On the crossroads of Central Asia, Uzbekistan is replete with rich cultural tapestries, writes Seri Nor Nadiah Koris
SINCE I slept throughout the seven-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, I am all geared up to start my journey in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.But it’s already 3am when we arrive in the capital city. And it’s drizzling. So we’re sent straight to our hotel in the heart of the city and advised to get some sleep.
Getting up later in the morning, we look forward to having our first bite of local food.
We step outside the hotel and to our surprise, no restaurant is open for breakfast.
“We prefer home-cooked breakfast,” says our guide Davron Khusanov.
“Besides, it’s Navruz Day, a celebration to mark the beginning of spring and it’s a public holiday,” he adds, telling us to have breakfast at the hotel instead.
Included in the spread is sumalyak (also spelt sumalak), the traditional sweet of Uzbekistan and a must for Navruz Day.Interestingly, it is served in a bowl and sipped like soup. It tastes similar to dodol. You can easily get sumalyak at markets and hotels during spring.
MUSEUMS AND MOSQUES
We have a full list of attractions to visit, including Amir Temur Museum, Applied Arts Museum and Old Tashkent City Mosque.
Located in Amir Temur Street, Amir Temur Museum is named after the conqueror known as Tamerlane (also known as Temur).
Exhibits are historical and valuable items such as jewellery, weapons, military attire and regalia, and musical instruments dating back to the Timurids era.
Next stop is the Applied Arts Museum which houses ceramic, glass and porcelain plates, samples of hand-made embroidery, national fabrics and clothes, carpets, engraved wood, varnished miniatures and jewellery.
The castle-like building itself is as interesting as its showcase inside.
For lunch, we’re taken to Plov Centre for the country’s famed plov (also spelt pilaf).
Similar to nasi biryani, plov consists of fried meat, onions, carrots, rice, sultana, berries, peas or fruit.
For appetisers, we have Uzbek bread served with hot limonli choy (lemon tea), a drink that will warm you during the cold and windy spring season.
Later in the evening, we head for Old Tashkent City Mosque where we see children flying kites in the compound. Davron tells me most of the children live nearby and they do not have a suitable place to play.
“There is plenty of space around the mosque which can be used for recreation,” he says.
TRAIN EXPERIENCE
To round up the day, Davron takes us for a tour around Independence Square, about 2km from our hotel.
Instead of the tour bus, we take the Metro, which is like the LRT in Kuala Lumpur. It takes us three minutes to reach the square where street photographers approach me to have my pictures taken by them. The price ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 soms (RM15 to RM22.40). The deal will be tempting for tourists who don’t have cameras with them.
The next day, we visit Samarkand, the second largest city in Uzbekistan.
After an early breakfast, we head for Vostochniy Train station to catch the 8.30am train. It’s four hours to Samarkand from Tashkent.
It is heart-warming to watch passengers sharing their food (such as bread and hard-boiled eggs). I am very impressed that even total strangers have no qualms about sharing their food with fellow passengers, which Davron says is the local culture.
ANCIENT MONUMENTS
It’s half past noon when we reach Samarkand. First on our itinerary is a visit to Gur Emir Mausoleum (gur means grave).
The mausoleum was built in 1404 for Temur’s favourite grandson Muhammad Sultan. In 1405, after Temur died in Otrar City, his sons decided to move his body and bury him near his favourite grandson.
Next, we head for Mirzo Ulugh Bek Observatory which houses the Ulugh Bek Museum and the trench used as an observatory in ancient days.
According to Davron, the museum however only exhibits copies of all Ulugh Bek’s books as the originals are in Oxford, United Kingdom.
We are also taken to the mausoleum of Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis, also known as The Living King. The world-famous necropolis also houses the mausoleum of the cousin of Prophet Muhammad, Kusam ibn Abbas.
It’s one of the oldest monuments in Islamic architecture and an important pilgrimage site in Samarkand for Muslims.
While climbing the stairs that lead to the tombs, Davron tells us that “whoever counts the number of steps correctly will get married to a rich Uzbek man”.
There goes my luck, for I am too busy trying to reach the top that I haven’t bothered to count.
PERFECT END
We spend some time shopping at Registan Square where we find a variety of crafts and souvenirs, from cushion covers, small pottery, ceramic pieces, silk scarves, knives, pictures to rugs.
Davron reminds us to bargain. For a silk scarf, the price starts at 50,000 som (RM74.80) and you can easily slash the price by half.
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