring.
The main thing to see in Samarkand is the Registan. It is a collection of three Medrassas or Islamic schools that have been restored. The first was built in the 1400s and the other two in the 1600s.
This one is distinctive because it has two ligers (lion/tigers) adorning it with a smiling face right above them. This is unusual because humans and animals are forbidden to be represented in Sunni and Shiite art. This is why they have the very fancy mosaic patterns.
The inside of the Medrassas are an open courtyard surrounded by dorms now filled with hawkers of tourist trinkets. There are four large arches on the inside where I guess the teachers taught from.
Samarkand was the capital for the Timurids lead by Amir Timur or Tamerlane as he is known in the west. Even though most in the west have never heard of him, he carved out an empire in his time to rival even Alexander the Great. He lead campaigns and conquered Constantinople, Delhi and Moscow. He was on his way to China with 200,000 troops when he died of disease from the cold. He motto was "The earth is not big enough for two kings."
Throughout the Timurid empire are blue domes like this one.
They really are all over the place in this part of the world. When Amir Timur died, he left behind a black sarcophagus. Lots of mistique now surrounds it. It was taken by a Turkish king even after being warned not to. He broke it in two and his son got sick. After returning it to Samarkand, he got better. It was exhumed by Russians a week before Hitler attacked them and reintered a week before the deciseve battle of Stalingrad was won.
Supposedly written somewhere on it is his epitaph, "If I were still alive, the world would tremble!" What a great guy.
For something a little more lighthearted, we found a new scent of laundry detergent for those of you tired of Tide.
The next morning we took the bus to Bukhara. We figured out how to take the local bus which was a little slower, lots cheaper and more tiring since we had to talk to all the people on the bus while sitting in the aisle. Here are all the guys from the bus. The one on Stephen's left asked us over to his house about 300 times with promises of rivers of whiskey. We didn't take him up on the offer.
The main thing to see in Samarkand is the Registan. It is a collection of three Medrassas or Islamic schools that have been restored. The first was built in the 1400s and the other two in the 1600s.
This one is distinctive because it has two ligers (lion/tigers) adorning it with a smiling face right above them. This is unusual because humans and animals are forbidden to be represented in Sunni and Shiite art. This is why they have the very fancy mosaic patterns.
The inside of the Medrassas are an open courtyard surrounded by dorms now filled with hawkers of tourist trinkets. There are four large arches on the inside where I guess the teachers taught from.
Samarkand was the capital for the Timurids lead by Amir Timur or Tamerlane as he is known in the west. Even though most in the west have never heard of him, he carved out an empire in his time to rival even Alexander the Great. He lead campaigns and conquered Constantinople, Delhi and Moscow. He was on his way to China with 200,000 troops when he died of disease from the cold. He motto was "The earth is not big enough for two kings."
Throughout the Timurid empire are blue domes like this one.
They really are all over the place in this part of the world. When Amir Timur died, he left behind a black sarcophagus. Lots of mistique now surrounds it. It was taken by a Turkish king even after being warned not to. He broke it in two and his son got sick. After returning it to Samarkand, he got better. It was exhumed by Russians a week before Hitler attacked them and reintered a week before the deciseve battle of Stalingrad was won.
Supposedly written somewhere on it is his epitaph, "If I were still alive, the world would tremble!" What a great guy.
For something a little more lighthearted, we found a new scent of laundry detergent for those of you tired of Tide.
The next morning we took the bus to Bukhara. We figured out how to take the local bus which was a little slower, lots cheaper and more tiring since we had to talk to all the people on the bus while sitting in the aisle. Here are all the guys from the bus. The one on Stephen's left asked us over to his house about 300 times with promises of rivers of whiskey. We didn't take him up on the offer.
posted by Randall Knutson at
8:03 PM
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